Celine SongB次元官网网址檚 quiet romance B次元官网网址淧ast LivesB次元官网网址� won two of the biggest awards at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Sunday afternoon, including best feature and best director. Other big winners were Cord JeffersonB次元官网网址檚 comedic satire B次元官网网址� American Fiction,B次元官网网址� with Jeffrey Wright winning for lead performer; and Alexander PayneB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址� The Holdovers,B次元官网网址� which won prizes for DaB次元官网网址橵ine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa.
The 39th edition of the show was held Sunday in a beachside tent in Santa Monica, California, and streamed live on IMDb and Film IndependentB次元官网网址檚 YouTube channels and X accounts.
B次元官网网址淭hank you so much for letting me share what it feels like to be human, to love and be loved, and thank you for loving our film,B次元官网网址� Song said in accepting the directing prize.
Her film was among the top nominated at the show, alongside B次元官网网址淢ay December,B次元官网网址� which won only one award (for Samy BurchB次元官网网址檚 first screenplay) and B次元官网网址淎merican Fiction,B次元官网网址� which fared better.
Wright won for playing a frustrated author who becomes wildly successful by writing something he hates in B次元官网网址淎merican Fiction.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淵ou go to these awards shows, you kind of grow tired of them,B次元官网网址� Wright said. B次元官网网址淎nd then you get one, and it kind of changes the vibe a little bit.B次元官网网址�
He noted that it was made independently because B次元官网网址渘obody wanted to finance it.B次元官网网址�
The Spirit Awards sit firmly within the larger Hollywood awards season, which culminates with the Oscars on March 10. But with a budget cap of $20 million for nominees, the show celebrates films that sometimes go unheralded, or at least under-nominated, at the bigger shows.
B次元官网网址淲elcome to the Film Independent Spirit Awards, also known as the bisexual oscars,B次元官网网址� host Aidy Bryant said. Bryant called it B次元官网网址渢he only place in the world where $20 million is like no money.B次元官网网址�
Randolph continued her sweep of the broader season, winning best supporting performance for playing the grieving cook Mary Lamb in B次元官网网址淭he Holdovers.B次元官网网址� Not 24 hours ago, right across town, she also picked up the best supporting actress award at the SAG Awards.
B次元官网网址淚ndependent films are the beating heart of our industry, and they are worth fighting for,B次元官网网址� Randolph said. She did, however, wish that they might have been able to afford heated seats while filming in Boston in the winter.
Randolph beat out the likes of Anne Hathaway (B次元官网网址淓ileenB次元官网网址�), Charles Melton (B次元官网网址淢ay DecemberB次元官网网址�) and Sterling K. Brown (B次元官网网址淎merican FictionB次元官网网址�) for the prize. The Spirit Awards switched to gender neutral acting awards in 2022. The first awards were given at the 2023 show.
Her co-star, Sessa, later won the breakthrough prize.
B次元官网网址淚 promise itB次元官网网址檚 not all downhill from here,B次元官网网址� Sessa said, thanking his high school acting teachers.
Last year, B次元官网网址淓verything Everywhere All At OnceB次元官网网址� swept the Spirit Awards before going on to do the same at the Oscars. But this year, many top Oscar contenders B次元官网网址� including B次元官网网址淥ppenheimer,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淏arbieB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淜illers of the Flower MoonB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� would not have qualified.
Kaouther Ben HaniaB次元官网网址檚 film B次元官网网址淔our Daughters,B次元官网网址� which is nominated for the corresponding Oscar, won best documentary. And Justine TrietB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淎natomy of a Fall, B次元官网网址� also nominated for best picture at the Oscars, won best international feature over B次元官网网址淭he Zone of Interest.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淟os Angeles has a special place in my heart. ItB次元官网网址檚 the city of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands,B次元官网网址� Triet said. B次元官网网址淲ithout discovering them at their films at the age of 20, I wouldnB次元官网网址檛 have had the desire to make my own films and I wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be here today.B次元官网网址�
The Cassavetes ethos actually has its own award, honoring a film made for under $1 million. That prize went this year to B次元官网网址淔remont,B次元官网网址� about an Afghan translator working for a Chinese fortune cookie factory.
The show had some unexpected background noise, from one man with a loudspeaker conducting a pro-Palestine protest outside the tent that lasted for some time.
B次元官网网址淲e are at the beach, and people are celebrating their freedom of speech,B次元官网网址� Bryant said.
The shouting outside disrupted Jim GaffiganB次元官网网址檚 tribute to B次元官网网址淛ury DutyB次元官网网址� and many more winnersB次元官网网址� speeches. Comedian Jimmy O. Yang, speaking from the stage to present the best cinematography award, assumed it was a heckler outside.
Later, B次元官网网址淔remontB次元官网网址� filmmaker Babak Jalali said he was sure that what was being said outside the tent was much more important than anything he had to say.
The Spirit Awards also honor television. NetflixB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淏eefB次元官网网址� won best new scripted series and Ali Wong picked up best lead performance.
Nick Offerman won best supporting performance in a new scripted series for his turn in B次元官网网址淭he Last of Us.B次元官网网址� And 11-year-old actor Keivonn Montreal Woodard also won the breakthrough performance award for a new scripted series for B次元官网网址淭he Last of Us,B次元官网网址� giving his acceptance speech in American Sign Language.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
