The 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards — recognizing the best in independent cinema from the past year — were handed out Sunday, with “Train Dreams” taking home three awards in the film categories, and “Adolescence” nabbing a trio of prizes on the television side.
Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” alum Ego Nwodim hosted the ceremony at the Hollywood Palladium. The ceremony was livestreamed on the Film Independent and IMDb YouTube channels.
“No stage celebrates the incredible work of these visionary artists and independent creators everywhere quite like the Spirit Awards,” Nwodim said when she was announced as host in December.
“Train Dreams” beat out the biographical drama “Peter Hujar’s Day,” which took a leading five nominations into Sunday afternoon’s show. The other works nominated for best feature film were “The Plague,” “Sorry, Baby” and “Twinless.”
Clint Bentley and Adolpho Veloso also won for “Train Dreams,” for directing and cinematography, respectively.
On the small screen, “Adolescence” earned three acting awards for scripted series: the best leading, supporting and breakout performances. The winners were Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty and Owen Cooper, respectively.
“Adolescence” won out against “Common Side Effects,” “Forever,” “Mr. Loverman” and “North of North.”
“Pee-wee as Himself” garnered the hardware for best new non-scripted or documentary series. The other nominees were “Citizen Nation,” “Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time,” “Seen & Heart: The History of Black Television” and “Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae.”
“The distinguished and inspired work produced by our nominated artists this year shows both the incredible breadth and the essential nature of independent art being created today,” Brenda Robinson, acting president of Film Independent, said in early December, when nods were announced.
“These artists brilliantly demonstrate that there is no limit to the places where storytellers are able to find drama, humor and beauty, all while challenging audiences to stay engaged and curious, to protect the space where independent art can thrive,” Robinson said.
Presenters on Sunday included filmmaker Lulu Wang, the honorary chair of this year’s awards, along with Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Amy Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku, Wagner Moura and Tessa Thompson, among numerous others.
Here is a complete list of winners:
BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer)
“Train Dreams,” Producers: Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)
“Lurker,” Director: Alex Russell; Producers: Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, Jack Selby
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000. (Award given to the writer, director and producer)
“Esta Isla (This Island),” Directors/Writers/Producers: Cristian Carretero, Lorraine Jones Molina; Writer: Kisha Tikina Burgos
BEST DIRECTOR
Clint Bentley, “Train Dreams”
BEST SCREENPLAY
Eva Victor, “Sorry, Baby”
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Alex Russell, “Lurker”
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Naomi Ackie, “Sorry, Baby”
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Kayo Martin, “The Plague”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Adolpho Veloso, “Train Dreams”
BEST EDITING
SofÃa Subercaseaux, “The Testament of Ann Lee”
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Award given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
“The Long Walk,” Director: Francis Lawrence; Casting Director: Rich Delia; Ensemble Cast: Judy Greer, Mark Hamill, Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Tut Nyuot, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Garrett Wareing
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
“The Perfect Neighbor,” Director/Producer: Geeta Gandbhir; Producers: Sam Bisbee, Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
“The Secret Agent,” Brazil; Director: Kleber Mendonca Filho
PRODUCERS AWARD The Producers Award, now in its 29th year, honors an emerging producer who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrates the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films. This award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Tony Yang
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 32nd year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. This award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Tatti Ribeiro, Director of “Valentina”
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 31st year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. This award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Rajee Samarasinghe, Director of “Your Touch Makes Others Invisible”
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer and Co-Executive Producer)
“Pee-wee as Himself,” Executive Producers: Matt Wolf, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Ronald Bronstein, Eli Bush, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Paul Reubens, Candace Tomarken, Kyle Martin, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer and Co-Executive Producer)
“Adolescence,” Creators/Executive Producers: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham; Executive Producers: Philip Barantini, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Nina Wolarsky, Hannah Walters, Mark Herbert, Emily Feller; Co-Executive Producers: Carina Sposato, Niall Shamma, Peter Balm
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Erin Doherty, “Adolescence”
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Owen Cooper, “Adolescence”
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
“Chief of War,” Ensemble Cast: Charlie Brumbly, Luciane Buchanan, Cliff Curtis, Brandon Finn, Moses Goods, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Benjamin Hoetjes, Siua Ikale’o, Keala Kahuanui-Paleka, Mainei Kinimaka, Kaina Makua, Jason Momoa, Temuera Morrison, Te Kohe Tuhaka, James Udom