With just days before Oscar Sunday, Nomadland is making an even bigger case as the Best Picture front runner by dominating at the Independent Spirit Awards.
The Fox Searchlight film from writer-director Chloe Zhao took home four awards, including Best Feature and Best Director for Zhao.
Nomadland – which has been surrounded with Oscars buzz – has been tipped for success ahead of the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday evening.
The creators are no doubt feeling confident ahead of the biggest night in film, following their run of success during awards season.
Nomadland wins: With just days before Oscar Sunday, Nomadland is making an even bigger case as the Best Picture front runner by dominating at the Independent Spirit Awards
The Sound of Metal also won three awards at the virtual ceremony, hosted by Saturday Night Live star Melissa Villasenor, with Promising Young Woman winning two awards.
Producer Mollye Asher accepted the Best Feature award for Nomadland, tahnking the talented cast and crew for all their hard work.
‘Thank you, thank you so much to Film Independent, to Searchlight. Congratulations to our fellow nominees, you make extraordinary movies, you push the boundaries of culture and we are so honored to be nominated with you,’ she began.
‘In our film Bob Wells says to Fern you have come to the right place to connect with your tribe and with your community and you Film Independent, you are community and we are so honored to be recognized by our tribe,’ she added.
Four awards: The Fox Searchlight film from writer-director Chloe Zhao took home four awards, including Best Feature and Best Director for Zhao
Producer: Producer Mollye Asher accepted the Best Feature award for Nomadland, tahnking the talented cast and crew for all their hard work
Nomadland beat out First Cow, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Minari and Never Rarely Sometimes Always for Best Feature.
Nomadland director Chloe Zhao beat out Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung, Promising Young Woman’s Emerald Fennell, Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Kelly Reichart’s First Cow for Best Director honors.
She became just the third woman to win Best Director, following Martha Coolidge for Rambling Rose in 1991 and Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation in 2003.
Best director: Nomadland director Chloe Zhao beat out Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung, Promising Young Woman’s Emerald Fennell, Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Kelly Reichart’s First Cow for Best Director honors
Historic: She became just the third woman to win Best Director, following Martha Coolidge for Rambling Rose in 1991 and Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation in 2003
Zhao thanked the independent film community in her acceptance speech, stating, ‘We wouldn’t be here with you. We get to do what we love and feel like we’re apart of a big family.’
Zhao also won the Best Editing Award, with Joshua James Richards also winning for Best Cinematography for Nomadland.
Another Oscar Best Picture nominee, The Sound of Metal took home three awards, Best First Feature, Best Male Lead (Riz Ahmed) and Best Supporting Male (Paul Raci).
Community: Zhao thanked the independent film community in her acceptance speech, stating, ‘We wouldn’t be here with you. We get to do what we love and feel like we’re apart of a big family’
Riz wins: Another Oscar Best Picture nominee, The Sound of Metal took home three awards, Best First Feature, Best Male Lead (Riz Ahmed) and Best Supporting Male (Paul Raci)
The film beat out The Forty-Year-Old Version, I Carry You With Me, Miss Juneteenth and Nine Days for the Best First Feature award.
Ahmed bested the late Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) Rob Morgan (Bull) and Steven Yeun (Minari).
The actor thanked Film Independent for the award, along with his ‘daring’ and ‘genius’ writer-director Darius Marder.
Thanks: The actor thanked Film Independent for the award, along with his ‘daring’ and ‘genius’ writer-director Darius Marder
‘Sound of Metal is about how a health crisis can throw your life off track,’ Ahmed said before wishing peace to those who suffered in this past pandemic year.
Paul Raci beat out Colman Domingo (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) Orion Lee (First Cow), Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) and Benedict Wong (Nine Days) for Best Supporting Male.
Raci provided one of the most unique speeches, using sign language throughout his speech while offering some advice to other actors as well.
Paul wins: Paul Raci beat out Colman Domingo (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) Orion Lee (First Cow) , Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) and Benedict Wong (Nine Days) for Best Supporting Male
Sign language: Raci provided one of the most unique speeches, using sign language throughout his speech while offering some advice to other actors as well
‘Don’t quit your day job, I never did. I still have it too,’ Raci said with a smile.
The next most decorated film at the Indie Spirit Awards was Promising Young Woman, which won Best Female Lead for Carey Mulligan and Best Screenplay for writer-director Emerald Fennell.
Mulligan beat out Nicole Beharie (Miss Juneteenth), Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Julia Garner (The Assistant) and Oscar favorite Frances McDormand (Nomadland).
Carey wins: Mulligan beat out Nicole Beharie (Miss Juneteenth), Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Julia Garner (The Assistant) and Oscar favorite Frances McDormand (Nomadland)
The actress thanked her fellow nominees, stating she is, ‘floored by each and every one of their performances so thank you for being in their company to be recognized amongst them.
‘I need to just thank first and foremost Emerald Fennell for her complete genius in writing and directing and producing this work our extraordinary crew, I always think independent film is so much fun because you get to do it in 20 a days or 29 days and it’s so much fun to be on summer camp with people,’ she added.
The actress went on to thank producer Margot Robbie before closing her speech by thanking, ‘an actress that I have looked up to and will continue to look up to, for the rest of my career, Helen Mccrory,’ who just passed away last week.
Floored: The actress thanked her fellow nominees, stating she is, ‘ floored by each and every one of their performances so thank you for being in their company to be recognized amongst them
Fennell thanked the Independent Spirit Awards for, ‘this unbelievable honor,’ adding she wished they, ‘could all be there in person to meet and celebrate.’
She thanked her star, Carey Mulligan, ‘for making me look good and by making the script 1000 times better by virtue of her genius.’
‘I just feel so immensely lucky to have worked with so many unbelievably talented and kind and patient people,’ she added.
Emerald thanks: Fennell thanked the Independent Spirit Awards for, ‘this unbelievable honor,’ adding she wished they, ‘could all be there in person to meet and celebrate’
‘This is just more than I ever expected, but I am very, very, very grateful so thank you, thank you very much,’ Fennell concluded.
Other winners included Residue taking home the John Cassavettes Award, Andy Siara winning Best First Screenplay for Palm Springs and Crip Camp for Best Documentary.
Yuh-jung Youn won Best Supporting Female for Minari, Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina) winning Best International Feature, Gerry Kim winning the Producers Award, Ekwa Msangi winning the Someone to Watch Award, Elegance Bratton winning the Truer Than Fiction Award and One Night in Miami winning the Robert Altman Award.
On the TV side, I May Destroy You won Best New Scripted Series and Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series.
Immigration Nation won Best New Non-Scripted Series, while Amit Rahav from Unorthodox won Best Male Performance In A Scripted Series and Shira Haas from Unorthodox won Best Female Performance In a Scripted Series.
Best Supporting Female: Yuh-jung Youn won Best Supporting Female for Minari
Shira wins: Shira Haas from Unorthodox won Best Female Performance In a Scripted Series
TV winner: On the TV side, I May Destroy You won Best New Scripted Series and Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
Winner: Elegance Bratton seen winning the Truer Than Fiction Award
