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The Film Independent Spirit Awards often position themselves in direct contrast to the Oscars — and this year was no different. The Spirit Awards ceremony, which took place Saturday on the beach in Santa Monica, promoted the diversity that is infamously lacking in the 2020 Academy Awards.
"We actually honor female directors," said host Aubrey Plaza during her opening monologue, giving a dig at the Oscars, which lacks women directing nominees for yet another year, as the camera panned to Honey Boy helmer Alma Har’el.
From the stage, Plaza also called out supporting actress nominee Jennifer Lopez and their shared Puerto Rican heritage, noting that Puerto Rico is a lot like independent film: "It’s beautiful, not enough people have seen it and its financing is always falling through." The joke was greeted with laughs, groans and a grimace from Lopez.
Three out of the four winners in the acting categories were not nominated for the Oscars in the same respective categories (Renee Zellweger took home the trophy for the best lead actress, and was the expected winner at Sunday's Academy Awards).
"For the first time at the Independent Spirit Awards, all five supporting actress nominees are women of color," noted presenter Idina Menzel. The Oscars only have one acting nominee that is a person of color — Cynthia Erivo for Harriet.
The supporting actress winner was The Farewell’s Zhao Shuzen, who was stuck in China due to the outbreak of the coronavirus (director Lulu Wang accepted the award on her behalf), while Willem Dafoe was tapped as best supporting actor for The Lighthouse.
The Farewell, Uncut Gems and The Lighthouse all hail from A24. After being nearly shut out of the Oscars, the indie studio was the biggest winner at Saturday's Spirit Awards ceremony, with its nominees prevailing in three out of the four acting categories, as well as for cinematography (Jarin Blaschke for The Lighthouse), editing (Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie for Uncut Gems), director (Uncut Gems' Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie) and picture (The Farewell). "They were the one who were able to give us the platform," said The Farewell's Wang of A24.
Adam Sandler, who was snubbed for a leading actor Oscar nomination for Uncut Gems, received a standing ovation as he made his way to the stage to accept his Spirit Award.
During his speech, the actor surmised of the gap between the Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards, using a personal anecdote: "A few weeks back when I got, quote-unquote, snubbed by the Oscars, it reminded me when I briefly attended high school and was overlooked for the coveted yearbook superlative ‘best looking.’ That accolade was given to a jean jacket-wearing, feather-haired douchebag by the name of Skipper Jenkins. But my classmates did honor me with the allegedly less prestigious ‘best personality.'"
He concluded: "Tonight, as I look around this room, I realize that the Independent Spirit Awards are the 'best personality' awards of Hollywood. So, when all those feather-haired, douchebag motherfuckers go to get their Oscars tomorrow night, their handsome good looks will fade in time … but our independent personalities will shine on forever."
The 35th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards aired on IFC.
A complete list of winners follows. Read all the news from the show here.
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Best Feature
The Farewell (WINNER)
Producers: Anita Gou, Daniele Melia, Andrew Miano, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Lulu Wang, Chris Weitz, Jane ZhengA Hidden Life
Producers: Elisabeth Bentley, Dario Bergesio, Grant Hill, Josh JeterClemency
Producers: Timur Bekbosunov, Julian Cautherley, Bronwyn Cornelius, Peter WongMarriage Story
Producers: Noah Baumbach, David HeymanUncut Gems
Producers: Eli Bush, Sebastian Bear-McClard, Scott Rudin -
Best First Feature
Booksmart (WINNER)
Director: Olivia Wilde
Producers: Chelsea Barnard, David Distenfeld, Jessica Elbaum, Megan Ellison, Katie SilbermanThe Climb
Director/Producer: Michael Angelo Covino
Producers: Noah Lang, Kyle MarvinDiane
Director: Kent Jones
Producers: Luca Borghese, Ben Howe, Caroline Kaplan, Oren MovermanThe Last Black Man in San Francisco
Director/Producer: Joe Talbot
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Khaliah Neal, Christina OhThe Mustang
Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
Producer: Ilan GoldmanSee You Yesterday
Director: Stefon Bristol
Producer: Spike Lee -
Best Director
Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems (WINNER)
Alma Har'el, Honey Boy
Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers
Julius Onah, Luce
Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse -
Best Female Lead
Renée Zellweger, Judy (WINNER)
Karen Allen, Colewell
Hong Chau, Driveways
Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell
Mary Kay Place, Diane
Alfre Woodard, Clemency -
Best Male Lead
Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems (WINNER)
Chris Galust, Give Me Liberty
Kelvin Harrison Jr., Luce
Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse
Matthias Schoenaerts, The Mustang -
Best Supporting Female
Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell (WINNER)
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Taylor Russell, Waves
Lauren "LoLo" Spencer, Give Me Liberty
Octavia Spencer, Luce -
Best Supporting Male
Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse (WINNER)
Noah Jupe, Honey Boy
Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy
Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Wendell Pierce, Burning Cane -
Best Screenplay
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story (WINNER)
Jason Begue & Shawn Snyder, To Dust
Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems
Chinonye Chukwu, Clemency
Tarell Alvin McCraney, High Flying Bird -
Best First Screenplay
Fredrica Bailey & Stefon Bristol, See You Yesterday (WINNER)
Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen, Driveways
Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy, Blow the Man Down
Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe, Greener Grass
James Montague & Craig W. Sanger, The Vast of Night -
Best International Film
Parasite (South Korea), Director: Bong Joon Ho (WINNER)
Invisible Life (Brazil), Director: Karim Aïnouz
Les Misérables (France), Director: Ladj Ly
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (France), Director: Céline Sciamma
Retablo (Peru), Director: Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio L.
The Souvenir (United Kingdom), Director: Joanna Hogg -
Best Documentary
American Factory (WINNER)
Director/Producer: Steven Bognar & Julia Reichert
Producers: Julie Parker Benello, Jeff ReichertApollo 11
Director/Producer: Todd Douglas Miller
Producers: Evan Krauss, Thomas Baxley PetersenFor Sama
Director: Edward Watts
Director/Producer: Waad al-KateabHoneyland
Director: Tamara Kotevska
Director/Producer: Ljubo Stefanov
Producer: Atanas GeorgievIsland of the Hungry Ghosts
Director/Producer: Gabrielle Brady
Producers: Gizem Acarla, Samm Haillay, Alex Kelly, Alexander Wadouh -
Best Cinematography
Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse (WINNER)
Todd Banhazl, Hustlers
Natasha Braier, Honey Boy
Chananun Chotrungroj, The Third Wife
Pawel Pogorzelski, Midsommar -
Best Editing
Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems (WINNER)
Julie Béziau, The Third Wife
Tyler L. Cook, Sword of Trust
Louise Ford, The Lighthouse
Kirill Mikhanovsky, Give Me Liberty -
Robert Altman Award
Marriage Story
Director: Noah Baumbach
Casting Directors: Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
Ensemble Cast: Alan Alda, Laura Dern, Adam Driver, Julie Hagerty, Scarlett Johansson, Ray Liotta, Azhy Robertson, Merritt Wever -
John Cassavetes Award
Give Me Liberty (WINNER)
Writer/Director/Producer: Kirill Mikhanovsky
Writer/Producer: Alice Austen
Producers: Val Abel, Wally Hall, Michael Manasseri, George Rush, Sergey ShternBurning Cane
Writer/Director/Producer: Phillip Youmans
Producers: Ojo Akinlana, Jakob Johnson, Karen Kaia Livers, Mose Mayer, Wendell Pierce, Isaac Webb, Cassandra YoumansColewell
Writer/Director: Tom Quinn
Producers: Joshua Blum, Alexandra Byer, Craig Shilowich, Matthew ThurmPremature
Writer/Director/Producer: Rashaad Ernesto Green
Writer: Zora Howard
Producer: Darren Dean, Joy GanesWild Nights With Emily
Writer/Director/Producer: Madeleine Olnek
Producers: Anna Margarita Albelo, Casper Andreas, Max Rifkind-Barron -
Bonnie Award
Kelly Reichardt (WINNER)
Marielle Heller
Lulu Wang -
Producers Award
Mollye Asher (WINNER)
Krista Parris
Ryan Zacarias -
Someone to Watch Award
Rashaad Ernesto Green, Director of Premature (WINNER)
Ash Mayfair, Director of The Third Wife
Joe Talbot, Director of The Last Black Man in San Francisco -
Truer Than Fiction Award
Nadia Shihab, Director of Jaddoland (WINNER)
Khalik Allah, Director of Black Mother
Davy Rothbart, Director of 17 Blocks
Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside, Director of América
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