Film Independent honored several projects that tackle racism and social justice—and the creators behind them—with Spirit Award nominations on Friday (November 16). Actresses Gemma Chan (“Crazy Rich Asians”) and Molly Shannon (“Divorce”) announced the nominees:

Here are a few of the projects and artists to root for during the televised ceremony on February 23:

• “If Beale Street Could Talk”: Best Feature, Best Director for Barry Jenkins and Best Supporting Female for Regina King 
   
• “Sorry to Bother You”: Best First Feature and Best Screenplay for Boots Riley
   
• “Minding the Gap” (directed by Bing Liu) and “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (directed by RaMell Ross) for Best Documentary and the Truer Than Fiction Award, which gives an emerging documentary film director a $25,000 grant
   
• John Cho (“Searching”), Daveed Diggs (“Blindspotting”) and Christian Malheiros (“Sócrates”) for Best Male Lead
   
• Helena Howard (“Madeline’s Madeline”) and Regina Hall (“Support the Girls”) for Best Female Lead
   
• John David Washington (“Monsters and Men”) and Raúl Castillo (“We the Animals”) for Best Supporting Male

View the full list of nominees here.