The Film Independent Spirit Awards announced its nominations Tuesday (Jan. 27) and they included some Latino films, TV series and performances. Co-founded in 1984 by filmmaker Gregory Nava (El Norte) and producer Anne Thomas (El Norte), the Spirit Awards recognize the best in indie projects in Hollywood and beyond. This is the first year the Spirit Awards will include awards for television.
Nominated for Best First Feature is director and producer Heidi Ewing for her drama I Carry You with Me (Te Llevo Conmigo). The U.S./Mexico production, which won an Audience Award and the Next Innovator Award at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of a romance between two Mexican men–an aspiring chef and a teacher.
The drama La Leyenda Negra from director Patricia Vidal Delgado is nominated for the John Cassavetes Award, which is given to the best feature film made for under $500,000. The film is also a same-sex romance about the relationship between a Salvadoran immigrant and one of her schoolmates.
The Brazilian film Bacurau picked up a nomination for Best International Film, while the Chilean film The Mole Agent earned a nod for Best Documentary.
Turning to individual performances, Afro-Latino actor Colman Domingo was recognized for his supporting role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Domingo plays a trombone player trying to keep the peace during a recording session between the band’s diva singer (Viola Davis) and a cocky trumpet player (Chadwick Boseman).
Director Cecilia Aldarondo received a nomination for the Truer Than Fiction Award, which goes to an emerging director of a non-fiction feature that has yet to receive significant recognition. Aldarondo’s film Landfall takes viewers through the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
Also earning noms this year for television is the series Immigration Nation (Best New Non-scripted or Documentary Series), Little America (Best New Scripted Series) and a nod for actor Harold Torres (Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series) for his role in ZeroZeroZero. Torres plays Manuel Contreras, a soldier in the Mexican Army who is secretly working for a drug cartel.
The 36th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony will broadcast April 22 at 10pm ET on the IFC Network.