Barry Jenkins’ critically acclaimed drama If Beale Street Could Talk was the big winner at the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The drama, which didn’t earn Oscar nominations in either the Best Film or Best Director categories, picked up the Best Feature, Best Director and Best Supporting Female (Regina King) awards. Following close behind was Can You Ever Forgive Me? with two wins: Best Supporting Male (Richard E. Grant) and Best Screenplay (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty).
We the Animals went into the Spirit Awards with the most nominations, however it was shut out in all five of the categories in which it was nominated. Roma, the favorite to win the Best Picture Oscar, wasn’t nominated for a Best Film Spirit Award but it did win in the Best International Film category.
The annual awards honor the best in independent films with a much less formal ceremony than the glitzy Oscars. The Spirit Awards are held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica the day prior to the Academy Awards. This year’s ceremony was hosted by Legion‘s Aubrey Plaza.
2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominees and Winners
- BEST FEATURE
Eighth Grade
First Reformed
WINNER: If Beale Street Could Talk
Leave No Trace
You Were Never Really Here - BEST FIRST FEATURE
Hereditary – Director: Ari Aster
WINNER: Sorry to Bother You – Director: Boots Riley
The Tale – Director/Producer: Jennifer Fox
We the Animals – Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Wildlife – Director/Producer: Paul Dano - JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000.
A Bread Factory
WINNER: En el Séptimo Día
Never Goin’ Back
Sócrates
Thunder Road - BEST DIRECTOR
Debra Granik – Leave No Trace
WINNER: Barry Jenkins – If Beale Street Could Talk
Tamara Jenkins – Private Life
Lynne Ramsay – You Were Never Really Here
Paul Schrader – First Reformed - BEST SCREENPLAY
Colette – Richard Glatzer, Rebecca Lenkiewicz & Wash Westmoreland
WINNER: Can You Ever Forgive Me? – Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
Private Life – Tamara Jenkins
Sorry to Bother You – Boots Riley
First Reformed – Paul Schrader - BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
WINNER: Eighth Grade – Bo Burnham
Nancy – Christina Choe
Thoroughbreds – Cory Finley
The Tale – Jennifer Fox
Blame – Quinn Shephard (Writer/Story By), Laurie Shephard (Story By) - BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Madeline’s Madeline – Ashley Connor
Wildlife – Diego Garcia
Mandy – Benjamin Loeb
WINNER: Suspiria – Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
We the Animals – Zak Mulligan - BEST EDITING
WINNER: You Were Never Really Here – Joe Bini
We the Animals – Keiko Deguchi, Brian A. Kates, Jeremiah Zagar
American Animals – Luke Dunkley, Nick Fenton, Chris Gill, Julian Hart
The Tale – Anne Fabini, Alex Hall, Gary Levy
Mid90s – Nick Houy - BEST FEMALE LEAD
WINNER: Glenn Close – The Wife
Toni Collette – Hereditary
Elsie Fisher – Eighth Grade
Regina Hall – Support the Girls
Helena Howard – Madeline’s Madeline
Carey Mulligan – Wildlife - BEST MALE LEAD
John Cho – Searching
Daveed Diggs – Blindspotting
WINNER: Ethan Hawke – First Reformed
Christian Malheiros – Sócrates
Joaquin Phoenix – You Were Never Really Here - BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Kayli Carter – Private Life
Tyne Daly – A Bread Factory
WINNER: Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie – Leave No Trace
J. Smith-Cameron – Nancy - BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Raúl Castillo – We the Animals
Adam Driver – BLACKkKLANSMAN
WINNER: Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Josh Hamilton – Eighth Grade
John David Washington – Monsters and Men - 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
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
On Her Shoulders
Shirkers
WINNER: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? - BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Burning
The Favourite
Happy as Lazzaro
WINNER: Roma
Shoplifters - 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, sponsored by American Airlines.
– Debra Granik
– Tamara Jenkins
– Karyn Kusama - 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.
– Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams
– Gabrielle Nadig
– 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
– Ioana Uricaru – Director of Lemonade
– Jeremiah Zagar – Director of We the Animals - 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.
– Alexandria Bombach – Director of On Her Shoulders
– Bing Liu – Director of Minding the Gap
– RaMell Ross – Director of Hale County This Morning, This Evening
