Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Source: Sundance

‘Never Rarely, Sometimes Always’

Focus Features’ Never Rarely Sometimes Always led the Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations with seven nods on Tuesday (January 26) including best film and director, and female lead.

A24’s Minari placed second on six nods including best feature in a field that includes Nomadland, First Cow, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always.

Women dominated the directing category as Eliza Hittman (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Chloe Zhao (Nomadland), Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), and Kelly Reichardt (First Cow) picked up nods alongside the sole male, Lee Isaac Chung for Minari.

A24’s First Cow, Bleecker Street’s The Assistant, Amazon Studios’ Sound Of Metal, and Focus’ Promising Young Woman earned three nods apiece.

Female acting nods went to Nicole Beharie for Miss Juneteenth, Viola Davis for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Sidney Flanigan for Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Julia Garner for The Assistant, Frances McDormand for Nomadland, and Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman.

The late Chadwick Boseman earned a male actor nod for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom alongside Riz Ahmed for Sound Of Metal, Rob Morgan for Bull, and Steven Yeun for Minari.

Apart from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a number of Netflix titles were ineligible due to budget levels: The Trial Of The Chicago 7, Da 5 Bloods, Mank, The Midnight Sky, The Prom, and Hillbilly Elegy.

Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You and Steve McQueen’s Small Ax are among the nominees in the inaugural TV categories, picking up nods for best new scripted series. Coel’s I May Destroy You has won the award for best ensemble cast in a new scripted series.

In a “one-time” break from tradition, the awards show will take place as an evening event on Thursday April 22, three days before the Oscars.

The nominations appear below.

FILM CATEGORIES

Best feature

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

Nomadland

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 first feature (award given to director and producer)

I Carry You With Me
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Miss Juneteenth

Nine Days
Sound Of Metal

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 Yeun, Minari

Best supporting female

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, First Cow
Paul Raci, Sound Of Metal
Glynn Turman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Benedict Wong, Nine Days

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 cinematography

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

Best editing

Andy Canny, The Invisible Man
Scott Cummings, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Merawi Gerima, Residue
Enat Sidi, Carry You With Me
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland

John Cassavetes Award
The Killing Of Two Lovers
La Leyenda Negra
Lingua Franca
Residue
Saint Frances

Robert Altman Award

One Night In Miami…

Best documentary

Collective
Crip Camp
Dick Johnson Is Dead
The Mole Agent
Time

Best international film

Bacurau
The Disciple
Night Of The Kings
Preparations To Be Together For An Unknown Period oO Time
Quo Vadis, Aida?

Piaget Producers Award

Kara Durrett
Lucas Joaquin
Gerry Kim

Someone to Watch Award

David Midell, director of The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
Ekwa Msangi, director of Farewell Amor
Annie Silverstein, director of Bull

Truer Than Fiction Award

Cecilia Aldarondo, director of Landfall
Elegance Bratton, director of Pier Kids
Elizabeth Lo, director of Stray

TV CATEGORIES

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 new scripted series

I May Destroy You
Little America
Small Axe
A Teacher
Unorthodox

Best female performance in a new scripted series

Elle Fanning, The Great
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Abby McEnany, Work In Progress
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Never Have I Ever
Jordan Kristine Seamón, We Are Who We Are

Best male performance in a new scripted series

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

Best ensemble cast in a new scripted series

I May Destroy You
Ensemble cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Wruche Opia, Stephen Wight.