The Oscars weren’t the only big awards handed out this past weekend. On Saturday, at a ceremony hosted by Andy Samberg, Film Independent recognized the best in independent filmmaking with their Spirit Awards.
There’s one wee problem, though: they failed to actually award very many independent films. Silver Linings Playbook? The Perks of Being a Wallflower? The Sessions? None of these are really independent – they all have big stars and were produced by some pretty influential names in the biz. The only truly independent winners in the roster are Middle of Nowhere, Beasts of the Southern Wild, some of the documentaries, and a few others. This is kind of telling of where the “independent” film movement is at the moment.
Here’s the full list of winners:
BEST FEATURE – Silver Linings Playbook
BEST DIRECTOR – David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
BEST SCREENPLAY – David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
BEST FIRST FEATURE – The Perks of Being a Wallfower
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY – Derek Connolly, Safety Not Guaranteed
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Middle of Nowhere — Writer/Director/Producer: Ava DuVernay; Producers: Howard Barish, Paul Garnes
BEST FEMALE LEAD – Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
BEST MALE LEAD – John Hawkes, The Sessions
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE – Helen Hunt, The Sessions
BEST SUPPORTING MALE – Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Ben Richardson, Beasts of the Southern Wild
BEST DOCUMENTARY – The Invisible War
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM – Amour
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – Mynette Louie, Stones in the Sun
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – Adam Leon, Gimme the Loot
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The Waiting Room
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Starlet
