The nominations for the 39th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced—and LGBTQ+ actors, directors and productions definitely made their mark.
Trans actress Trace Lysette was announced as one of the nominees for Best Lead Performance for her lead role in the movie Monica.
Lysette became just the fifth trans actor to ever receive an Independent Spirit Award nomination, according to Out. Mya Taylor (who won) and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez were nominated for their roles in Tangerine, Patti Harrison was nominated for Together Together, and Harmony Santana was nominated for Gun Hill Road.
Lysette is nominated alongside such names as Andrew Scott (for the LGBTQ+ film All of Us Strangers, which scored seven wins at the British Independent Film Awards), Natalie Portman (May December), Judy Reyes (Birth/Rebirth) and Jessica Chastain (Memory), among others.
The best supporting performance category features out actors Noah Galvin and Ben Whishaw—in the LGBTQ+ films Theater Camp and Passages, respectively—alongside Anne Hathaway (Eileen), Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), Erika Alexander and Sterling K. Brown (both for American Fiction), Charles Melton (May December) and others.
Kokomo City—a movie about four Black transgender sex workers—was nominated for best documentary. Other nods went to Bye Bye Tiberias, Four Daughters, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project and The Mother of All Lies.
Best director nods went to out helmers Todd Haynes (May December), Ira Sachs (Passages) and Andrew Haigh (All of Us Strangers) in addition to William Oldroyd (Eileen) and Celine Song (Past Lives). All of Us Strangers, American Fiction, May December, Passages, Past Lives and We Grown Now all received nods for best feature.
In the realm of television, nonbinary actors Emma Corrin (A Murder at the End of the World) and Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) received nods for best lead performance in a new scripted series, while Billie Eilish—in the news after accusing Variety of outing her—and Murray Bartlett were nominated for best supporting performance in a new scripted series (Swarm and The Last of Us, respectively).
The 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards, will take place on Feb. 25, back on the beach in Santa Monica, California.
—Andrew Davis
