The winners of the 40th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards (SPIRIT) will be announced on Saturday, February 22nd. Honoring the best in independent film from 2024, several Oscar contenders are competing for wins, including “Anora,” “Nickel Boys,” “A Real Pain,” and “The Substance.” Here are the winner predictions from some members of the Next Best Picture team.
Predictions are provided by: Alyssa Christian, Cody Dericks, Daniel Howat, Ema Sasic, Josh Parham, Lauren LaMagna, Matt Neglia, Nadia Dalimonte, Sara Clements & Tom O’Brien
BEST FEATURE
Anora (ALL)
I Saw the TV Glow
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
The Substance
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Dìdi (Alyssa, Cody, Daniel, Ema, Josh, Lauren, Matt & Nadia)
In the Summers
Janet Planet (Sara & Tom)
The Piano Lesson
Problemista
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000
Big Boys
Ghostlight (Daniel, Josh & Sara)
Girls Will Be Girls
Jazzy
The People’s Joker (Alyssa, Cody, Ema, Lauren, Matt, Nadia & Tom)
BEST DIRECTOR
Ali Abbasi – The Apprentice
Sean Baker – Anora (Alyssa & Cody)
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist (Daniel, Ema, Josh, Lauren, Matt, Nadia, Sara & Tom)
Alonso Ruizpalacios – La Cocina
Jane Schoenbrun – I Saw the TV Glow
BEST SCREENPLAY
Scott Beck, Bryan Woods – Heretic
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain (ALL)
Megan Park – My Old Ass
Aaron Schimberg – A Different Man
Jane Schoenbrun – I Saw the TV Glow
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Joanna Arnow – The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed
Annie Baker – Janet Planet (Sara)
India Donaldson – Good One
Julio Torres – Problemista (Alyssa)
Sean Wang – Dìdi (Cody, Daniel, Ema, Josh, Lauren, Matt, Nadia & Tom)
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Ryan Destiny – The Fire Inside
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Keith Kupferer – Ghostlight
Mikey Madison – Anora (Cody, Josh, Lauren & Matt)
Demi Moore – The Substance (Alyssa, Daniel, Ema, Nadia, Sara & Tom)
Hunter Schafer – Cuckoo
Justice Smith – I Saw the TV Glow
June Squibb – Thelma
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Yura Borisov – Anora
Joan Chen – Dìdi
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain (Alyssa, Cody, Daniel, Josh, Lauren, Matt, Nadia, Sara & Tom)
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Carol Kane – Between the Temples
Karren Karagulian – Anora
Kani Kusruti – Girls Will Be Girls
Brigette Lundy-Paine – I Saw the TV Glow
Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin – Sing Sing (Ema)
Adam Pearson – A Different Man
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Isaac Krasner – Big Boys
Katy O’Brian – Love Lies Bleeding (Josh & Lauren)
Mason Alexander Park – National Anthem
René Pérez Joglar – In the Summers
Maisy Stella – My Old Ass (Alyssa, Cody, Daniel, Ema, Matt, Nadia, Sara & Tom)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dinh Duy Hung – Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys (ALL)
Maria von Hausswolff – Janet Planet
Juan Pablo Ramírez – La Cocina
Rina Yang – The Fire Inside
BEST EDITING
Laura Colwell, Vanara Taing – Jazzy
Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm – The Apprentice (Lauren & Nadia)
Anne McCabe – Nightbitch
Hansjörg Weissbrich – September 5 (Cody, Daniel, Ema, Josh, Matt, Sara & Tom)
Arielle Zakowski – Dìdi (Alyssa)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Gaucho Gaucho
Hummingbirds
No Other Land (ALL)
Patrice: The Movie
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
All We Imagine as Light (Cody, Daniel, Ema & Tom)
Black Dog
Flow (Alyssa, Josh, Lauren, Matt, Nadia & Sara)
Green Border
Hard Truths
PRODUCERS AWARD – The Producers Award, now in its 28th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films.
Alex Coco (Alyssa, Cody, Daniel, Ema, Josh, Lauren, Matt & Nadia)
Sarah Winshall (Sara & Tom)
Zoë Worth
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 31st year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
Nicholas Colia – Director of Griffin in Summer (Sara)
Sarah Friedland – Director of Familiar Touch (Matt, Nadia & Tom)
Pham Thien An – Director of Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Alyssa, Cody, Daniel, Ema, Josh & Lauren)
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 30th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie – Directors of Sugarcane (Alyssa, Cody, Daniel, Ema, Josh, Lauren, Matt, Nadia & Sara)
Carla Gutiérrez – Director of Frida
Rachel Elizabeth Seed – Director of A Photographic Memory (Tom)
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color (Lauren & Sara)
Hollywood Black (Nadia)
Photographer
Ren Faire (Alyssa, Cody, Daniel, Josh, Matt & Tom)
Social Studies (Ema)
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Baby Reindeer (Sara)
Diarra From Detroit
English Teacher
Fantasmas
Shōgun (Alyssa, Cody, Daniel, Ema, Josh, Lauren, Matt, Nadia & Tom)
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Brian Jordan Alvarez – English Teacher
Richard Gadd – Baby Reindeer (Alyssa & Sara)
Lily Gladstone – Under the Bridge (Josh)
Kathryn Hahn – Agatha All Along
Cristin Milioti – The Penguin (Matt & Nadia)
Julianne Moore – Mary & George
Hiroyuki Sanada – Shōgun (Cody, Daniel, Ema & Tom)
Anna Sawai – Shōgun (Lauren)
Andrew Scott – Ripley
Julio Torres – Fantasmas
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Tadanobu Asano – Shōgun (Daniel, Ema, Lauren, Matt, Nadia & Tom)
Enrico Colantoni – English Teacher
Betty Gilpin – Three Women
Chloe Guidry – Under the Bridge
Moeka Hoshi – Shōgun (Sara)
Stephanie Koenig – English Teacher
Patti LuPone – Agatha All Along (Alyssa, Cody & Josh)
Nava Mau – Baby Reindeer
Ruth Negga – Presumed Innocent
Brian Tee – Expats
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer (ALL)
Diarra Kilpatrick – Diarra From Detroit
Joe Locke – Agatha All Along
Megan Stott – Penelope
Hoa Xuande – The Sympathizer
What do you think of our predictions? What do you think is going to win? Please let us know your thoughts on our X account. Click here for more important upcoming dates this awards season and here for the most recent tally of awards season winners for the current year.
