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

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

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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