After 2021's pandemic-necessitated detour into the virtual streaming space, Film Independent's 37th annual celebration of American independent film, the Spirit Awards, returned to its traditional in-person post in a tent on Santa Monica beach adjacent to the famous Santa Monica Pier. But despite the usual locale and the standard laid back vibe to the entire proceedings, in a number of ways this year's edition was decidedly non-traditional. Instead of being a Saturday-before-Oscars celebration of film most likely to not win and/or not in the running at the big Sunday, the ceremony was held on the Sunday exactly three weeks before the Academy Awards. And then there is the fact that we are very much in the midst of the COVID era. While recently relaxed restrictions (as well as rigid vaccination and testing requirements) meant that masks were not necessary at the event, a number of attendees still had them on hand, and the backstage media area not only combined what had always been separate spaces for print/video and still photographers, the number of available spots were drastically reduced, not even factoring added room for social distancing.
To go with the changes, this year's event fittingly was a throwback to Spirit Awards of a decade or two past, with many of the award winners in the film categories not even in contention for the Academy Awards. The two notable exceptions were Best Supporting Male recipient Troy Kotsur, whose performance in CODA continued to be celebrated en route to an increasingly likely Oscar win; ditto Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car, again honored Best International Film. The big winner of the afternoon was Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter, taking home Best Feature, Best Screenplay (it is also in the Oscars running in the Adapted category), and Best Director. Janicza Bravo's Twitter thread adaptation @zola received two trophies, for Best Female Lead (Taylour Page) and Best Editing (Joi McMillon), and the other winner of multiple awards was on the (only two-years-old, for these awards) television side, with FX's Reservation Dogs winning Best New Scripted Series and the previously announced Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series. Simon Rex won Best Male Lead for his work in Sean Baker's Red Rocket. The full list of winners is as follows:
FILM CATEGORIES
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
- The Lost Daughter
Producers: Charles Dorfman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)
- 7 Days
Director: Roshan Sethi
Producers: Liz Cardenas, Mel Eslyn
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
- Shiva Baby
Writer/Director/Producer: Emma Seligman
Producers: Kieran Altmann, Katie Schiller, Lizzie Shapiro
BEST DIRECTOR
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
BEST SCREENPLAY
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- Michael Sarnoski, story by Vanessa Block & Michael Sarnoski, Pig
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Edu Grau, Passing
BEST EDITING
- Joi McMillon, @zola
BEST FEMALE LEAD
- Taylour Paige, @zola
BEST MALE LEAD
- Simon Rex, Red Rocket
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
- Ruth Negga, Passing
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
- Troy Kotsur, CODA
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
- Mass
Director: Fran Kranz
Casting Directors: Henry Russell Bergstein, Allison Estrin
Ensemble Cast: Kagen Albright, Reed Birney, Michelle N. Carter, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Breeda Wool
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Award given to the director and producer.
- Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Producers: David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Award given to the director.
- Drive My Car (Japan)
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
TELEVISION CATEGORIES
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
(Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
- Black and Missing
Series By/Executive Producers: Soledad O’Brien, Geeta Gandbhir
Executive Producers: Jo Honig, Patrick Conway, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
(Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
- Reservation Dogs
Creators/Executive Producers: Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi
Executive Producer: Garrett Basch
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
- Thuso Mbedu, The Underground Railroad
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
- Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
- Reservation Dogs
Ensemble Cast: Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis, Sarah Podemski, Zahn McClarnon, Lil Mike, FunnyBone
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