It’s often speculated that the Spirit Awards nominations are a good indication of who can go on to be nominated for an Oscar. So, now that Patti Harrison, Taylour Paige, and Dirt Nasty Simon Rex are first-time Spirit Award nominees, there’s hope that they’ll get their due at the Academy Awards, too. The Film Independent Spirit Awards shared its list of nominees for the 37th ceremony happening on March 6, 2022, and there’s a clear frontrunner this time around: Zola.
Zola, A24's biggest flick of the year, got the most nominations, with chances of winning Best Feature, Best Female Lead, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. C’mon C’mon and Red Rocket, also on A24's 2021 roster, received plenty of nominations, too.
Additionally, Emma Seligman’s critically acclaimed Shiva Baby is up for a John Cassavetes Award and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s The Lost Daughter is also up for multiple awards, including Best Feature and Best Director.
See the full list of the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations below.
Best Feature
A Chiara
C’mon C’mon
The Lost Daughter
The Novice
Zola
Best Male Lead
Clifton Collins Jr., Jockey
Frankie Faison, Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
Michael Greyeyes, Wild Indian
Udo Kier, Swan Song
Simon Rex, Red Rocket
Best Female Lead
Isabelle Fuhrman, The Novice
Brittany S. Hall, Test Pattern
Patti Harrison, Together Together
Taylour Paige, Zola
Kali Reis, Catch the Fair One
Best Director
Janicza Bravo, Zola
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Lauren Hadaway, The Novice
Mike Mills, C’mon C’mon
Ninja Thyberg, Pleasure
Best Screenplay
C’mon, C’mon
The Lost Daughter
Swan Song
Together Together
Zola
Best Cinematography
Chiara
Blue Bayou
The Humans
Passing
Zola
Best Documentary
Ascension
Flee
In The Same Breath
Procession
Summer of Soul
Best First Feature
7 Days
Holler
Queen of Glory
Test Pattern
Wild Indian
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
Cryptozoo
Jockey
Shiva Baby
Sweet Thing
This is Not a War Story
Best First Screenplay
Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr., Wild Indian
Matt Fifer; Story by Sheldon D. Brown, Cicada
Shatara Michelle Ford, Test Pattern
Fran Kranz, Mass
Michael Sarnoski; Story by Vanessa Block, Pig
Best Supporting Female
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Amy Forsyth, The Novice
Ruth Negga, Passing
Revika Reustle, Pleasure
Suzanna Son, Red Rocket
Best Supporting Male
Colman Domingo, Zola
Meeko Gattuso, Queen of Glory
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Will Patton, Sweet Thing
Chaske Spencer, Wild Indian
Best Editing
A Chiara
The Nowhere Inn
The Novice
Zola
The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Mass