Nominations for the Film Independent Spirit Awards are in, and “Zola” leads the pack with seven nods. Janicza Bravo directed and co-wrote the comedy. It was inspired by a viral Twitter thread. The story follows a waitress from Detroit who is lured to Florida with promises of big money, parties, and other perks. “Zola” is up for Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, and Best Female Lead (Taylour Paige), among other honors.
Three of five films competing for Best Feature are helmed by women: “Zola,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Elena Ferrante adaptation “The Lost Daughter,” and Lauren Hadaway’s rowing drama “The Novice.” Four of five nominees in the Best Director race are women: joining Bravo, Gyllenhaal, and Hadaway is Ninja Thyberg for “Pleasure,” a pic about L.A.’s porn industry that follows a woman who moves from a small town in Sweden to the U.S. in the hopes of becoming a star.
Besides Bravo and Gyllenhaal, the Best Screenplay category also includes Nikole Beckwith for “Together Together,” a comedy about the friendship between a surrogate and a single dad that Beckwith also directed.
Joining Paige in the Best Female Lead category are Isabelle Fuhrman (“The Novice”); Brittany S. Hall (“Test Pattern”); Patti Harrison (“Together Together”); and Kali Reis (“Catch the Fair One”).
Entertainment Weekly notes that “44 percent of the recognized writers and directors are women, while 38 percent identify as BIPOC. Of the nominated actors, 60 percent identify as BIPOC.”
EW has the complete list of nominees for 2021. The ceremony will take place March 6.
“Nomadland” was named Best Feature at last year’s edition of the Indie Spirit Awards, and Chloé Zhao won the award for Best Director in a category that featured three other women (“Promising Young Woman’s” Emerald Fennell, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always’” Eliza Hittman, and “First Cow’s” Kelly Reichardt).
Source: Women And Hollywood
