If you haven’t jumped on the Anora bandwagon yet, now might be the time. The momentum continues to build towards the Academy Awards for Sean Baker’s acclaimed dramedy, following last night’s 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards where it was victorious three times.
Anora took Best Feature at the Indie Spirits, along with Best Director for Baker and Best Lead Performance for Mikey Madison. Following big wins at the Critics Choice and BAFTAs, it looks to have moved into the frontrunner position for next week’s Oscars.
Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain also did extremely well, earning Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Performance for Kieran Culkin.
Breakthrough Performance went to Maisy Stella for the comedy My Old Ass.
RaMell Ross’ Nickel Boys won for Best Cinematography. September 5 won Best Editing. Sean Wang won Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay for Didi. The animated masterpiece Flow won Best International Feature.
The Robert Altman Award for director, ensemble, and casting director went to Azazel Jacobs’ Netflix drama His Three Daughters.
The full list of winners on the film and TV sides is below:
Winners
BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer)
Anora
Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Mikey Madison
Anora
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Richard Gadd
Baby Reindeer
BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker
Anora
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
Flow
Latvia, France, Belgium
Director: Gints Zilbalodis
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Kieran Culkin
A Real Pain
BEST EDITING
Hansjörg Weissbrich
September 5
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jomo Fray
Nickel Boys
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Sean Wang
Dìdi
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES (Award given to the creator, executive producer and co-executive producer)
Hollywood Black
Executive Producers: Shayla Harris, Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Jon Kamen, Justin Simien, Kyle Laursen, Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jeffrey Schwarz, Amy Goodman Kass, Michael Wright, Jill Burkhart
Co-Executive Producers: David C. Brown, Laurens Grant
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES (Award given to the creator, executive producer and co-executive producer)
Shōgun
Creators/Executive Producers: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Executive Producers: Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell
Co-Executive Producers: Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich
BEST SCREENPLAY
Jesse Eisenberg
A Real Pain
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)
Dìdi
Director/Producer: Sean Wang
Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Jessica Gunning
Baby Reindeer
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Nava Mau
Baby Reindeer
BEST DOCUMENTARY
No Other Land
Directors/Producers: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Producers: Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Maisy Stella
My Old Ass
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES (Previously announced)
How to Die Alone
Ensemble Cast: Melissa DuPrey, Jaylee Hamidi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Arkie Kandola, Elle Lorraine, Michelle McLeod, Chris “CP” Powell, Conrad Ricamora, Natasha Rothwell, Jocko Sims
PRODUCERS AWARD (Honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films; previously announced)
Sarah Winshall
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD (Presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition; previously announced)
Rachel Elizabeth Seed
Director of A Photographic Memory
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Best feature made for under $1 million; award given to the writer, director and producer)
Girls Will Be Girls
Writer/Director/Producer: Shuchi Talati
Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast; previously announced)
His Three Daughters
Director: Azazel Jacobs
Casting Director: Nicole Arbusto
Ensemble Cast: Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr., Jay O. Sanders
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD (Recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition; previously announced)
Sarah Friedland
Director of Familiar Touch
