Never Rarely Sometimes Always Leads The Spirit Awards With 7 Nominations—Promising Young Woman Garners 3 Noms
Eliza Hittman and Emerald Fennell’s powerful female-led features set the tone for this year’s awards season
When the nominations for the 36th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning, Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always led the way with seven nominations. Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut Promising Young Woman also made a very promising appearance with three major nominations. The Spirit Awards, which celebrate creatively driven and independently produced films, usually occurs before the Academy Awards® and often predicts the direction of the awards season. Departing from its traditional outdoor Saturday afternoon ceremony in Santa Monica, the Spirit Awards this year will be broadcast on IFC and AMC+ on Thursday, April 22 at 10:00 pm ET/7:00 pm PT.
The official trailer for Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Eliza Hittman on the set of Never Rarely Sometimes Always.
Seven Nominations for Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Writer/director Eliza Hittman's film Never Rarely Sometimes Always follows Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) as they travel from rural Pennsylvania to New York City to gain access to necessary medical procedures. Its quiet, meticulous filmmaking creates a emotional masterpiece that Entertainment Weekly calls "an urgent, extraordinary film for this very moment.” Never Rarely Sometimes Always is nominated for Best Feature (an award that would go to the producers Sara Murphy and Adele Romanski). Eliza Hittman got two nods: one for Best Director and one for Best Screenplay. Sidney Flanigan received a nomination for Best Female Lead, and Talia Ryder was recognized with a Best Supporting Female nomination. Director of photography Hélène Louvart received a nomination for Best Cinematography, and Scott Cummings got a nomination for Best Editing.
The official trailer for Promising Young Woman.
Writer/director Emerald Fennell on the set of Promising Young Woman with Carey Mulligan, Laverne Cox, and Bo Burnham.
Promising Young Woman Honored with Three Nominations
In Promising Young Woman, writer/director Emerald Fennell makes a splash with her neon-colored thriller about Cassie’s (Carey Mulligan) quest to right the wrongs of her and her best friend’s past. Fans and critics were blown away by this explosive directorial debut. Associated Press was reduced to two words: “Startling — the only way to describe Fennell’s vision and execution in this, her directorial debut. And, sensational — a word that only begins to capture Carey Mulligan’s lead performance.” Emerald Fennell received nominations for both Best Director and Best Screenplay. Carey Mulligan was awarded a nomination for Best Female Lead.
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