Independent Spirit Awards 2017
The Independent Spirit Awards are an annual award given in the name of independent film, featuring plenty of those little indies which deserve the honor and recognition that they usually don't receive - celebrating their 32nd year. The 2017 winners of the Spirit Awards were announced Saturday before the Oscars at a ceremony out in Santa Monica. The big winner this year was Moonlight, winning six awards total in almost all of the categories it was nominated in, including Best Director (go Barry Jenkins!), Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography. This seems like a strong message to the Academy about how great this films is, even if it doesn't win any Oscars.
BEST FEATURE
American Honey [IMDb]
Chronic [IMDb]
Jackie [IMDb]
Manchester by the Sea [IMDb]
Moonlight [IMDb]
BEST FIRST FEATURE
The Childhood of a Leader [IMDb]
The Fits [IMDb]
Other People [IMDb]
Swiss Army Man [IMDb]
The Witch [IMDb]
BEST DIRECTOR
Andrea Arnold - American Honey [IMDb]
Barry Jenkins - Moonlight [IMDb]
Pablo Larraín - Jackie [IMDb]
Jeff Nichols - Loving [IMDb]
Kelly Reichardt - Certain Women [IMDb]
BEST MALE LEAD
Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea [IMDb]
David Harewood - Free in Deed [IMDb]
Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic [IMDb]
Jesse Plemons - Other People [IMDb]
Tim Roth - Chronic [IMDb]
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Annette Bening - 20th Century Women [IMDb]
Isabelle Huppert - Elle [IMDb]
Sasha Lane - American Honey [IMDb]
Ruth Negga - Loving [IMDb]
Natalie Portman - Jackie [IMDb]
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Ralph Fiennes - A Bigger Splash [IMDb]
Ben Foster - Hell or High Water [IMDb]
Lucas Hedges - Manchester by the Sea [IMDb]
Shia LaBeouf - American Honey [IMDb]
Craig Robinson - Morris from America [IMDb]
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Edwina Findley - Free in Deed [IMDb]
Paulina García - Little Men [IMDb]
Lily Gladstone - Certain Women [IMDb]
Riley Keough - American Honey [IMDb]
Molly Shannon - Other People [IMDb]
BEST SCREENPLAY
Barry Jenkins - Moonlight [IMDb]
Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea [IMDb]
Mike Mills - 20th Century Women [IMDb]
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias - Little Men [IMDb]
Taylor Sheridan - Hell or High Water [IMDb]
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Robert Eggers - The Witch [IMDb]
Chris Kelly - Other People [IMDb]
Adam Mansbach - Barry [IMDb]
Stella Meghie - Jean of the Joneses [IMDb]
Craig Shilowich - Christine [IMDb]
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ava Berkofsky - Free in Deed [IMDb]
Lol Crawley - The Childhood of a Leader [IMDb]
Zach Kuperstein - The Eyes of My Mother [IMDb]
James Laxton - Moonlight [IMDb]
Robbie Ryan - American Honey [IMDb]
BEST EDITING
Matthew Hannam - Swiss Army Man [IMDb]
Jennifer Lame - Manchester by the Sea [IMDb]
Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders - Moonlight [IMDb]
Jake Roberts - Hell or High Water [IMDb]
Sebastián Sepúlveda - Jackie [IMDb]
BEST DOCUMENTARY
13th [IMDb]
Cameraperson [IMDb]
I Am Not Your Negro [IMDb]
O.J.: Made in America [IMDb]
Sonita [IMDb]
Under the Sun [IMDb]
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Aquarius (Brazil) [IMDb]
Chevalier (Greece) [IMDb]
My Golden Days (France) [IMDb]
Toni Erdmann (Germany / Romania) [IMDb]
Under the Shadow (Iran / U.K.) [IMDb]
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Best feature made for less than $500,000.
Free in Deed [IMDb]
Hunter Gatherer [IMDb]
Lovesong [IMDb]
Nakom [IMDb]
Spa Night [IMDb]
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Moonlight - Barry Jenkins [IMDb]
For Best Ensemble: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Trevante Rhodes, Asthon Sanders.
KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Anna Rose Holmer - Director of The Fits [IMDb]
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Hooligan Sparrow - Nanfu Wang [IMDb]