
Despite a man screaming on a bullhorn outside the tent down at Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles, California, the 39th Annual Independent Spirit Awards took place Sunday Afternoon, hosted by Aidy Bryant. Starting the ceremony off by “roasting” celebrities Natalie Portman and Greta Lee and professing her love for Charles Melton, Bryant made a jab at some of the hostings so far this awards season, referencing the fact that if no one were talking about her tomorrow, she would have done an excellent job.
The awards, celebrating independent filmmaking and television series, were given to creators like Cord Jefferson for his “American Fiction” screenplay and Celine Song for her directing of “Past Lives.” Oscar-nominated actors Jeffrey Wright and Da’Vine Joy Randolph both won acting awards, with Randolph poised to win the Best Supporting Actress award. Ali Wong and her series, “Beef,” both won awards, as did Nick Offerman, who went on to shame homophobia during his acceptance speech.
As a voter for the Film Independent Spirit Awards, most of the winners aligned with my picks, including the most significant award for the night, Best Feature, which went to “Past Lives.” A few that differed were Best First Feature going to “A Thousand And One,” where I had picked “Upon Entry,” Best Screenplay to “American Fiction,” where I had picked “Past Lives,” and Best International Film, which went to “Anatomy Of A Fall,” where I had picked “The Zone Of Interest.” I also picked Greta Lee for Best Lead Performance, who lost to Jeffrey Wright (my runner-up pick), Emanuele Tiziani and “Upon Entry” for Best Editing, which went to Daniel Garber and “How To Blow Up A Pipeline” (also my runner-up pick), and Bella Ramsey for her Lead Performance in “The Last Of Us,” which went to Ali Wong in “Beef.”



BEST FEATURE
Presented by Jude Law
“Past Lives” (A24)
Directed by Celine Song
Produced by David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler
—
“All of Us Strangers” (Searchlight Pictures)
“American Fiction” (Amazon MGM Studios + Orion Pictures)
“May December” (Netflix)
“Passages” (MUBI)
“We Grown Now” (Sony Pictures Classics)



BEST FIRST FEATURE
Presented by Elizabeth Banks
“A Thousand and One” (Focus Features)
Directed by A.V. Rockwell
Produced by Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, and Brad Weston
—
“All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” (A24)
“Chronicles of a Wandering Saint” (Plenty Good)
“Earth Mama” (A24)
“Upon Entry” (Karma Films)



JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000)
Presented by Zoe Lister-Jones
“Fremont” (Music Box Films)
Directed by Babak Jalali | Written by Babak Jalali and Carolina Cavalli
Produced by Rachael Fung, Chris Martin, Marjaneh Moghimi, George Rush, Sudnya Shroff, and Laura Wagner
—
“The Artifice Girl” (XYZ Films)
“Cadejo Blanco” (Film Movement)
“Rotting in the Sun” (MUBI)
“The Unknown Country” (Music Box Films)



BEST DIRECTOR
Presented by Jessica Williams & Sterling K. Brown
Celine Song | “Past Lives” (A24)
Produced by David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler
—
Andrew Haigh – “All of Us Strangers” (Searchlight Pictures)
Todd Haynes – “May December” (Netflix)
William Oldroyd – “Eileen” (NEON)
Ira Sachs – “Passages” (MUBI)



BEST SCREENPLAY
Presented by Anna Kendrick & Hannah Einbinder
“American Fiction”
(Amazon MGM Studios + Orion Pictures)
Written by Cord Jefferson
Based on “Erasure” by Percival Everett
Directed by Cord Jefferson
Produced by Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson, and Jermaine Johnson
—
“Birth/Rebirth” – Laura Moss & Brendan J. O’Brien (IFC Films + Shudder)
“Bottoms” – Emma Seligman & Rachel Sennott (Orion Pictures)
“The Holdovers” – David Hemingson (Focus Features)
“Past Lives” – Celine Song (A24)



BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Presented by Natalie Morales & Joel Kim Booster
“May December” (Netflix)
Written by Samy Burch | Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik
Directed by Todd Haynes
Produced by Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney,
Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, and Christine Vachon
—
“Chronicles of a Wandering Saint” – Tomás Gómez Bustillo (Plenty Good)
“The Starling Girl” – Laurel Parmet (Bleecker Street)
“Theater Camp” – Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman & Ben Platt (Searchlight Pictures)
“Upon Entry” – Alejandro Rojas & Juan Sebastián Vásquez (Karma Films)



BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Presented by Colman Domingo
Jeffrey Wright | “American Fiction”
(Amazon MGM Studios + Orion Pictures)
Directed by Cord Jefferson
Produced by Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson, and Jermaine Johnson
—
Jessica Chastain – “Memory” (Ketchup Entertainment)
Greta Lee – “Past Lives” (A24)
Trace Lysette – “Monica” (IFC Films)
Natalie Portman – “May December” (Netflix)
Judy Reyes – “Birth/Rebirth” (Shudder + IFC Films)
Franz Rogowski – “Passages” (MUBI)
Andrew Scott – “All of Us Strangers” (Searchlight Pictures)
Teyana Taylor – “A Thousand and One” (Focus Features)
Teo Yoo – “Past Lives” (A24)



BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Presented by Quinta Brunson & Stephanie Hsu
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
Directed by Alexander Payne
Produced by Mark Johnson, Bill Block, and David Hemingson
—
Erika Alexander – “American Fiction” (Amazon MGM Studios + Orion Pictures)
Sterling K. Brown – “American Fiction” (Amazon MGM Studios + Orion Pictures)
Noah Galvin – “Theater Camp” (Searchlight Pictures)
Anne Hathaway – “Eileen” (NEON)
Glenn Howerton – “BlackBerry” (IFC Films)
Marin Ireland – “Eileen” (NEON)
Charles Melton – “May December” (Netflix)
Catalina Saavedra – “Rotting in the Sun” (MUBI)
Ben Whishaw – “Passages” (MUBI)



BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Presented by Emma Roberts
Dominic Sessa
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
Directed by Alexander Payne
Produced by Mark Johnson, Bill Block, and David Hemingson
—
Marshawn Lynch – “Bottoms” (Orion Pictures)
Atibon Nazaire – “Mountains” (Neon Heart Productions)
Tia Nomore – “Earth Mama” (A24)
Anaita Wali Zada – “Fremont” (Music Box Films)



BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Presented by Jimmy O. Yang
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
Cinematography by Eigil Bryld
Directed by Alexander Payne
Produced by Mark Johnson, Bill Block, and David Hemingson
—
“All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” – Jomo Fray (A24)
“Chronicles of a Wandering Saint” – Pablo Lozano (Plenty Good)
“Monica” – Katelin Arizmendi (IFC Films)
“We Grown Now” – Pat Scola (Sony Pictures Classics)



BEST EDITING
Presented by Trace Lysette
“How to Blow Up a Pipeline” (NEON)
Editing by Daniel Garber
Directed by Daniel Goldhaber
Produced by Isa Mazzei, Daniel Goldhaber, Ariela Barer, Adam Wyatt Tate, and David Grove Churchill Viste
—
“Rotting in the Sun” – Santiago Cendejas, Gabriel Díaz, and Sofía Subercaseaux (MUBI)
“Theater Camp” – Jon Philpot (Searchlight Pictures)
“Upon Entry” – Emanuele Tiziani (Karma Films)
“We Grown Now” – Stephanie Filo (Sony Pictures Classics)



BEST DOCUMENTARY
Presented by Milo Ventimiglia
“Four Daughters” (Kino Lorber)
Directed/Produced by Kaouther Ben Hania
Produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha, Habib Attia, Thanassis Karathanos, and Martin Hampel
—
“Bye Bye Tiberias” – Director: Lina Soualem, Producer: Jean-Marie Nizan (JHR Films)
“Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” – Directors/Producers: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson, Producer: Tommy Oliver (HBO Documentary Films)
“Kokomo City” – Director: D. Smith, Producers: Bill Butler, Harris Doran (Magnolia Pictures)
“The Mother of All Lies” – Director/Producer: Asmae El Moudir (Insight Films)



BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Presented by Greta Lee & Andrew Scott
“Anatomy Of A Fall” (NEON)
Directed by Justine Triet
Produced by Marie-Ange Luciani, Philippe Martin, and David Thion
—
“Godland” (Denmark/Iceland) – Director: Hlynur Pálmason (Janus Films)
“Mami Wata” (Nigeria) – Director: C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi (Dekanalog)
“Tótem” (Mexico) – Director: Lila Avilés (Sideshow + Janus Films)
“The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom, Poland, USA) – Director: Jonathan Glazer (A24)



ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Presented by Lily Gladstone
“Showing Up” (A24)
Directed by Kelly Reichardt
Casting by Gayle Keller
Ensemble Cast including André Benjamin, Hong Chau, Judd Hirsch, Heather Lawless, James Le Gros, John Magaro, Matt Malloy, Amanda Plummer, Maryann Plunkett, Denzel Rodriguez, and Michelle Williams

TELEVISION



BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Presented by Adam Brody
“Beef” (Netflix)
Created/Executive Produced by Lee Sung Jin
Executive Produced by Steven Yeun, Ali Wong, Jake Schreier, Ravi Nandan, and Alli Reich
Co-Executive Produced by Alice Ju and Carrie Kemper
—
“Dreaming Whilst Black” (Showtime + Paramount+)
“I’m a Virgo” (Amazon Studios)
“Jury Duty” (Amazon Freevee)
“Slip” (The Roku Channel)



BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Presented by Aja Naomi King & Lewis Pullman
“Dear Mama” (FX Networks)
Executive Produced by Lasse Järvi, Quincy “QD3” Jones III, Staci Robinson, Nelson George, Charles D. King, Peter Nelson, Adel “Future” Nur, Jamal Joseph, Ted Skillman, Allen Hughes, Steve Berman, Marc Cimino, Jody Gerson, John Janick, Nicholas Ferrall, and Nigel Sinclair
—
“Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court” (Showtime + Paramount+)
“Murder in Big Horn” (Showtime)
“Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence” (Hulu)
“Wrestlers” (Netflix)



BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Presented by James Marsden
Ali Wong | “Beef” (Netflix)
Executive Produced by Lee Sung-jin, Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, and Jake Schreier
—
Emma Corrin – “A Murder at the End of the World” (FX Networks)
Dominique Fishback – “Swarm” (Amazon Studios)
Betty Gilpin – “Mrs. Davis” (Peacock)
Jharrel Jerome – “I’m a Virgo” (Amazon Studios)
Zoe Lister-Jones – “Slip” (The Roku Channel)
Bel Powley – “A Small Light” (National Geographic)
Bella Ramsey – “The Last of Us” (HBO)
Ramón Rodríguez – “Will Trent” (ABC)
Steven Yeun – “Beef” (Netflix)



BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Presented by Emma Corrin
Nick Offerman | “The Last Of Us” (HBO)
Executive Produced by Neil Druckmann, Asad Qizilbash, Carolyn Strauss, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells
—
Murray Bartlett – “The Last of Us” (HBO)
Billie Eilish – “Swarm” (Amazon Studios)
Jack Farthing – “Rain Dogs” (HBO)
Adina Porter – “The Changeling” (Apple TV+)
Lewis Pullman – “Lessons in Chemistry” (Apple TV+)
Benny Safdie – “The Curse” (Showtime)
Luke Tennie – “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)
Olivia Washington – “I’m a Virgo” (Amazon Studios)
Jessica Williams – “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)



BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Presented by Thomasin McKenzie & Jharrel Jerome
Keivonn Montreal Woodard
“The Last Of Us” (HBO)
Executive Produced by Neil Druckmann, Asad Qizilbash, Carolyn Strauss, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells
—
Clark Backo – “The Changeling” (Apple TV+)
Aria Mia Loberti – “All the Light We Cannot See” (Netflix)
Adjani Salmon – “Dreaming Whilst Black” (Showtime + Paramount+)
Kara Young – “I’m a Virgo” (Amazon Studios)



BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Presented by Jim Gaffigan
“Jury Duty” (Amazon Freevee)
Ensemble Cast including Alan Barinholtz, Susan Berger, Cassandra Blair, David Brown, Kirk Fox, Ross Kimball, Pramode Kumar, Trisha LaFache, Mekki Leeper, James Marsden, Edy Modica, Kerry O’Neill, Rashida Olayiwola, Whitney Rice, Maria Russell, Ishmel Sahid, Ben Seaward, Ron Song, Evan Williams
Executive Produced by David Bernad, Lee Eisenberg, Ruben Fleischer, Nicholas Hatton, Cody Heller,
Todd Schulman, Gene Stupnitsky, Jake Szymanski, and Andrew Weinberg

SPECIAL HONORS
Presented by Simona Tabasco & Beatrice Grannò



PRODUCERS AWARD (Presented by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey)
The Producers Award, now in its 26th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films.
Presented by Ronald Gladden, Rashida Olayiwola, & David Brown
Monique Walton
—
Rachael Fung
Graham Swon



SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 29th year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
Presented by Noah Galvin & Ben Platt
Monica Sorelle | Director of “Mountains”
—
Joanna Arnow – Director of “The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed”
Laura Moss – Director of “Birth/Rebirth”



TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 28th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
Presented by Aria Mia Loberti
Set Hernandez | Director of “unseen”
—
Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli – Director of “Lakota Nation vs. United States”
Sierra Urich – Director of “Joonam”





















































































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