The 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations were just announced and, as they are a little more comedy friendly than their big brother, The Oscars, it’s worth taking a gander of what comedies are hitting with voters this time around.

For this year, there definitely seems to be a strong thread of comedy going to the darker corners of the human experience throughout as Eighth Grade scored multiple nominations along with the dark absurdist fantasy of Sorry to Bother You, Thoroughbreds (a buddy step-patricide comedy), Can You Ever Forgive Me? that has Melissa McCarthy attempting to make a living as a literary forger. From the moody color palate alone, you could toss Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest The Favourite, a period piece comedy about the struggle for power within a Queen’s court.

On the other end of this spectrum, you have more life affirming, specifically feminist, comedies such as Support The Girls and Never Goin’ Back. 

All in all, a very nice, extensive round up of indie comedy nominees this past year as you can see below. Let’s hope a decent amount of them win when the Spirit Awards are handed out on Feb 23rd.

BEST FEATURE
EIGHTH GRADE-Producers: Eli Bush, Scott Rudin, Christopher Storer, Lila Yacoub

BEST FIRST FEATURE
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU-Director: Boots Riley
Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jonathan Duffy, Charles D. King, George Rush, Forest Whitaker, Kelly Williams

BEST SCREENPLAY
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?-Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
EIGHTH GRADE-Bo Burnham
THOROUGHBREDS-Cory Finley

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
NEVER GOIN’ BACK-Writer/Director: Augustine Frizzell
Producers: Liz Cardenas, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Elsie Fisher, EIGHTH GRADE
Regina Hall, SUPPORT THE GIRLS

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Richard E. Grant, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Josh Hamilton, EIGHTH GRADE

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
THE FAVOURITE (United Kingdom)-Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Read the full list of Spirit Award nominees here.