Los Angeles – April 25, 2021 – The Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA®) congratulates all those involved with the independent films that took home 12 Oscar® wins in feature film categories at the 2021 Academy Awards, including the Best Picture® win for Nomadland.

This year’s independent films – those films made outside of the major Hollywood studios – brought important and diverse stories to audiences worldwide in an incredibly difficult year. IFTA Members FilmNation, Lionsgate, Protagonist Pictures and Trust / Nordisk were among the companies involved in the production, financing, sales and/or distribution of this year’s winners.

The full list of independent films that took home Oscar statues are (Please note: * indicates films that involved IFTA member companies):

Best Picture
Nomadland

Directing
Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)

 Actress in a Leading Role
Frances McDormand (Nomadland)

Actor in a Leading Role
Anthony Hopkins (The Father*)

Actress in a Supporting Role
Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari)

Writing - Original Screenplay
Promising Young Woman*

Writing - Adapted Screenplay
The Father*

Production Design
The Father*  

Film Editing
Sound of Metal*

Sound
Sound of Metal*

Documentary Feature
My Octopus Teacher

International Feature
Another Round* (Denmark)

A total of 20 Independent films had earned 54 Academy Award nominations in 17 of 24 total feature-length motion picture categories. 

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About the Independent Film & Television Alliance:

IFTA is the global trade association for independent film and television production, finance, distribution, and sales companies. The organization represents the independent sector before governments and international bodies and provides significant entertainment industry services to its members in 20 countries consisting of independent production and distribution companies, sales agents, and financial institutions engaged in production finance. 

Each November, it produces the annual American Film Market®, the world’s largest motion picture event, drawing more than 7,000 industry leaders from 70 countries and leading to more than $1 Billion in distribution and film financing deals.

IFTA also develops and publishes the IFTA® Model Agreements which articulate the standards and key definitions for licensing international rights in motion pictures and television programming and manages the IFTA® Arbitration Tribunal which is a key forum for resolution of disputes arising from international licensing transactions. For more information on IFTA, visit www.IFTA-online.org.