As if right on cue, the sun broke through the foreboding rain clouds just as the red carpet opened at the 33rd annual Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Located steps away from the Santa Monica Pier, the event takes place just one day before Hollywood’s biggest night – the Academy Awards. But unlike the pressure of the Oscars, the vibe of the Spirit Awards is much more relaxed due to its purpose-driven mission: to celebrate independently produced and artist-driven films made outside of the rigid and often political big studio system. Despite the countries of origin, budgets, and talent attached, all of the films recognized at the Spirit Awards have one thing in common: they all embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. My brother Ryan and I had the opportunity to cover the awards ceremony, both on the red carpet and in the press room.
Comedians Nick Kroll and John Mulaney returned to co-host the event, which was broadcast live on the IFC channel with audiences tuning in from 56 countries. The NYC indie rock trio Sunflower Bean was this year’s house band, and their dreamy and melodic guitar tunes kept the energy at an all-time high (even with the show running 30 minutes over its scheduled time).
Over the past three years, the films that won Best Picture at the Independent Spirit Awards would also go on to win Best Picture at the Oscars the next day, including Moonlight, Spotlight, and Birdman. This year, Get Out took home the honors and accepting the award was the film’s director Jordan Peele, who also won the event’s Best Director award. That statistic would end this year, however, as The Shape of Water wound up winning Best Feature at the Oscars.
Voters awarded Best Male Lead to 22-year-old Timothée Chalamet for his performance as Elio in the breathtaking drama Call Me By Your Name. Sweeping the awards circuit since the very beginning, the Best Female Lead went to Frances McDormand for her performance as the no-nonsense Mildred in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Sam Rockwell took home the Best Supporting Male award for his performance as goofy cop Dixon in Three Billboards, with Best Supporting Female going to Allison Janney for her captivating performance as the critical and cruel LaVona in I, Tonya. No surprise here, McDormand, Rockwell, and Janney would all go on to be honored at the Oscars for these performances as well.
Other notable awards went to Lady Bird’s Greta Gerwig for Best Screenplay, The Big Sick’s Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani for Best First Screenplay, and Ingrid Goes West’s Matt Spicer for Best First Feature. The Robert Altman Award, which is given to an ensemble cast, director, and casting director of a film considered to be a “maverick” of the year, went to Mudbound. Director Dee Rees gave an electrifying acceptance speech that left the room speechless, and star of the film Garrett Hedlund literally dropped her mic after her she spoke to signify the importance and strength of her words.
Judging by the passion and perseverance for positive change that was displayed at last Saturday’s event, the power of independent cinema is not only stronger now than ever before, but truly demonstrates its ability to tell these original stories that can impact – and even change – the world.
