The 33rd Independent Spirit Awards might be the only thing able to give the Oscars a run for their money.
Founded in 1984, the show is meant to give independent filmmakers a chance to be celebrated. Instead of a golden mannequin, the winners get a bird-shaped trophy. Representing films from 2017, Nick Kroll and John Mulaney hosted as the masters of the ceremony for the second time this year.
This year had four special awards: the John Cassavetes Award, the Robert Altman Award (Best Ensemble), the Jeep Someone to Watch Award, the Piaget Producers Award, and the Truer than Fiction Award
Who were the 2018 winners?
Best Feature
- Call Me by Your Name
- The Florida Project
- Get Out (WINNER)
- Lady Bird
- The Rider
Best First Feature
Note: (Award is given to the director and producer)
- Columbus
- Ingrid Goes West (WINNER)
- Menashe
- Oh, Lucy!
- Patti Cake$
John Cassavetes Award
Note: Given to the best feature made for under $500,000, with award given to the writer, director and producer, excluding the executive producers
- Dayveon
- A Ghost Story
- Life and Nothing More (WINNER)
- Most Beautiful Island
- The Transfiguration
Best Director
- Sean Baker, The Florida Project
- Jonas Carpignano, A Ciambra
- Luca Guadagnino, Call Me by Your Name
- Jordan Peele, Get Out (WINNER)
- Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Good Time
- Chloé Zhao, The Rider
Best Screenplay
- Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird (WINNER)
- Azazel Jacobs, The Lovers
- Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Jordan Peele, Get Out
- Mike White, Beatriz at Dinner
Best First Screenplay
- Kris Avedisian (with story Kyle Espeleta, Jesse Wakeman), Donald Cried
- Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani, The Big Sick (WINNER)
- Ingrid Jungermann, Women Who Kill
- Kogonada, Columbus
- David Branson Smith, Matt Spicer, Ingrid Goes West
Best Cinematography
- Thimios Bakatakis, The Killing of a Sacred Deer
- Elisha Christian, Columbus
- Hélène Louvart, Beach Rats
- Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Call Me by Your Name (WINNER)
- Joshua James Richards, The Rider
Best Editing
- Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Good Time
- Walter Fasano, Call Me by Your Name
- Alex O’Flinn, The Rider
- Gregory Plotkin, Get Out
- Tatiana S. Riegel, I, Tonya (WINNER)
Best Female Lead
- Salma Hayek, Beatriz at Dinner
- Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (WINNER)
- Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
- Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
- Shinobu Terajima, Oh Lucy!
- Regina Williams, Life and Nothing More
Best Male Lead
- Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name (WINNER)
- Harris Dickinson, Beach Rats
- James Franco, The Disaster Artist
- Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
- Robert Pattinson, Good Time
Best Supporting Female
- Holly Hunter, The Big Sick
- Allison Janney, I, Tonya (WINNER)
- Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
- Lois Smith, Marjorie Prime
- Taliah Lennice Webster, Good Time
Best Supporting Male
- Nnamdi Asomugha, Crown Heights
- Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name
- Barry Keoghan, The Killing of a Sacred Deer
- Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (WINNER)
- Benny Safdie, Good Time
Robert Altman Award
Note: Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast
- Mudbound
Director: Dee Rees
Casting Directors: Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram
Ensemble Cast: Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan, Carey Mulligan
Best Documentary
Note: Award is given to the director and producer
- ‘The Departure,” Lana Wilson
- “Faces Places,” directed by Agnés Varda, JR, produced by Rosalie Varda (WINNER)
- “Last Men in Aleppo,” directed by Feras Fayyad, produced by Kareem Abeed, Søeren Steen Jespersen, Stefan Kloos
- “Motherland,” directed by Ramona S. Diaz, produced by Rey Cuerdo
- “Quest,” directed by Jonathan Olshefski, produced by Sabrina Schmidt Gordon
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
- BPM (Beats Per Minute), Robin Campillo, France
- A Fantastic Woman, Sebastián Lelio, Chile (WINNER)
- I Am Not a Witch, Rungano Nyoni, Zambia
- Lady Macbeth, William Oldroyd, U.K.
- Loveless, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia
Bonnie Award
Note: The inaugural Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.
- So Yong Kim
- Lynn Shelton
- Chloé Zhao (WINNER)
Jeep Truer Than Fiction Award
Note: The 23rd annual Truer Than Fiction Award, funded by the Jeep brand, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
- Shevaun Mizrahi, Director of Distant Constellation
- Jonathan Olshefski, Director of Quest (WINNER)
- Jeff Unay, Director of The Cage Fighter
Kiehl’s Someone To Watch Award
Note: The 24th annual Someone to Watch Award, funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
- Amman Abbasi, Director of Dayveon
- Justin Chon, Director of Gook (WINNER)
- Kevin Phillips, Director of Super Dark Times
Piaget Producers Award
Note: The 21st annual Producers Award, funded by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films.
- Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim
- Ben LeClair
- Summer Shelton (WINNER)