Clint Bentley's lyrical Denis Johnson adaptation "Train Dreams" won the top film award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles, while "Adolescence” dominated the television categories. Both were released on Netflix.
Bentley also won best director for the film starring Joel Edgerton, whom he thanked profusely for "being the heartbeat of our film.”
"We're so grateful to Netflix,” Bentley said. "It's very, very hard these days to film in the United States, but it's worth it and we're proud to be able to pull it off."
Edgerton missed out on the top acting prize, however, which went to Rose Byrne for "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” The organization switched to gender-neutral acting categories in 2022.
Byrne was one of the few actors nominated for both a Spirit Award and an Oscar, for her performance as a mother on the edge.
"I share this with Mary Bronstein, my writer-director who fought for eight years to get this movie made,” Byrne said.
She added that this was a film that could have only been made independently. Her character, she said, is "fierce and ferocious and a middle-aged woman.”
"Adolescence” won new scripted series, best actor for Stephen Graham, best supporting actor for Erin Doherty, and the breakthrough prize for Owen Cooper.
The show, which serves as a fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, was held at the Hollywood Palladium for the first time since 1994, as its longtime beachside perch in Santa Monica undergoes renovations. Comedian and "Saturday Night Live” veteran Ego Nwodim hosted the celebration of independent film and television, which was livestreamed on YouTube.
"In the spirit of independent filmmaking, we don’t have a permit,” Nwodim said in her opening. "If I shout ‘cameras down,’ you know what to do.”
"The Secret Agent” won the international feature prize. The film is also nominated for best picture and best international film at the Oscars.
"I really believe that programming films in the cinemas is more and more a political act,” said director Kleber Mendonça Filho.
He dedicated the award to the late actor Udo Kier, who was part of the ensemble of "The Secret Agent.”
"The Perfect Neighbor,” about a deadly shooting incident in Florida constructed primarily from police bodycam footage, won best documentary. Filmmaker and producer Geeta Gandbhir thanked Netflix for "giving us a global platform.” It’s also up for the best documentary Oscar.
Eva Victor won the screenplay prize for "Sorry, Baby." Naomi Ackie also won the supporting award for Victor's film, over fellow nominees like Zoey Deutch ("Nouvelle Vague”), Kirsten Dunst ("Roofman”), Nina Hoss ("Hedda”) and Archie Madekwe ("Lurker”).
The awards sometimes overlap significantly with major Oscar contenders and winners, as it did with "Anora” and "Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and sometimes not. Organizers limit eligibility to productions with budgets less than $30 million, meaning more expensive films like "One Battle After Another” are not in the running.
