While The Oscars may be handing over a handful of awards to Ben Affleck’s Argo, it’s time that a different film takes some time in the spotlight.
Oscar weekend also marks the weekend in which the Independent Spirit Awards are announced, and the big winner here is David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook, taking home four awards including Best Picture. Russell won for his direction and screenplay, with Jennifer Lawrence taking home Best Actress, which may be an Oscar that is coming her way on Sunday as well.
Other notable winners include Derek Connolly’s fantastic screenplay for Safety Not Guaranteed which took home Best First Screenplay, and the extremely underrated Middle Of Nowhere which took home the John Cassavetes award.
While these rarely have any relation to The Academy Awards, it’s really nice to see the world of independent film get a chance to shine for a moment. Yes, I find it odd that a rather big film like Silver Linings is getting a ton of awards from a group that also nominates films like Starlet (as the latter is a massively superior film to the former), but silly rules about what is truly “independent” aside, these awards often signify films that will remembered more fondly than anything Oscar will honor.
Here’s the full list
BEST FEATURE
Beasts of the Southern Wild — Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey and Josh Penn
Bernie — Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams
Keep the Lights On — Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs
Moonrise Kingdom — Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin
*WINNER: Silver Linings Playbook — Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson — Moonrise Kingdom
*WINNER: David O. Russell — Silver Linings Playbook
Julia Loktev — The Loneliest Planet
Ira Sachs — Keep the Lights On
Benh Zeitlin — Beasts of the Southern Wild
PHOTOS: Indie Spirit Awards 2013: Stars Hit the Red Carpet
BEST SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson — Moonrise Kingdom
*WINNER: David O. Russell — Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs — Keep the Lights On
Zoe Kazan — Ruby Sparks
Martin McDonagh — Seven Psychopaths
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Fill the Void — Director: Rama Burshtein; Producer: Assaf Amir
Gimme the Loot — Director: Adam Leon; Producers: Dominic Buchanan, Natalie Difford, Jamund Washington
Safety Not Guaranteed — Director: Colin Trevorrow; Producer: Derek Connolly, Stephanie Langhoff, Peter Saraf, Colin Trevorrow,MarcTurtletaub
Sound of My Voice — Director: Zal Batmanglij; Producers: Brit Marling, Hans Ritter, Shelley Surpin
*WINNER: The Perks of Being a Wallfower — Director: Stephen Chbosky; Producers: Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
*WINNER: Derek Connolly — Safety Not Guaranteed
Rama Burshstein — Fill the Void
Christopher Ford — Robot & Frank
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack — Celeste and Jesse Forever
Jonathan Lisecki — Gayby
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Breakfast with Curtis — Writer/Director/Producer: Laura Colella
*WINNER: Middle of Nowhere — Writer/Director/Producer: Ava DuVernay; Producers: Howard Barish, Paul Garnes
Mosquita y Mari — Writer/Director: Aurora Guerrero; Producer: Chad Burris
Starlet — Writer/Director: Sean Baker; Producers: Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, Kevin Chinoy, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach,FrancescaSilvestri
The Color Wheel — Writer/Director/Producer: Alex Ross Perry; Writer: Carlen Altman Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Linda Cardinelli — Return
Emayatzy Corinealdi — Middle of Nowhere
*WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence — Silver Linings Playbook
Quvenzhane Wallis — Beasts of the Southern Wild
Mary Elizabeth Winstead — Smashed
BEST MALE LEAD
Jack Black — Bernie
Bradley Cooper — Silver Linings Playbook
*WINNER: John Hawkes — The Sessions
Matthew McConaughey — Killer Joe
Wendell Pierce — Four
Thure Lindhardt — Keep the Lights On
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Rosemarie DeWitt — Your Sister’s Sister
Ann Dowd — Compliance
*WINNER: Helen Hunt — The Sessions
Brit Marling — Sound of My Voice
Lorraine Toussant — Middle of Nowhere
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
*WINNER: Matthew McConaughey — Magic Mike
David Oyelowo — Middle of Nowhere
Michael Pena — End of Watch
Sam Rockwell — Seven Psychopaths
Bruce Willis — Moonrise Kingdom
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Yoni Brook — Valley of Saints
Lol Crawley — Here
*WINNER: Ben Richardson — Beasts of the Southern Wild
Roman Vasyanov — End of Watch
Robert Yeoman — Moonrise Kingdom
BEST DOCUMENTARY
How to Survive a Plague — Director: David France; Producers: David France, Howard Gertler
Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present — Director: Matthew Akers; Producers: Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre
The Central Park Five — Directors/Producers: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
*WINNER: The Invisible War — Director: Kirby Dick; Producers: Tanner King Barklow, Amy Ziering
The Waiting Room — Director/Producer: Peter Nicks; Producers: Linda Davis, William B. Hirsch
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
*WINNER: Amour — Director: Michael Haneke
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia — Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Rust and Bone — Director: Jacques Audiard
Sister — Director: Ursula Meier
War Witch — Director: Kim Nguyen
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Nobody Walks –– Producer: Alicia Van Couvering
Prince Avalanche — Producer: Derrick Tseng
*WINNER: Stones in the Sun — Producer: Mynette Louie
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Pincus –– Director: David Fenster
*WINNER: Gimme the Loot — Director: Adam Leon
Electrick Children — Director: Rebecca Thomas
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Leviathan –– Directors: Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
*WINNER: The Waiting Room — Director: Peter Nicks
Only the Young — Directors: Jason Tippet & Elizabeth Mims
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
*WINNER: Starlet — Director: Sean Baker; Casting Director: Julia Kim; Ensemble Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Karren Karagulian, Stella Maeve, James Ransone
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