Last Saturday, Cinemacy returned to the giant tent on the Santa Monica beach to celebrate the 38th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards.
The event has become a mainstay throughout awards season for its total dedication to celebrating independent storytellers, and always attracts top talent who recognize the importance of keeping indie film alive. This year brought new changes too, including the switch to gender-neutral acting categories (“Best Actor/Actress” became “Best Lead Performance”), a distribution shift from being broadcast live on the IFC channel to IMDb.com, and – perhaps most impressively – Everything Everywhere All At Once‘s near awards sweep. With the Academy Awards only days away, the Spirit Awards have had a history of predicting who will walk away with an Oscar on Sunday. Keep reading for highlights from this year’s awards show, as well as where you can watch the winners.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
This is no doubt the darling of awards season, racking up seven total trophies at this year’s awards show including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Lead, Supporting, and Breakthrough Performance, and Best Editing. Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis in roles that are guaranteed to take you through the full spectrum of emotion. The logline is simple: an exhausted Chinese American woman can’t seem to finish her taxes. But this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the absurdist comedy’s unexpected depths, its unmatched genius vision, and unforgettable pop cultural moments (hot dog fingers, Raccacoonie, everything bagel). You can rent Everything Everywhere All At Once on iTunes and Amazon, now streaming on Showtime.
Aftersun
It’s hard to believe that Aftersun is director Charlotte Wells’ first feature. The mastery of craft and the confidence to let her actors, Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio, explore their characters on screen is something that usually comes with years of experience. It’s no surprise that the Best First Feature award went to Wells, who generously shared the honor with her filmmaking crew. Aftersun tells the story of a young, single father and his daughter on holiday before she is set to return to her mother’s house and start up the school year. Wells so effortlessly captures the innocence of childhood memories and the unbreakable bond between father and daughter. Aftersun still remains among Cinemacy’s favorite films of 2023, and clearly, the rest of the independent film community agrees. We’re all excited to follow Wells’ career and are looking forward to seeing what she does next. Aftersun is available to rent on Apple TV and Amazon.
Women Talking
Director Sarah Polley and her incredible cast of actors took home the Robert Altman award for best ensemble. Sarah and her casting director John Buchan, who also happens to be her brother, accepted the honor by acknowledging the strength and power of the women who turned Miriam Toews’ novel into a force of nature on screen. Women Talking tells the story of a group of women within an isolated religious community who grapple with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith. Starring Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, and Frances McDormand. Women Talking is available to rent on Apple TV and Amazon.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Winner of Best Documentary, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a standout, revelatory addition to the growing number of films raising awareness around the opioid crisis. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) uses her gifts as a documentarian to tell the story of renowned photographer and activist Nan Goldin, whose mission has become to seek justice against the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty who was greatly responsible for the opioid epidemic’s unfathomable death toll. Interweaving rare footage and intimate interviews, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a tough watch told in a tender way. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is streaming on DirectTV, available to rent on Amazon and YouTube.
