Independent Spirit Nominations

[Sabin]

A slightly more eclectic group than usual.


2020 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
A Hidden Life
Producers: Elisabeth Bentley, Dario Bergesio, Grant Hill, Josh Jeter

Clemency
Producers: Timur Bekbosunov, Julian Cautherley, Bronwyn Cornelius, Peter Wong

The Farewell
Producers: Anita Gou, Daniele Melia, Andrew Miano, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Lulu
Wang, Chris Weitz, Jane Zheng

Marriage Story
Producers: Noah Baumbach, David Heyman

Uncut Gems
Producers: Eli Bush, Sebastian Bear-McClard, Scott Rudin



BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
Booksmart
Director: Olivia Wilde
Producers: Chelsea Barnard, David Distenfeld, Jessica Elbaum, Megan Ellison,
Katie Silberman

The Climb
Director/Producer: Michael Angelo Covino
Producers: Noah Lang, Kyle Marvin

Diane
Director: Kent Jones
Producers: Luca Borghese, Ben Howe, Caroline Kaplan, Oren Moverman

The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Director/Producer: Joe Talbot
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Khaliah Neal, Christina Oh

The Mustang
Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
Producer: Ilan Goldman

See You Yesterday
Director: Stefon Bristol
Producer: Spike Lee



JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000 (Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
Burning Cane
Writer/Director/Producer: Phillip Youmans
Producers: Ojo Akinlana, Jakob Johnson, Karen Kaia Livers, Mose Mayer,
Wendell Pierce, Isaac Webb, Cassandra Youmans

Colewell
Writer/Director: Tom Quinn
Producers: Joshua Blum, Alexandra Byer, Craig Shilowich, Matthew Thurm

Give Me Liberty
Writer/Director/Producer: Kirill Mikhanovsky
Writer/Producer: Alice Austen
Producers: Val Abel, Wally Hall, Michael Manasseri, George Rush, Sergey Shtern

Premature
Writer/Director/Producer: Rashaad Ernesto Green
Writer: Zora Howard
Producer: Darren Dean, Joy Ganes

Wild Nights With Emily
Writer/Director/Producer: Madeleine Olnek
Producers: Anna Margarita Albelo, Casper Andreas, Max Rifkind-Barron



BEST DIRECTOR
Alma Har’el
Honey Boy

Lorene Scafaria
Hustlers

Julius Onah
Luce

Robert Eggers
The Lighthouse

Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie
Uncut Gems



BEST SCREENPLAY
Noah Baumbach
Marriage Story

Jason Begue, Shawn Snyder
To Dust

Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie
Uncut Gems

Chinonye Chukwu
Clemency

Tarell Alvin McCraney
High Flying Bird



BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Fredrica Bailey & Stefon Bristol
See You Yesterday

Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen
Driveways

Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy
Blow the Man Down

Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe
Greener Grass

James Montague & Craig W. Sanger
The Vast of Night



BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Todd Banhazl
Hustlers

Jarin Blaschke
The Lighthouse

Natasha Braier
Honey Boy

Chananun Chotrungroj
The Third Wife

Pawel Pogorzelski
Midsommar



BEST EDITING
Julie Béziau
The Third Wife

Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie
Uncut Gems

Tyler L. Cook
Sword of Trust

Louise Ford
The Lighthouse

Kirill Mikhanovsky
Give Me Liberty



BEST FEMALE LEAD
Karen Allen
Colewell

Hong Chau
Driveways

Elisabeth Moss
Her Smell

Mary Kay Place
Diane

Alfre Woodard
Clemency

Renée Zellweger
Judy



BEST MALE LEAD
Chris Galust
Give Me Liberty

Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Luce

Robert Pattinson
The Lighthouse

Matthias Schoenaerts
The Mustang

Adam Sandler
Uncut Gems



BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Jennifer Lopez
Hustlers

Taylor Russell
Waves

Lauren “LoLo” Spencer
Give Me Liberty

Octavia Spencer
Luce

Zhao Shuzhen
The Farewell



BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Willem Dafoe
The Lighthouse

Noah Jupe
Honey Boy

Shia LaBeouf
Honey Boy

Jonathan Majors
The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Wendell Pierce
Burning Cane



ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast
Marriage Story
Director: Noah Baumbach
Casting Directors: Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
Ensemble Cast: Alan Alda, Laura Dern, Adam Driver, Julie Hagerty, Scarlett Johansson,
Ray Liotta, Azhy Robertson, Merritt Wever



BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
American Factory
Director/Producer: Steven Bognar & Julia Reichert
Producers: Julie Parker Benello, Jeff Reichert

Apollo 11
Director/Producer: Todd Douglas Miller
Producers: Evan Krauss, Thomas Baxley Petersen

For Sama
Director: Edward Watts
Director/Producer: Waad al-Kateab

Honeyland
Director: Tamara Kotevska
Director/Producer: Ljubo Stefanov
Producer: Atanas Georgiev

Island of the Hungry Ghosts
Director/Producer: Gabrielle Brady
Producers: Gizem Acarla, Samm Haillay, Alex Kelly, Alexander Wadouh



BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
Invisible Life
Brazil
Director: Karim Aïnouz

Les Misérables
France
Director: Ladj Ly

Parasite
South Korea
Director: Bong Joon-Ho

Portrait of a Lady on Fire
France
Director: Céline Sciamma

Retablo
Peru
Director: Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio L.

The Souvenir
United Kingdom
Director: Joanna Hogg



BONNIE AWARD – Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo joined American Airlines in 1973 at age 24, becoming the first female pilot to fly for a major U.S. airline. In her honor, the third Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.

Marielle Heller
Kelly Reichardt
Lulu Wang



PRODUCERS AWARD – The 23rd annual Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Mollye Asher
Krista Parris
Ryan Zacarias



SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 26th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Rashaad Ernesto Green
Director of Premature

Ash Mayfair
Director of The Third Wife

Joe Talbot
Director of The Last Black Man in San Francisco



TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 25th annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Khalik Allah
Director of Black Mother

Davy Rothbart
Director of 17 Blocks

Nadia Shihab
Director of Jaddoland

Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside
Director of América