2020 might not have been the year for blockbuster film releases, but it was the year for indie film releases. That is being shown off with the nominees for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards.

The front runner for nominations is Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Eliza Hittman is nominated for Best Director, while her critically acclaimed film is also nominated for Best Feature, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Female, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography.

As for the TV awards the cast of I May Destroy You won for Best Ensemble Cast. Their show is also nominated for Best New Scripted Series.

The Awards will be streamed on both IFC and AMC+ on Thursday, April 22nd at 10:00 PM EST. And you can see the full list of nominees below:

Best Feature

  • First Cow
  • Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Minari
  • Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  • Nomadland

Best First Feature

  • The Forty-Year-Old Version
  • I Carry You With Me
  • Miss Juneteenth
  • Nine Days
  • Sound Of Metal

John Cassavetes Award

  • The Killing Of Two Lovers
  • La Leyenda Negra
  • Lingua Franca
  • Residue
  • Saint Frances

Best Director

  • Lee Isaac Chung: Minari
  • Emerald Fennell: Promising Young Woman
  • Eliza Hittman: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  • Kelly Reichardt: First Cow
  • Chloe Zhao: Nomadland

Best Screenplay

  • Lee Isaac Chung: Minari
  • Emerald Fennell: Promising Young Woman
  • Eliza Hittman: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  • Mike Makowsky: Bad Education
  • Alice Wu: The Half Of It

Best First Screenplay

  • Kitty Green: The Assistant
  • Noah Hutton: Lapsis
  • Channing Godfrey Peoples: Miss Juneteenth
  • Andy Siara: Palm Springs
  • James Sweeney: Straight Up

Best Female Lead

  • Nicole Beharie: Miss Juneteenth
  • Viola Davis: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Sidney Flanigan: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  • Julia Garner: The Assistant
  • Frances McDormand: Nomadland
  • Carey Mulligan: Promising Young Woman

Best Male Lead

  • Riz Ahmed: Sound Of Metal
  • Chadwick Boseman: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Adarsh Gourav: The White Tiger
  • Rob Morgan: Bull
  • Steven Yuen: Minari

Best Documentary

  • Collective
  • Crip Camp
  • Dick Johnson Is Dead
  • The Mole Agent
  • Time

Best Supporting Actress

  • Alexis Chikaeze: Miss Juneteenth
  • Yeri Han: Minari
  • Valerie Mahaffey: French Exit
  • Talia Ryder: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  • Yuh-Jung Youn: Minari

Best Supporting Male

  • Colman Domingo: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Orion Lee: Minari
  • Paul Raci: Sound Of Metal
  • Glynn Turman: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Benedict Wong: Nine Days

Best International Film

  • Bacurau: Brazil
  • The Disciple: India
  • Night Of The Kings: Ivory Coast
  • Preparations To Be Together For An Unknown Period Of Time: Hungary
  • Quo Vadis, Aida?: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Best Editing

  • Andy Canny: The Invisible Man
  • Scott Cummings: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  • Merawi Geriam: Residue
  • Enat Sidi: I Carry You With Me
  • Chloe Zhao: Nomadland

Best Cinematography

  • Jay Keitel: She Dies Tomorrow
  • Shabier Kirchner: Bull
  • Michael Latham: The Assistant
  • Helene Louvart: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  • Joshua James Richards: Nomadland

Robert Altman Award

  • One Night In Miami

Best New Scripted Series

  • I May Destroy You
  • Little America
  • Small Axe
  • A Teacher
  • Unorthodox

Best New Non-Scripted Or Documentary Series

  • Atlanta’s Missing And Murdered: The Lost Children
  • City So Real
  • Immigration Nation
  • Love Fraud
  • We’re Here

Best Female Performance

  • Elle Fanning: The Great
  • Shira Hass: Unorthodox
  • Abby McEnany: Work In Progress
  • Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: Never Have I Ever
  • Jordan Kristine Seamon: We Are Who We Are

Best Male Performance

  • Adam Ali: Little America
  • Nicco Annan: P-Valley
  • Conphidance: Little America
  • Amit Rahav: Unorthodox
  • Harold Torres: Zero Zero Zero

Best Ensemble Cast

  • I May Destroy You

Producers Awards

  • Kara Durrett
  • Lucas Joaquin
  • Gerry Kim

Someone To Watch Award

  • David Midell
  • Ekwa Msangi
  • Annie Silverstein

Truer Than Fiction Award

  • Cecilia Aldarondo
  • Elegance Bratton
  • Elizabeth Lo

So what was your favorite independent film of 2020? Let us know in the comments below.

Sources: Film Independent