2019 Spirit Awards nominees announced

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Forget the Oscars and Academy awards, my friends, for Film Independent has announced the nominees for the 2019 Independent Spirit Awards. On Friday, Gemma Chan (CRAZY RICH ASIANS, CAPTAIN MARVEL) and Molly Shannon (SUPERSTAR, LIFE AFTER BETH) revealed the nominees during a press conference held at the W Hotel in Los Angeles. Leading the pack with a total of five nominations is Jeremiah Zagar's WE THE ANIMALS documentary, which tells the story of a mixed-race family with three young sons in upstate New York. Other film titles that scored big for the annual celebration of independent film excellence include Bo Burnham's EIGHTH GRADE, Paul Schrader's FIRST REFORMED, and Lynne Ramsay's YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE starring Joaquin Phoenix.

Below you'll find the full list of nominees for this year's event:

BEST FEATURE

(Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)

First Reformed

Producers: Jack Binder, Greg Clark, Gary Hamilton, Victoria Hill, David Hinojosa, Frank Murray, Deepak Sikka, Christine Vachon

If Beale Street Could Talk

Producers: Dede Gardner, Barry Jenkins, Jeremy Kleiner, Sara Murphy, Adele Romanski

Leave No Trace

Producers: Anne Harrison, Linda Reisman, Anne Rosellini

You Were Never Really Here

Producers: Rosa Attab, Pascal Caucheteux, Rebecca O'Brien, Lynne Ramsay, James Wilson

BEST FIRST FEATURE

(Award given to the director and producer)

Hereditary

Director: Ari Aster

Producers: Kevin Frakes, Lars Knudsen, Buddy Patrick

Sorry to Bother You

Director: Boots Riley

Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jonathan Duffy, Charles D. King, George Rush, Forest Whitaker, Kelly Williams

The Tale

Director/Producer: Jennifer Fox

Producers: Sol Bondy, Lawrence Inglee, Mynette Louie, Oren Moverman, Simone Pero, Reka Posta, Laura Rister, Regina K. Scully, Lynda Weinman

We the Animals

Director: Jeremiah Zagar

Producers: Andrew Goldman, Christina D. King, Paul Mezey, Jeremy Yaches

Wildlife

Director/Producer: Paul Dano

Producers: Andrew Duncan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riva Marker, Oren Moverman, Ann Ruark, Alex Saks

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.)

A Bread Factory

Writer/Director/Producer: Patrick Wang

Producers: Daryl Freimark, Matt Miller

En el Séptimo Día

Writer/Director/Producer: Jim McKay

Producers: Alex Bach, Lindsey Cordero, Caroline Kaplan, Michael Stipe

Never Goin' Back

Writer/Director: Augustine Frizzell

Producers: Liz Cardenas, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston

Sócrates

Writer/Director/Producer: Alex Moratto

Writer: Thayná Mantesso

Producers: Ramin Bahrani, Jefferson Paulino, Tammy Weiss

Thunder Road

Writer/Director: Jim Cummings

Producers: Natalie Metzger, Zack Parker, Benjamin Weissner

BEST DIRECTOR

Debra Granik

Leave No Trace

Barry Jenkins

If Beale Street Could Talk

Tamara Jenkins

Private Life

Lynne Ramsay

You Were Never Really Here

Paul Schrader

First Reformed

BEST SCREENPLAY

Richard Glatzer (Writer/Story By), Rebecca Lenkiewicz & Wash Westmoreland

Colette

Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Tamara Jenkins

Private Life

Boots Riley

Sorry to Bother You

Paul Schrader

First Reformed

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Bo Burnham

Eighth Grade

Christina Choe

Nancy

Cory Finley

Thoroughbreds

Jennifer Fox

The Tale

Quinn Shephard (Writer/Story By), Laurie Shephard (Story By)

Blame

BEST CINEMATOPGRAPHY

Ashley Connor

Madeline's Madeline

Diego Garcia

Wildlife

Benjamin Loeb

Mandy

Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Suspiria

Zak Mulligan

We the Animals

BEST EDITING

Joe Bini

You Were Never Really Here

Keiko Deguchi, Brian A. Kates, Jeremiah Zagar

We the Animals

Luke Dunkley, Nick Fenton, Chris Gill, Julian Hart

American Animals

Anne Fabini, Alex Hall, Gary Levy

The Tale

Nick Houy

Mid90s

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Glenn Close

The Wife

 Toni Collette

Hereditary

Elsie Fisher

Eighth Grade

 Regina Hall

Support the Girls

Helena Howard

Madeline's Madeline

Carey Mulligan

Wildlife

BEST MALE LEAD

John Cho

Searching

Daveed Diggs

Blindspotting

Ethan Hawke

First Reformed

Christian Malheiros

Sócrates

Joaquin Phoenix

You Were Never Really Here

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Kayli Carter

Private Life

Tyne Daly

A Bread Factory

Regina King

If Beale Street Could Talk

Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie

Leave No Trace

J. Smith-Cameron

Nancy

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Raúl Castillo

We the Animals

Adam Driver

BLACKkKLANSMAN

Richard E. Grant

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Josh Hamilton

Eighth Grade

John David Washington

Monsters and Men

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD

(Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)

Suspiria

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Casting Directors: Avy Kaufman, Stella Savino

Ensemble Cast: Malgosia Bela, Ingrid Caven, Lutz Ebersdorf, Elena Fokina, Mia Goth, Jessica Harper, Dakota Johnson, Gala Moody, Chloë Grace Moretz, Renée Soutendijk, Tilda Swinton, Sylvie Testud, Angela Winkler

BEST DOCUMENTARY

(Award given to the director and producer)

Hale County This Morning, This Evening

Director/Producer: RaMell Ross

Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Su Kim

Minding the Gap

Director/Producer: Bing Liu

Producer: Diane Quon

Of Fathers and Sons

Director: Talal Derki

Producers: Hans Robert Eisenhauer, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme, Tobias N. Siebert

On Her Shoulders

Director: Alexandria Bombach

Producers: Hayley Pappas, Brock Williams

Shirkers

Director/Producer: Sandi Tan

Producers: Jessica Levin, Maya Rudolph

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Director/Producer: Morgan Neville

Producers: Caryn Capotosto, Nicholas Ma

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

(Award given to the director)

Burning

South Korea

Director: Lee Chang-Dong

The Favourite

United Kingdom

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Happy as Lazzaro

Italy

Director: Alice Rohrwacher

Roma

Mexico

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Shoplifters

Japan

Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu

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 second Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.) – via THR

Debra Granik

Tamara Jenkins

Karyn Kusama

PRODUCERS AWARD  

(The 22nd 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.) – via THR

Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams

Gabrielle Nadig

Shrihari Sathe

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

(The 25th 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.) – via THR

Alex Moratto

Director of Sócrates

Ioana Uricaru

Director of Lemonade

Jeremiah Zagar

Director of We the Animals

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD

(The 24th 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.) – via THR

Alexandria Bombach

Director of On Her Shoulders

Bing Liu

Director of Minding the Gap

RaMell Ross

Director of Hale County This Morning, This Evening

Phew! Did you get all of that? Here's wishing the best to all the nominees. Meanwhile, the 34th Spirit Awards will air live on IFC at 2 pm PT/ 5 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. Be sure to tune in and root for your favorite makers of independant film. After all, the fresh voices of today could be the titans of cinema tomorrow.