By: Sari Cohen | HFLF Contributor
Actresses Zazie Beetz and Natasha Lyonne kicked off the excitement for the annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, back in November, when they announced this year’s nominees. The award show took place on February 8, 2020, celebrating 35 years of honoring the best in independent films.
The show was held at the Santa Monica Pier, amid awards season. The venue welcomed some of Hollywood’s biggest names, who mixed among the world’s top up-and-coming independent filmmakers. Aubrey Plaza returned to host, J.Lo intoxicated fans as she arrived on the blue carpet, and Adam Sandler gave one of the most endearing speeches ever to grace an award show stage.
The whole idea of the Film Independent Spirit Awards is the ardor behind quality filmmaking. After 35 years, that sentiment still holds true. As the Oscars and the Golden Globes so notably overlooked nominating female directors this year, the Spirit Awards swooped in to remind people how important it is that talent is recognized in all shapes and forms.
“I really admire all of the directors who have blazed a trail before me,” “Booksmart” director Olivia Wilde said upon her win. “This movie is really in the spirit of Amy Heckerling and Nora Ephron and so many other female directors, so I hope that we can continue their legacy and inspire more ladies to get out there and direct.” That was a trend we saw this year, as the Best Feature award went to Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” and Best Documentary went to Julia Reichert’s “American Factory.”
Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” win was another highlight of the day. The South Korean director was onsite, along with his translator (Sharon Choi), after he took home the trophy for Best International Film. “As I mentioned earlier, I came to this award ceremony 10 years ago with ‘Mother,’” Ho’s translator relayed to the press room. “I didn’t receive it then, but to be here, what matters tonight is the Indy Spirit Awards. To be congratulated by Spike Lee, the Safdie brothers, and all of the great Indy filmmakers that came before, that’s truly meaningful.”
“Uncut Gems” also took home a few awards – Adam Sandler won for Best Male Lead and the Safdie brothers for Best Director. After Sandler won, he stepped on stage, and from the beginning, it was hard not to see how he embodied the very meaning of spirit. The “SNL” alum casually pulled out a folded up piece of paper from his pocket. He then addressed the audience with one of the most heart-warming and smile-evoking speeches you could ever want to hear.
The actor poked fun at himself while pointing out the very obvious – his win is exactly what the Spirit Awards is about. He joked about being “snubbed by the Academy” and compared his newly-won award, to winning the title of “Best Personality” in high school. “The Independent Spirit Awards are the ‘Best Personality’ awards of Hollywood,” Sandler said as the crowd cheered.
It was easy to look back on Sandler’s other roles and his longstanding “independent spirit” when he joined the Safdie brothers in the press room. It was clear how the trio felt about each other, as well as how they felt about the possibility of working together again. The “Uncut Gems” directors praised Sandler, and Sandler then got up, to return the compliment.
Other highlights included the John Cassavetes Award, which is given to the best feature made for under $500,000. The 3rd annual Bonnie Award, recognizing a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines. The Producers Award, which honors emerging producers. The Someone to Watch Award Presented By Bulleit Frontier Whiskey and the Truer Than Fiction Award, which is given to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
You can check out the full list of winners in bold below.
BEST FEATURE
A HIDDEN LIFE
Producers: Elisabeth Bentley, Dario Bergesio, Grant Hill, Josh Jeter
CLEMENCY
Producers: Timur Bekbosunov, Julian Cautherley, Bronwyn Cornelius, Peter Wong
*THE FAREWELL
Producers: Anita Gou, Daniele Melia, Andrew Miano, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Lulu Wang, Chris Weitz, Jane Zheng
MARRIAGE STORY
Producers: Noah Baumbach, David Heyman
UNCUT GEMS
Producers: Eli Bush, Sebastian Bear McClard, Scott Rudin
BEST FIRST FEATURE
*BOOKSMART
Director: Olivia Wilde
Producers: Chelsea Barnard, David Distenfeld, Jessica Elbaum, Megan Ellison, Katie Silberman
THE CLIMB
Director: Michael Angelo Covino
Producers: Noah Lang, Kyle Marvin
DIANE
Director: Kent Jones
Producers: Luca Borghese, Ben Howe, Caroline Kaplan, Oren Moverman
THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
Director/Producer: Joe Talbot
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Khaliah Neal, Christina Oh
THE MUSTANG
Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
Producer: Ilan Goldman
SEE YOU YESTERDAY
Director: Stefon Bristol
Producer: Spike Lee
BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse
Alma Har’el, Honey Boy
Julius Onah, Luce
*Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems
Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers
BEST SCREENPLAY
*Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
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
Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, Driveways
Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy, Blow the Man Down
Jocelyn Deboer, Dawn Luebbe, Greener Grass
Andrew Patterson, Craig W. Sanger, The Vast of Night
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
BURNING CANE
Writer/Director/Producer: Phillip Youmans
Producers: Ojo Akinlana, Jakob Johnson, Karen Kaia Livers, Mose Mayer,
Wendell Pierce, Isaac Web, Cassandra Youmans
COLEWELL
Writer/Director: Tom Quinn
Producers: Joshua Blum, Alexandra Byer, Craig Shilowich, Matthew Thurm
*GIVE ME LIBERTY
Writer/Director/Producer: Kirill Mikhanovsky
Writer/Producer: Alice Austen
Producers: Val Abel, Wally Hall, Michael Manasseri, George Rush, Sergey Shtern
PREMATURE
Writer/Director/Producer: Rashaad Ernesto Green
Writer: Zora Howard
Producers: Darren Dean, Joy Ganes
WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY
Writer/Director/Producer: Madeleine Olnek
Producers: Anna Margarita Albelo, Casper Andreas, Max Rifkind-Barron
BEST MALE LEAD
Chris Galust, Give Me Liberty
Kelvin Harrison Jr., Luce
Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse
*Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems
Matthias Schoenaerts, The Mustang
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Karen Allen, Colewell
Hong Chau, Driveways
Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell
Mary Kay Place, Diane
*Renée Zellweger, Judy
Alfre Woodard, Clemency
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
*Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse
Noah Jupe, Honey Boy
Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy
Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Wendell Pierce, Burning Cane
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Taylor Russell, Waves
*Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell
Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, Give Me Liberty
Octavia Spencer, Luce
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Todd Banhazl, Hustlers
*Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse
Natasha Braier, Honey Boy
Chananun Chotrungroj, The Third Wife
Pawel Pogorzelski, Midsommer
BEST EDITING
Julie Béziau, The Third Wife
*Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems
Tyler L. Cook, Sword of Trust
Louise Ford, The Lighthouse
Kirill Mikhanovsky, Give Me Liberty
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
INVISIBLE LIFE (Brazil)
Director: Karim Aïnouz
LES MISÉRABLES (France)
Director: Ladj Ly
*PARASITE (South Korea)
Director: Bong Joon-ho
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
Director/Producers: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
Producers: Julia Parker Benello, Jeff Reichert
APOLLO 11
Director/Producer: Todd Douglas Miller
Producers: Evan Krauss, Thomas Baxley Peterson
FOR SAMA
Director: Edward Watts
Director/Producer: Waad al-Kateab
HONEYLAND
Director: Tamara Kotevska
Director/Producer: Ljubo Stefanov
Producer: Atanas Georgiev
ISLAND OF THE HUNGRY GHOSTS
Director/Producer: Gabrielle Brady
Producers: Gizem Acarla, Samm Haillay, Alex Kelly, Alexander Wadouh
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
BONNIE AWARD SPONSORED BY AMERICAN AIRLINES
Marielle Heller
*Kelly Reichardt
Lulu Wang
PRODUCERS AWARD
*Mollye Asher
Krista Parris
Ryan Zacarias
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD, PRESENTED BY BULLEIT FONTIER WHISKEY
*PREMATURE
Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green
THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
Director: Joe Talbot
THE THIRD WIFE
Director: Ash Mayfair
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
17 BLOCKS
Director: Davy Rothbart
AMÉRICA
Directors: Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside
BLACK MOTHER
Director: Khalik Allah
*JADDOLAND
Director: Nadia Shihab
