Two years after his “Moonlight” triumphed on the eve of the Oscars, Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of the James Baldwin novel “If Beale Street Could Talk” on Saturday topped the 34th Film Independent Spirit Awards, winning best film, best director and best supporting female for Regina King.
The Spirit Awards, always a casual, oceanside preamble to Sunday’s Academy Awards, featured a few things the Oscars don’t have: a host (actress Aubrey Plaza) and female filmmaker nominees, including Tamara Jenkins (“Private Life”), Debra Granik (“Leave No Trace”) and Lynne Ramsey (“You Were Never Really Here”).
But as much as the afternoon belonged to women, Jenkins’ lyrical period drama emerged the biggest winner two years after his “Moonlight” won at the Spirits and (despite a touch of trouble with the envelopes) at the Oscars. Given his fellow nominees, even Jenkins was sheepish about it.
“I’m not gonna lie, man,” said Jenkins accepting the directing award. “I didn’t want to win this.”
Jenkins used his speech to instead largely urge more movies to be made with female directors and specifically credited the Scottish filmmaker Ramsey — who encouraged a Jenkins as a film student — for inspiration. “This award has your DNA in it,” Jenkins said.
“Leave No Trace” and “You Were Never Really Here” won other awards, though. “You Were Never Really Here” won for its editing. Granik was honored with the Spirits’ second annual Bonnie Award, a grant for mid-career female directors. The audience gave her a standing ovation.
“I wasn’t expecting such a love bomb,” said a clearly moved Granik.
A day before many expect her to finally win her first Academy Award, best female lead went to Glenn Close for her performance in “The Wife.” Close was accompanied everywhere by her loyal white Havanese dog Pip: on the awards’ “blue carpet,” on stage with her, and backstage speaking to reporters. While Close accepted her award, Pip rolled on his back alongside her.
“I hope you don’t mind Pippy came up here with me,” said Close. “He’s my date.”
This year’s Spirits included fewer Oscar contenders than usual, which meant a chance, as Plaza said, for the Spirits to get back to their roots and honor “the movies that are too good to be seen.”
Their best-picture winner has often predicted Oscar-winners, including “Moonlight,” ‘’Spotlight,” ‘’Birdman” and “12 Years a Slave.” But last year Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” took the Spirits’ top honor before Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” won at the Academy Awards. This year, “Beale Street” is nominated for three Oscars but not best picture.
King, though, is the front-runner for best supporting actress. “If you haven’t seen it, go see it,” said King of “Beale Street” before chuckling. “I’m still promoting.”
The Spirit Awards limit nominees to films with budgets of $20 million and under, eliminating bigger budget contenders like “Black Panther” and “A Star Is Born.” They also focus on American movies, limiting Oscar nominees like “Roma” and “The Favourite” to the best international film category — which Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” won.
Cuaron, whose film is favored to become the first foreign language film to win best picture on Sunday, said he believes cinema is growing more diverse, “and that will make this category irrelevant.”
Plaza led a profane, sarcastic and often very funny ceremony that was broadcast live on IFC. The show featured a show-stopping song-and-dance performance by drag queen Shangela who turned the night’s top nominees, like Paul Schrader’s anguished religious drama “First Reformed,” into a disco medley. “If Beale Street Could Talk, what would she say?” sang Shangela while Jenkins doubled over in laughter.
Plaza also brought in her old “Parks and Recreation” co-star Jim O’Heir for a spoof on Andy King, the infamously dedicated producer featured in the Netflix Fyre Festival documentary, “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.”
Ethan Hawke won best male lead for “First Reformed,” an award collected for the absent actor by his co-star, Amanda Seyfried.
Marielle Heller’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” took awards for both Richard E. Grant’s supporting performance and best screenplay for Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Witty. Holofcener called up Heller to join them on stage.
Best first feature went to Boots Riley’s madcap political satirical “Sorry to Bother You.” In his acceptance speech, Riley, a longtime musician making his directorial debut, spoke out against U.S. involvement in Venezuela. He said film is growing more socially conscious.
“There are real movements out there happening on the streets,” said Riley. “Rightly so, film is responding to that.”
Other awards included best documentary for the Oscar-snubbed Fred Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”; best first screenplay went to the comedian-turned-director Bo Burnham for “Eighth Grade”; Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria” won the Robert
Altman ensemble award and best cinematography; and the micro-budget “En El Septimo Dia” won the Spirits’ John Cassavetes Award, which honors movies made for less than $500,000.
In her opening monologue, Plaza tweaked the Oscars: “The network’s first choice was no one, but they were already booked for tomorrow.”
2019 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer. Executive producers are not awarded.)
If Beale Street Could Talk
Producers: Dede Gardner, Barry Jenkins, Jeremy Kleiner, Sara Murphy, Adele Romanski
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)
Sorry to Bother You
Director: Boots Riley
Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jonathan Duffy, Charles D. King, George Rush, Forest Whitaker, Kelly Williams
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. (Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
En el Séptimo Día
Writer/Director/Producer: Jim McKay
Producers: Alex Bach, Lindsey Cordero, Caroline Kaplan, Michael Stipe
BEST DIRECTOR
Barry Jenkins
If Beale Street Could Talk
BEST SCREENPLAY
Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Bo Burnham
Eighth Grade
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Suspiria
BEST EDITING
Joe Bini
You Were Never Really Here
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Glenn Close
The Wife
BEST MALE LEAD
Ethan Hawke
First Reformed
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Regina King
If Beale Street Could Talk
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Richard E. Grant
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast
Suspiria
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Casting Directors: Avy Kaufman, Stella Savino
Ensemble Cast: Malgosia Bela, Ingrid Caven, Lutz Ebersdorf, Elena Fokina, Mia Goth, Jessica Harper, Dakota Johnson, Gala Moody, Chloë Grace Moretz, Renée Soutendijk, Tilda Swinton, Sylvie Testud, Angela Winkler
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Director/Producer: Morgan Neville
Producers: Caryn Capotosto, Nicholas Ma
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
Roma
Mexico
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
BONNIE AWARD – Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo joined American Airlines in 1973 at age 24, becoming the first female pilot to fly for a major U.S. airline. In her honor, the second Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant.
Debra Granik
PRODUCERS AWARD – The 22nd annual Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Shrihari Sathe
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 25th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Alex Moratto
Director of Sócrates
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 24th annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Bing Liu
Director of Minding the Gap
