'Anora,' 'I Saw the TV Glow' lead Spirit Award nominations

Sean Baker’s “Anora,” an epic exploration of a New York stripper’s journey, and Jane Schoenbrun’s psychological horror “I Saw the TV Glow” have emerged as frontrunners at this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, each earning six nominations, including Best Feature and Best Director. The nominations were unveiled Wednesday during a YouTube livestream hosted by the nonprofit organization.

“Anora,” which claimed the Palme d’Or at Cannes, received recognition for three of its actors. Mikey Madison was nominated for her leading performance, while Yura Borisov and Karren Karagulian earned nods in supporting categories. The Spirit Awards’ acting categories are gender-neutral and feature 10 nominees per category. For “I Saw the TV Glow,” Justice Smith received a lead performance nomination, and Brigette Lundy-Paine was recognized in the supporting category.

Joining “Anora” and “I Saw the TV Glow” in the Best Feature category are RaMell Ross’s adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s “Nickel Boys,” Greg Kwedar’s prison drama “Sing Sing,” and Coralie Fargeat’s visceral body horror film “The Substance.”

In the Best Director race, Baker and Schoenbrun are joined by Brady Corbet for “The Brutalist”—a film that surprisingly garnered only one nomination despite strong praise from the New York Film Critics Circle—Ali Abbasi for “The Apprentice,” and Alonso Ruizpalacios for “La Cocina.” Notably, Sebastian Stan was acknowledged for his portrayal of a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” in the Lead Performance category but missed out for “A Different Man.”

Other nominees in the Lead Performance category include Amy Adams (“Nightbitch”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), Demi Moore (“The Substance”), June Squibb (“Thelma”), Hunter Schafer (“Cuckoo”), Keith Kupferer (“Ghostlight”), and Ryan Destiny (“The Fire Inside”).

The Supporting Performance category features a mix of newcomers and industry veterans, including Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”), Carol Kane (“Between the Temples”), Clarence Maclin (“Sing Sing”), Adam Pearson (“A Different Man”), Joan Chen (“Dìdi”), Danielle Deadwyler (“The Piano Lesson”), and Kani Kusruti (“Girls Will Be Girls”).

Click here to see the full list of nominees.