By The 2020 Independent Spirits Awards were handed out last night. The ceremony has become an Academy Awards’ Eve tradition, celebrating the best in independent film and filmmakers, and in some ways addressing the most egregious Oscar snubs. I mention that since Lulu Wang’s The Farewell took home the award for Best Feature as well as a Best Supporting Female win for co-star Zhao Shuzhen. (As the Golden Cages go, so goes the Spirit Awards.) While shutout at the Oscars, The Farewell taking home a top prize here and another acting award at the Golden Globes feels good.
There’s no way the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems would fly at the Oscars, which is why it was also shutout from that ceremony. However, the intense drama took home three Spirit Awards, including Best Director and Best Actor for Adam Sandler.
Other notable winners include:
- Olivia Wilde for her directorial debut Booksmart
- Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse for Willem Dafoe and his lobster (another Golden Cages favorite) and Jarin Blaschke and his cinematography (yet another Golden Cages winner)
- Parasite from Bong Joon Ho scooping up yet another win for Best International Film
The full list of winners is below.
Best Feature
The Farewell (WINNER)
A Hidden Life
Clemency
Marriage Story
Uncut Gems
Best First Feature
Booksmart (WINNER)
The Climb
Diane
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
The Mustang
See You Yesterday
Best Director
Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems (WINNER)
Alma Har’el, Honey Boy
Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers
Julius Onah, Luce
Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse
Best Female Lead
Renée Zellweger, Judy (WINNER)
Karen Allen, Colewell
Hong Chau, Driveways
Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell
Mary Kay Place, Diane
Alfre Woodard, Clemency
Best Male Lead
Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems (WINNER)
Chris Galust, Give Me Liberty
Kelvin Harrison Jr., Luce
Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse
Matthias Schoenaerts, The Mustang
Best Supporting Female
Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell (WINNER)
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Taylor Russell, Waves
Lauren “LoLo” Spencer, Give Me Liberty
Octavia Spencer, Luce
Best Supporting Male
Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse (WINNER)
Noah Jupe, Honey Boy
Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy
Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Wendell Pierce, Burning Cane
Best Screenplay
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story (WINNER)
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 (WINNER)
Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen, Driveways
Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy, Blow the Man Down
Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe, Greener Grass
James Montague & Craig W. Sanger, The Vast of Night
Best International Film
Parasite (South Korea), Director: Bong Joon Ho (WINNER)
Invisible Life (Brazil), Director: Karim Aïnouz
Les Misérables (France), Director: Ladj Ly
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 (WINNER)
Apollo 11
For Sama
Honeyland
Island of the Hungry Ghosts
Best Cinematography
Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse (WINNER)
Todd Banhazl, Hustlers
Natasha Braier, Honey Boy
Chananun Chotrungroj, The Third Wife
Pawel Pogorzelski, Midsommar
Best Editing
Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems (WINNER)
Julie Béziau, The Third Wife
Tyler L. Cook, Sword of Trust
Louise Ford, The Lighthouse
Kirill Mikhanovsky, Give Me Liberty
Robert Altman Award
Marriage Story
John Cassavetes Award
Give Me Liberty (WINNER)
Burning Cane
Colewell
Premature
Wild Nights With Emily
Bonnie Award
Kelly Reichardt (WINNER)
Marielle Heller
Lulu Wang
Producers Award
Mollye Asher (WINNER)
Krista Parris
Ryan Zacarias
Someone to Watch Award
Rashaad Ernesto Green, Director of Premature (WINNER)
Ash Mayfair, Director of The Third Wife
Joe Talbot, Director of The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Truer Than Fiction Award
Nadia Shihab, Director of Jaddoland (WINNER)
Khalik Allah, Director of Black Mother
Davy Rothbart, Director of 17 Blocks
Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside, Director of América
2020 Spirit Awards Winners List: ‘Farewell’ Wins Best Film, ‘Uncut Gems’ Takes Three Prizes [IndieWire]
