35th Independent Spirit Awards Coverage (2020)

The 35th Independent Spirit Awards were hosted by Aubrey Plaza on February 8th, 2020. The nominations were revealed on November 21st, 2019 by Zazie Beetz and Natasha Lyonne.

Here is a look at the nominees (and winners):

BEST FEATURE

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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 Shu-zhen
    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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Marielle Heller
  • Kelly Reichardt
  • Lulu Wang

PRODUCERS AWARD

  • Mollye Asher
  • Krista Parris
  • Ryan Zacarias

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

  • 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

  • Khalik Allah
    Director of Black Mother
  • Davy Rothbart
    Director of 17 Blocks
  • Nadia Shihab
    Director of Jaddoland
  • Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside
    Director of América