Aubrey Plaza, award shows, Film Independent, Film Independent Spirit Awards, If Beale Street Could Talk, IFC, movies, Spirit Awards, TV
February 23, 2019
With three awards, including Best Feature, “If Beale Street Could Talk” was the biggest winner at the 34th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, which took place in Santa Monica, California, on February 23, 2019. IFC had a live telecast of the show, which was hosted by Aubrey Plaza. The Spirit Awards honor independently financed films that were released in U.S. cinemas the previous year.
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” based on James Baldwin’s novel of a young African-American couple who are separated after the man is falsely imprisoned for rape, also won the prizes for Best Director (for Barry Jenkins) and Best Supporting Female (Regina King).
Glenn Close won Best Female Lead for “The Wife,” while Ethan Hawke was named Best Male Lead for “First Reformed.”
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” based on Lee Israel’s memoir of her experiences as literary forger, won two awards: Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Male (Richard E. Grant). Luca Guadagnino’s remake of the horror movie “Suspiria” received the awards for Best Cinematography (for Sayombhu Mukdeeprom) and the Robert Altman Award, a non-competitive prize whose recipients are announced on the same day as the nominations.
Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for the 2019 Spirit Awards:
*=winner
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer)
Eighth Grade
PRODUCERS: Eli Bush, Scott Rudin, Christopher Storer, Lila Yacoub
First Reformed
PRODUCERS: Jack Binder, Greg Clark, Gary Hamilton, Victoria Hill, David Hinojosa, Frank Murray, Deepak Sikka, Christine Vachon
If Beale Street Could Talk*
PRODUCERS: Dede Gardner, Barry Jenkins, Jeremy Kleiner, Sara Murphy, Adele Romanski
Leave No Trace
PRODUCERS: Anne Harrison, Linda Reisman, Anne Rosellini
You Were Never Really Here
PRODUCERS: Rosa Attab, Pascal Caucheteux, Rebecca O’Brien, Lynne Ramsay, James Wilson
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer and director)
Hereditary
DIRECTOR: Ari Aster
PRODUCERS: Kevin Frakes, Lars Knudsen, Buddy Patrick
Sorry to Bother You*
DIRECTOR: Boots Riley
PRODUCERS: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jonathan Duffy, Charles D. King, George Rush, Forest Whitaker, Kelly Williams
The Tale
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Jennifer Fox
PRODUCERS: Sol Bondy, Lawrence Inglee, Mynette Louie, Oren Moverman, Simone Pero, Reka Posta, Laura Rister, Regina K. Scully, Lynda Weinman
We the Animals
DIRECTOR: Jeremiah Zagar
PRODUCERS: Andrew Goldman, Christina D. King, Paul Mezey, Jeremy Yaches
Wildlife
DIRECTOR: Paul Dano
PRODUCERS: Andrew Duncan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riva Marker, Oren Moverman, Ann Ruark, Alex Saks
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk*
Debra Granik, Leave No Trace
Tamara Jenkins, Private Life
Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here
BEST SCREENPLAY
Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty, Can You Ever Forgive Me?*
Richard Glatzer (writer, story by), Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Wash Westmoreland, Colette
Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Tamara Jenkins, Private Life
Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Quinn Shephard (writer, story by), Laurie Shephard (story by), Blame
Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade*
Christina Choe, Nancy
Jennifer Fox, The Tale
Cory Finley, Thoroughbreds
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
(Award given to the best feature made for under $500,000; given to the writer, director and producer)
A Bread Factory
WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Patrick Wang
PRODUCERS: Daryl Freimark, Matt Miller
En el Séptimo Dia*
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jim McKay
PRODUCERS: Alex Bach, Lindsey Cordero, Caroline Kaplan, Michael Stipe
Never Goin’ Back
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Augustine Frizzell
PRODUCERS: Liz Cardenas, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston
Socrates
WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Alex Moratto
WRITER: Thayná Mantesso
PRODUCERS: Ramin Bahrani, Jefferson Paulino, Tammy Weiss
Thunder Road
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jim Cummings
PRODUCERS: Natalie Metzger, Zack Parker, Benjamin Weissner
BEST MALE LEAD
Daveed Diggs, Blindspotting
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed*
John Cho, Searching
Christian Malheiros, Sócrates
Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Toni Collette, Hereditary
Helena Howard, Madeline’s Madeline
Regina Hall, Support the Girls
Glenn Close, The Wife*
Carey Mulligan, Wildlife
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Adam Driver, BLACKkKLANSMAN
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?*
Josh Hamilton, Eighth Grade
John David Washington, Monsters and Men
Raúl Castillo, We the Animals
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Tyne Daly, A Bread Factory
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk*
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Leave No Trace
J. Smith-Cameron, Nancy
Kayli Carter, Private Life
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ashley Connor, Madeline’s Madeline
Benjamin Loeb, Mandy
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Suspiria*
Zak Mulligan, We the Animals
Diego Garcia, Wildlife
BEST EDITING
Luke Dunkley, Nick Fenton, Chris Gill, Julian Hart, American Animals
Nick Houy, Mid90s
Anne Fabini, Alex Hall, Gary Levy, The Tale
Keiko Deguchi, Brian A. Kates, Jeremiah Zagar, We the Animals
Joe Bini, You Were Never Really Here*
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Burning (South Korea)
DIRECTOR: Lee Chang-Dong
Happy as Lazzaro (Italy)
DIRECTOR: Alice Rohrwacher
Roma (Mexico)*
DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón
Shoplifters (Japan)
DIRECTOR: Kore-eda Hirokazu
The Favourite (United Kingdom)
DIRECTOR: Yorgos Lanthimos
BEST DOCUMENTARY
(Award given to the director and producer)
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: RaMell Ross
PRODUCERS: Joslyn Barnes, Su Kim
Minding the Gap
DIRECTOR: Bing Liu
PRODUCER: Diane Quon
Of Fathers and Sons
DIRECTOR: Talal Derki
PRODUCERS: Hans Robert Eisenhauer, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme, Tobias N. Siebert
On Her Shoulders
DIRECTOR: Alexandria Bombach
PRODUCERS: Hayley Pappas, Brock Williams
Shirkers
DIRECTOR: Sandi Tan
PRODUCERS: Jessica Levin, Maya Rudolph
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?*
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Morgan Neville
PRODUCERS: Caryn Capotosto, Nicholas Ma
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(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
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
(The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 24th year, 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.)
Minding the Gap*
DIRECTOR: Bing Liu
Of Fathers and Sons
DIRECTOR: Talal Derki
PRODUCERS: Hans Robert Eisenhauer, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme, Tobias N. Siebert
On Her Shoulders
DIRECTOR: Alexandria Bombach
PRODUCERS: Hayley Pappas, Brock Williams
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
(The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 24th year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.)
Lemonade
DIRECTOR: Ioana Uricaru
Sócrates*
DIRECTOR: Alex Moratto
We the Animals
DIRECTOR: Jeremiah Zagar
PRODUCERS AWARD
(The Producers Award, now in its 22nd year, 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*
BONNIE AWARD SPONSORED BY AMERICAN AIRLINES
(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 inaugural 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