Continuing increasing the impulse as the awards season approaches its conclusion, “Anora” won three awards in the movie Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon, including the best film. The film was also recognized by the director Sean Baker and the main presentation of Mikey Madison.
Kieran Culkin won for his support performance for “A Real Pain”, while Jesse Eisenberg won by the film script.
The winner of the Spirit for Best Feature award has won the Oscar for the best film in four of the last 10 years. And in 2023 and 2024, the two years elapsed since the Spirit awards changed to neutral gender action categories with 10 nominees each, the winner of the support performance has won the Oscar, while the winner of the Main Performance Award been nominated for an Oscar but lost.
In the television categories, “Shōgun” won the best new scripts series, while “Baby Renoeer” swept the awards with three victories.
In his opening monologue, host Aidy Bryant referred to the event as “the third or fourth largest night in Hollywood”, capturing the relaxed and low pressure atmosphere according to a ceremony of the afternoon held in a large store near The beach in Santa Monica.
With a series of postponed awards programs after the forest fires that devastated Los Angeles last month, there have often been uncomfortable moments in the events, since the presenters and hosts fight to find the correct tone that still allows a feeling of celebration .
“I want to recognize that I know you feel a bit silly to have a prize show now, but your movies are important for people,” Bryant said. “Independent cinema is passionate people who work together to build something better. And who better to help rebuild the city of Los Angeles than our community?
He pointed out a background for people to make donations to help filmmakers affected by recent forest fires.
“The film is what this city was based,” Bryant added. “And who built it? A lot of annoying idiots like us. “
An exciting speech of Sean Baker of 'Anora
By accepting the prize for the best director, Baker delivered the most exciting speech of the night. When establishing his statue and taking pages out of his pocket, he began to read a passionate plea about what he called the “current state of the independent film.”
“I am an indie-film lifeguard,” Baker said, and said he does not make movies call cards for larger study projects. “Some of us want to make personal films for the theater launch with themes that would never be green for the great studies.”
But the state of the independent film was precarious, he warned.
“The system has to change because this is simply unsustainable,” Baker continued, detailing in depth the average time necessary to make an independent film and the personal costs involved for the directors. “We are creating products that create jobs and income for the entire industry. We should not be surviving. “
Asking for higher initial rates, Baker said: “We demand what we are worth. I know that if you are in this room, you have shown that it is worth it. So we no longer underestimate ourselves. “
As the audience exploded in cheers and a standing ovation, Baker begged filmmakers, financiers, sales companies and distributors to work together “to make independent movies sustainable for creatives and keep the independent film alive. This is It is for all the lifeguards of the independent film that cling and fight for the good fight. “
How to face 'Dark Times'
The Spirit awards last year were interrupted by pro-palestinian protesters who use a speaker outside the store to amplify their message. Although this year's general atmosphere was not so stridently political, the outside world still came to the store.
What could have been the most charged political moment of the event, when the film “No other land”, made by a group of Israeli and Palestinian directors, won the documentary award, ended slightly silenced. No one from the film was present and no speech occurred.
But the policies of the new US administration have already had an impact on some of those in the room on Saturday. Hunter Schafer, the interpreter Trans nominated for his main performance in “Cuckoo,” revealed this week that his newly issued passport rejects it. Schafer did not mention the incident when he took the stage to co -present an award that was for the trans actor Nava Mau for “baby reindeer.”
In his speech, Mau said: “We do not know what will happen, but we do know our power. We know that we can decide who we work with. We can decide what we work on. Even if you don't feel that way, we have all power. Because we are people and our work is everything. So please, please, we stay together. We can do this. We are going to overcome it. “
By accepting the John Cassavetes award for a film made for less than $ 1 million, the filmmaker of “Girls Will Be Girls”, Shuchi Terati, acknowledged: “Honestly, these are dark times and we are manufacturers of culture. And thanks to all the People who support this work, who support stories of quiet rebellion. “
The award for the set in a series with a script was for “How to Die Alone”, which was recently canceled by Hulu. By accepting the award, the star and creator of the Natasha Rothwell program said he was not going to shout because he took beta blockers, but, drowning, he said: “Beta blockers must make more beta block.”
Rothwell added: “In its nucleus, 'How to die alone' is a program about the need to feel seen, be valued as you are. And for black stories, visibility is not a privilege, it is a necessity. We deserve to occupy the space “
Rothwell ended his speech saying: “To the trans community that is under attack at this time, know that he is not alone. I see you. We see you. We all see you. We are with you. “
Accepting the new unwritten or documentary series for “Hollywood Black”, executive producer Justin Simien said: “I didn't expect this, so I'm going to say what is in my heart here. If you really take seriously the arrest of the arrest of the arrest of the White nationalist coup dicking in the country, have you heard of it? Fascist all this time. “
Josh Welsh recalled
The interim president of Film Independent, Brenda Robinson, delivered a speech in the middle of the ceremony in which she mentioned Josh Welsh, the leader of the organization who died on the eve of the New Year after fighting colon cancer for five for five years. Given the mention of Welsh's name, the room exploded in applause and an emotional ovation standing.
Before leading the audience in a second standing ovation, Robinson said: “Josh is a visionary of the guy who appears once in life. We want his work and impact to continue, because he is a great leader. It is an exceptional person. I speak of him very deliberately in the present time, because he is still here. He is here. We will feel his spirit in the programs he created and the life of the filmmakers to whom he impacted, always and in every way. Josh is only absent in the body, but the spirit of who Josh is and what he means to this community, that is forever. “
By accepting the Robert Altman award for “his three daughters”, filmmaker Azazel Jacobs acknowledged “the spirit of Josh Welsh”, saying: “I am one of the people whose kindness and encouragement that touched deeply and I am grateful for him.”
In his speech to win the “Anora” award, Baker also said: “I know that we are all thinking of Josh Welsh tonight, a true champion of independent voices and a wonderful and kind human being. We will miss you, Josh. We will miss you. Long Live Independent Cinema “.
A complete list of today's winners
Film categories
Better characteristic
“Anora”
Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
Director
Sean Baker, “Anora”
Script
Jesse Eisenberg, “A real pain”
First feature
“Dìdi”
Director: Let Wang
Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters
First script
Sean Wang, “Dìdi”
John Cassavetes Award
(For the best feature made for less than $ 1,000,000)
“The girls will be girls”
Writer-director-producer: Shuchi Talati
Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne
Innovative performance
Maisy Stella, “My old ass”
Performance performance
Kieran Culkin, “A True Pain” (photos of Searchlight)
Lead performance
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Robert Altman Award
“His three daughters”
Director: Azazel Jacobs
Casting Director: Nicole Bug
Ensemble cast: Jovan Adpo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, José Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr., Jay O. Sanders
Cinematography
Jomo Fray, “Nickel Boys”
Edition
Hansjörg Weissbrich, “September 5”
International film
“Flow”
Director: Gints Zilbalodis
Documentary
“There is no other land”
Directors: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Producer: Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Someone to see the award
Sarah Friedland, “familiar touch”
More true than fiction Grant
Rachel Elizabeth Seed, “A photographic memory”
Producers Award
Sarah Winshall
Television categories
Best new series with script
“Shōgun”
Creators/Executive Producers: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Executive producers: Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michael Clavell
Executive Co-Productors: Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Jamie Vega Wheeler
Best new not written or unwritten documentary series
“Hollywood Black”
Executive producers: Shayla Harris, Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Jon Kamen, Justin Simien, Kyle Laursen, Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jeffrey Schwarz, Amy Goodman Kass, Michael Wright, Jill Burkhard
Executive Co-Productors: David C. Brown, Laurens Grant
Performance support in a new series with script
Nava Mau, “baby reindeer”
Leadership performance in a new series with script
Richard Gadd, “baby reindeer”
Innovative performance in a new series with script
Jessica Gunning, “baby reindeer”
Assembly in a new series with script
“How to die alone”
Assembly cast: Melissa Duprey, Jaylee Hamidi, Keilyn Durrel Jones, Arkie Kandola, Elle Lorraine, Michelle McLeod, Chris “CP” Powell, Conrad Ricamora, Natasha Rothwell, Jocko Sims
