40th Film Independent Spirit Awards: ‘Anora,’ ‘Baby Reindeer’ Win Big
Film Independent coronated Sean Baker’s Anora with three wins today at the 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards, where it won Best Feature, Best Director and Best Lead Performance for star Mikey Madison.
Baker’s film has been on an awards hot streak, winning Critics Choice, PGA, DGA and WGA all in the final leg of Oscar season and delivered an impassioned speech about the need for proper compensation for directors, who often spend years on a film from beginning to end, citing that the days of risk studios could take on films with DVD sales and how the industry has become increasingly unsustainable for artists. “We are creating product that creates jobs and revenue for the entire industry. We shouldn’t be barely getting by,” he said.
Read Baker’s full Indie Spirit Awards speech below:
“This is incredible. Film Independent, I love you. I’m gonna read a little, so please forgive me. First off, Ali, Alonso, Jane, and Brady, we all know there is no best. We all made wholly original films, and it’s an honor to be in this category with you, so thank you. Film Independent, I’ve said this before, but it’s definitely worth repeating: next to my parents, you’ve been my greatest supporter. I’ve been in this room with every one of my films starting with Take Out, and it just means the world to me. Thank you so much. I want to thank my incredible cast and crew and two incredible producing partners, Samantha Quan and Alex Coco. And I have all my main cast here who made my job so incredibly easy: Mikey, Yura, Mark, Karren, Vache, I love you guys.
I want to thank my manager Adam Kersch, FilmNation, and our distributor Neon. Working with Neon has been an absolute dream. They gave Anora a perfect release and focused on the theatrical run first and foremost. Thank you guys. And I also want to thank Focus Universal, Le Pacte, and our other overseas partners. Now I’m gonna go really fast here, guys, but I just want to use this moment to speak about the current state of indie film, specifically how it applies to creatives.
Indie film is struggling right now more than ever. Gone are the days of DVD sales that allowed for a greater risk to be taken on challenging films. That revenue stream is gone, and the only way to see significant back end is to have a box office hit with profits that far exceed what any of our films will ever see unless you are Damien Leone and strike gold with a franchise like “Terrifier.” But as we all know, that’s an extreme rarity. For me, and I think for many of my peers, if we’re lucky, the average number of years dedicated to making a film is around three. I’m gonna say three. I think most of us have worked a lot longer on our films, but let’s go with three. If you are a writer/director trying to break in right now, there’s a good chance you’re making a film for free or making next to nothing on production or sale. How do you support yourself with little or no income for 3 years?
Let’s say you’re lucky enough to be with the guilds. Take the DGA and WGA minimums and then divide them by three. Take out taxes and possibly percentages that you owe your agents, managers, and lawyers, and what are you left with? It’s just simply not enough to get by on in today’s world, especially if one is is trying to support a family. I personally do not have children, but I know for a fact that if I did, I would not be able to make the movies that I make.
Why am I talking about this today? Because I’m an indie film lifer, and I know that there are other indie film lifers in this room, those who don’t see indie films as calling cards, those who don’t make these films to land a series or a studio film. Some of us want to make personal films that are intended for theatrical release with subject matter that would never be greenlit by the big studios. We want complete artistic freedom and the freedom to cast who is right for the role, not who we’re forced to cast considering box office value, or how many followers they have on social media. The system has to change because this is simply unsustainable.
We are creating product that creates jobs and revenue for the entire industry. We shouldn’t be barely getting by. Creatives that are involved with projects that span years have to begin getting higher — much higher — upfront fees, and again, because back end simply can’t be relied upon any longer, we have to demand that. If not, indie films will simply become calling card films, and I know that’s not what I signed up for. So let’s demand what we’re worth. I know that if you’re in this room, you’ve proven that you’re worth it, so let’s not undervalue ourselves any longer. And we can work together, it can be filmmakers working with agencies, working with financiers, film sales companies, and distributors to make indie film sustainable for creatives and keep indie film alive. This is for all the indie film lifers who are holding on and fighting the good fight. Thank you so much.”
A Real Pain won Best Supporting Performance for Kieran Culkin and Best Screenplay for Jesse Eisenberg, the two awards it’s up for at next weekend’s Academy Awards; Maisy Stella won Best Breakthrough Performance for My Old Ass; Dìdi won Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay for Sean Wang; Flow won Best International Film; No Other Land won Best Documentary; Best Cinematography went to Jomo Fray for Nickel Boys; and Hansjörg Weissbrich won Best Editing for September 5.
The 17th annual Robert Altman Award, which was created in 2008 in honor of legendary film director Robert Altman, who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts, was awarded to His Three Daughters director Azazel Jacobs, alongside casting director Nicole Arbusto, as well as ensemble cast members Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr. and Jay O. Sanders.
Hosted for the second year in a row by acclaimed comedian Aidy Bryant, the awards ceremony was broadcast live on IMDb’s and Film Independent’s YouTube channels.
This year’s major winners in the TV categories were Baby Reindeer, which won three of the four awards it was up for: Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series for Richard Gadd, Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series for Nava Mau and Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series for Jessica Gunning. won Best New Scripted Series. More television winners included Hollywood Black, which won Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series; and How to Die Alone, which won Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series. It was a bittersweet moment for the show’s creator and star Natasha Rothwell as the series was recently canceled by Hulu after just one season.
The winners of the Film Independent Spirit Awards are voted on by Film Independent Members. Membership is open to the public.
Here is the full list of winners for the 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards.
BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer)
Anora – WINNER
Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
I Saw the TV Glow
Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall
Nickel Boys
Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine
Sing Sing
Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton
The Substance
Producers: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)
Dìdi – WINNER
Director/Producer: Sean Wang
Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters
In the Summers
Director: Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
Producers: Janek Ambros, Lynette Coll, Alexander Dinelaris, Cynthia Fernandez De La Cruz, Cristóbal Güell, Sergio Alberto Lira, Rob Quadrino, Jan Suter, Daniel Tantalean, Nando Vila, Slava Vladimirov, Stephanie Yankwitt
Janet Planet
Director/Producer: Annie Baker
Producers: Andrew Goldman, Dan Janvey, Derrick Tseng
The Piano Lesson
Director: Malcolm Washington
Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington
Problemista
Director/Producer: Julio Torres
Producers: Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000. (Award given to the writer, director, and producer)
Big Boys
Writer/Director/Producer: Corey Sherman
Producer: Allison Tate
Ghostlight
Writer/Director: Kelly O’Sullivan
Director/Producer: Alex Thompson
Producers: Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Chelsea Krant, Eddie Linker, Alex Wilson
Girls Will Be Girls – WINNER
Writer/Director/Producer: Shuchi Talati
Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne
Jazzy
Writer/Director/Producer: Morrisa Maltz
Writer/Producer: Lainey Shangreaux
Writers: Andrew Hajek, Vanara Taing
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Tommy Heitkamp, John Way, Natalie Whalen, Elliott Whitton
The People’s Joker
Writer/Director: Vera Drew
Writer: Bri LeRose
Producer: Joey Lyons
BEST DIRECTOR
Ali Abbasi, The Apprentice
Sean Baker, Anora – WINNER
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Alonso Ruizpalacios, La Cocina
Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow
BEST SCREENPLAY
Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Heretic
Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain – WINNER
Megan Park, My Old Ass
Aaron Schimberg, A Different Man
Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Joanna Arnow, The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed
Annie Baker, Janet Planet
India Donaldson, Good One
Julio Torres, Problemista
Sean Wang, Dìdi – WINNER
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Amy Adams, Nightbitch
Ryan Destiny, The Fire Inside
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Keith Kupferer, Ghostlight
Mikey Madison, Anora – WINNER
Demi Moore, The Substance
Hunter Schafer, Cuckoo
Justice Smith, I Saw the TV Glow
June Squibb, Thelma
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Yura Borisov, Anora
Joan Chen, Dìdi
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain – WINNER
Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson
Carol Kane, Between the Temples
Karren Karagulian, Anora
Kani Kusruti, Girls Will Be Girls
Brigette Lundy-Paine, I Saw the TV Glow
Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, Sing Sing
Adam Pearson, A Different Man
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Isaac Krasner, Big Boys
Katy O’Brian, Love Lies Bleeding
Mason Alexander Park, National Anthem
René Pérez Joglar, In the Summers
Maisy Stella, My Old Ass – WINNER
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dinh Duy Hung, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
Jomo Fray, Nickel Boys – WINNER
Maria von Hausswolff, Janet Planet
Juan Pablo Ramírez, La Cocina
Rina Yang, The Fire Inside
BEST EDITING
Laura Colwell, Vanara Taing, Jazzy
Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm, The Apprentice
Anne McCabe, Nightbitch
Hansjörg Weissbrich, September 5 – WINNER
Arielle Zakowski, Dìdi
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast
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
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
Gaucho Gaucho
Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Producers: Christos Konstantakopoulos, Cameron O’Reilly, Matthew Perniciaro
Hummingbirds
Directors: Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
Co-Directors/Producers: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger
Producers: Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow
No Other Land – WINNER
Directors/Producers: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Producers: Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Patrice: The Movie
Director: Ted Passon
Producers: Kyla Harris, Innbo Shim, Emily Spivack
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Director: Johan Grimonprez
Producers: Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
All We Imagine as Light
France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Director: Payal Kapadia
Black Dog
China
Director: Guan Hu
Flow – WINNER
Latvia, France, Belgium
Director: Gints Zilbalodis
Green Border
Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Hard Truths
United Kingdom
Director: Mike Leigh
PRODUCERS AWARD – The Producers Award, now in its 28th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films.
Alex Coco
Sarah Winshall – WINNER
Zoë Worth
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 31st year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
Nicholas Colia, Director of Griffin in Summer
Sarah Friedland, Director of Familiar Touch – WINNER
Pham Thien An, Director of Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 30th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Directors of Sugarcane
Carla Gutiérrez, Director of Frida – WINNER
Rachel Elizabeth Seed, Director of A Photographic Memory
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color
Executive Producers: Idris Elba, Johanna Woolford Gibbon, Jamilla Dumbuya, Jos Cushing, Khaled Gad, Matt Robins, Chris Muckle, Sean David Johnson, Simon Raikes
Co-Executive Producer: Annabel Hobley
Hollywood Black – WINNER
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
Photographer
Executive Producers: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Pagan Harleman, Betsy Forhan
Co-Executive Producers: Anna Barnes, Brent Kunkle
Ren Faire
Executive Producers: Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Dani Bernfeld, Lance Oppenheim, David Gauvey Herbert, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez
Co-Executive Producers: Abigail Rowe, Christian Vasquez, Max Allman
Social Studies
Creator/Executive Producer: Lauren Greenfield
Executive Producers: Wallis Annenberg, Regina K. Scully, Andrea van Beuren, Frank Evers, Caryn Capotosto
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
Baby Reindeer
Creator/Executive Producer: Richard Gadd
Executive Producers: Wim De Greef, Petra Fried, Matt Jarvis, Ed Macdonald
Diarra From Detroit
Creator/Executive Producer: Diarra Kilpatrick
Executive Producers: Kenya Barris, Miles Orion Feldsott, Darren Goldberg
Co-Executive Producers: Ester Lou, Mark Ganek
English Teacher
Creator/Executive Producer: Brian Jordan Alvarez
Executive Producers: Paul Simms, Jonathan Krisel, Dave King
Co-Executive Producers: Kathryn Dean, Jake Bender, Zach Dunn
Fantasmas
Creator/Executive Producer: Julio Torres
Executive Producers: Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Olivia Gerke, Alex Bach, Daniel Powell
Co-Executive Producer: Ali Herting
Shōgun – WINNER
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 LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Brian Jordan Alvarez, English Teacher
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer – WINNER
Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge
Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along
Cristin Milioti, The Penguin
Julianne Moore, Mary & George
Hiroyuki Sanada, Shōgun
Anna Sawai, Shōgun
Andrew Scott, Ripley
Julio Torres, Fantasmas
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Tadanobu Asano, Shōgun
Enrico Colantoni, English Teacher
Betty Gilpin, Three Women
Chloe Guidry, Under the Bridge
Moeka Hoshi, Shōgun
Stephanie Koenig, English Teacher
Patti LuPone, Agatha All Along
Nava Mau, Baby Reindeer – WINNER
Ruth Negga, Presumed Innocent
Brian Tee, Expats
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer – WINNER
Diarra Kilpatrick, Diarra From Detroit
Joe Locke, Agatha All Along
Megan Stott, Penelope
Hoa Xuande, The Sympathizer
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
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
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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