12 Years a Slave, McConaughey, Blanchett Win Spirit Awards
The Film Independent Spirit Awards, famous for giving out their trophies the day before the Oscars, looked an awful lot like an Oscar preview today. After a season of minimal awards totals and eeked out Best Picture wins, 12 Years a Slave dominated today, winning Best Feature, Director, Screenplay, Supporting Actress and Cinematography. The film is up for all of those same awards, save Cinematography, at the Oscars tomorrow.
Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett and Jared Leto added to their awards haul today, winning in Male Lead, Female Lead and Supporting Male, respectively. Newcomer Lupita Nyong’o added a Spirit Award to her BFCA and SAG honors and positions herself as a formidable candidate for the Oscar if she can beat Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence, who was not nominated here (nor was American Hustle, as it was ineligible) so a clear path for Nyong’o’s victory was pretty much set in stone.
The Spirit Awards and the Oscars have never matched up in the acting categories better than 2/4 but after today it’s possible they will be exactly the same for the first time.
Fruitvale Station walked away with First Feature, 20 Feet From Stardom took home Best Documentary and Matthew McConaughey ended up with two awards today as his film Mud was honored with the Robert Altman Ensemble win.
Full list of winners:
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Bob Nelson, Nebraska
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Fruitvale Station
Director: Ryan Coogler; Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker
BEST EDITING
Nat Sanders, Short Term 12
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Mud
Director: Jeff Nichols, Casting Director: Francine Maisler, Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon
BEST SCREENPLAY
John Ridley, 12 Years A Slave
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Best feature made for under $500,000)
This Is Martin Bonner
Writer/Director: Chad Hartigan, Producer: Cherie Saulter
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt, 12 Years A Slave
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years A Slave
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Blue Is The Warmest Color (France)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
20 Feet From Stardom
Director/Producer: Morgan Neville, Producers: Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers
BEST DIRECTOR
Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
BEST MALE LEAD
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
BEST FEATURE
12 Years A Slave
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston, Jacob Jaffke, Andrea Roa, Frederick Thornton (Ain’t Them Bodies
Saints)
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Newlyweeds, Director: Shaka King
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Jason Osder, Let the Fire Burn
BRIGHT FUTURE AWARD
Patrick Creadon, Director
If You Build It
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), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) 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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