Independent Spirit Awards

Film awards dedicated to independent filmmakers

Independent Spirit Awards

Current: 39th Independent Spirit Awards
Awarded for| Excellence in the independent film industry
Country| United States
Presented by| Film Independent[1]
First awarded| March 3, 1984; 38 years ago
Website| www.filmindependent.org/spirit-awards/

The Film Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards) are awards presented annually to independent filmmakers.[2][3] Founded in 1984,[4][5] the event was renamed the Independent Spirit Awards in 1986. The ceremony is produced by Film Independent, a not-for-profit arts organization that used to produce the LA Film Festival. Film Independent members vote to determine the winners of the Spirit Awards.[6]

The awards show is held inside a tent at a parking lot of the beach in Santa Monica, California, usually on the day before the Academy Awards (since 1999; originally the Saturday before).[7] The show was previously broadcast live on the IFC network in the US from 1997 until 2023, when it was moved to YouTube,[8] as well as Hollywood Suite in Canada and A&E Latin America.[9] Winners were previously presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the bare budgets of independent films.[10] Since 2006, winners receive a metal trophy depicting a bird with its wings spread sitting atop of a pole with the shoestrings from the previous design wrapped around the pole.

In 2020, new categories were announced for the 36th Independent Spirit Awards, which would honor the best in television productions and performances. These categories included Best New Scripted Series, Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series, Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance, and Best Ensemble Cast.[11] In 2022, it was announced that gender neutral acting categories would be implemented and that the previous gendered film categories — Male Lead, Female Lead, Male Supporting and Female Supporting — would be retired in favor of a Best Lead Performance and a Best Supporting Performance categories, which would feature 10 nominees each. Other new categories added included Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Lead and Supporting Performance in the TV section.[12]

## Categories[edit]

Current categories

* Best Feature Film
* Best Director
* Best First Feature
* Best Lead Performance
* Best Supporting Performance
* Best Breakthrough Performance
* Best Screenplay
* Best First Screenplay
* Best International Feature Film
* Best Documentary Feature Film
* Best Cinematography
* Best Editing
* Best New Scripted Series
* Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
* Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
* John Cassavetes Award
* Piaget Producers Award
* Robert Altman Award
* Someone to Watch Award
* Truer than Fiction Award

Retired categories

* Best Female Lead
* Best Male Lead
* Best Supporting Female
* Best Supporting Male
* Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Bonnie Award

## History[edit]

The Independent Features Project/West was founded by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas.[13][14]

In 1984 the FINDIE Awards (Friends of Independents) were conceived by Independent Features Project/West board member Jeanne Lucas[15] and Independent Features Project/West President Anne Kimmel[16] and director/writer Sam O'Brien was an event producer.[15] The awards are voted on by a nominating committee.

In 1985, Peter Coyote and Jamie Lee Curtis presented winners with a Plexiglas pyramid designed by Carol Bosselman, which contain a suspended shoestring, printed with sprocket holes, representing the shoestring budgets of independent films. The Reel Gold Award, also designed by Bosselman, was given to Steve Wachtel for allowing Independent Features Project/West continuing free use of his screening room. It was associated with Filmex.[5] In 1986, Bosselman designed and sculpted the Independent Spirit Award statue that is still given out today, using a lost wax bronze casting method.

Independent Features Project/West eventually became Film Independent.[17]

Dawn Hudson was director of Independent Features Project/West in 1995.[18]

Barbara Boyle was Independent Features Project/West president from 1994 to 1999.[19]

Independent Features Project eventually became Independent Filmmaker Project.

## Ceremonies[edit]

#  | Date  | Year Honored  | Best Film  | Best First Feature  | Host(s)

|
|
|
|
|

1st | March 22, 1986  | 1985 | After Hours | —  | Peter Coyote
2nd | March 28, 1987  | 1986 | Platoon | She's Gotta Have It | Buck Henry
3rd | February 11, 1988  | 1987 | River's Edge | Dirty Dancing
4th | March 25, 1989  | 1988 | Stand and Deliver | Mystic Pizza
5th | March 24, 1990  | 1989 | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Heathers
6th | March 23, 1991  | 1990 | The Grifters | Metropolitan
7th | March 28, 1992  | 1991 | Rambling Rose | Straight Out of Brooklyn
8th | March 27, 1993  | 1992 | The Player | The Waterdance
9th | March 19, 1994  | 1993 | Short Cuts | El Mariachi | Robert Townsend
10th | March 25, 1995  | 1994 | Pulp Fiction | Spanking the Monkey | Kevin Pollak
11th | March 23, 1996  | 1995 | Leaving Las Vegas | The Brothers McMullen | Samuel L. Jackson
12th | March 22, 1997  | 1996 | Fargo | Sling Blade
13th | March 21, 1998  | 1997 | The Apostle | Eve's Bayou | John Turturro
14th | March 20, 1999  | 1998 | Gods and Monsters | The Opposite of Sex | Queen Latifah
15th | March 25, 2000  | 1999 | Election | Being John Malkovich (Over $500,000)
The Blair Witch Project (Under $500,000)  | Jennifer Tilly
16th | March 24, 2001  | 2000 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | You Can Count on Me
Chuck & Buck (Under $500,000)  | John Waters
17th | March 23, 2002  | 2001 | Memento | In the Bedroom
18th | March 22, 2003  | 2002 | Far from Heaven | The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
19th | February 28, 2004  | 2003 | Lost in Translation | Monster
20th | February 26, 2005  | 2004 | Sideways | Garden State | Samuel L. Jackson
21st | March 4, 2006  | 2005 | Brokeback Mountain | Crash | Sarah Silverman
22nd | February 24, 2007  | 2006 | Little Miss Sunshine | Sweet Land
23rd | February 23, 2008  | 2007 | Juno | The Lookout | Rainn Wilson
24th | February 21, 2009  | 2008 | The Wrestler | Synecdoche, New York | Steve Coogan
25th | March 5, 2010  | 2009 | Precious | Crazy Heart | Eddie Izzard
26th | February 26, 2011  | 2010 | Black Swan | Get Low | Joel McHale
27th | February 25, 2012  | 2011 | The Artist | Margin Call | Seth Rogen
28th | February 23, 2013  | 2012 | Silver Linings Playbook | The Perks of Being a Wallflower | Andy Samberg
29th | March 1, 2014  | 2013 | 12 Years a Slave | Fruitvale Station | Patton Oswalt
30th | February 21, 2015  | 2014 | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) | Nightcrawler | Fred Armisen, Kristen Bell
31st | February 27, 2016  | 2015 | Spotlight | The Diary of a Teenage Girl | Kate McKinnon, Kumail Nanjiani
32nd | February 25, 2017  | 2016 | Moonlight | The Witch | Nick Kroll, John Mulaney
33rd | March 3, 2018  | 2017 | Get Out | Ingrid Goes West
34th | February 23, 2019  | 2018 | If Beale Street Could Talk | Sorry to Bother You | Aubrey Plaza
35th | February 8, 2020  | 2019 | The Farewell | Booksmart
36th | April 22, 2021  | 2020 | Nomadland | Sound of Metal | Melissa Villaseñor
37th | March 6, 2022  | 2021 | The Lost Daughter | 7 Days | Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman
38th | March 4, 2023  | 2022 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Aftersun | Hasan Minhaj
39th | (scheduled)
February 25, 2024  | 2023 | (TBA) | (TBA) | (scheduled)
Aidy Bryant

## See also[edit]

* American Cinematheque
* Sundance Film Festival
* Indiewood

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Film Independent". filmindependent.org. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
2. ^ Picker, David V. (2004), "The Film Company as Financier-Distributor", in Jason E. Squire (ed.), The movie business book, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-0-7432-1937-2, OCLC 53953524, retrieved September 29, 2011
3. ^ English, James F. (2008), "The Age of Awards", The Economy of Prestige: Prizes, Awards, and the Circulation of Cultural Value, United States of America: Harvard University Press, p. 86, ISBN 978-0-674-03043-5, OCLC 221175319, retrieved September 29, 2011
provides alternative start date as 1986, not 1984
4. ^ "History - Film Independent". Filmindependent.org. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
5. ^ a b Collins, Keith (February 25, 2005). "Independence days". variety.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
6. ^ Sickels, Robert (2009), "Coveted Awards", The Business of Entertainment: Movies, United States of America: Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 141, ISBN 978-0-275-99840-0, OCLC 644042790, retrieved September 28, 2011
7. ^ Steele, Bruce C. (February 28, 2006), "It's Ang Lee vs. Gregg Araki!", The Advocate, Here Media, p. 49, retrieved September 28, 2011
8. ^ Film Independent Spirit Awards, IFC, archived from the original on May 22, 2011, retrieved September 28, 2011. Citation supporting televised on IFC in 2011.
9. ^ "A&E Latinoamérica". mx.canalaetv.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
10. ^ 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' lands 8 Independent Spirit Award nominations - Yahoo News
11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 29, 2020). "Film Independent Spirit Awards Adds TV Categories For Upcoming 2021 Program". Deadline. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
12. ^ Chapman, Wilson (August 23, 2022). "Spirit Awards to Implement Gender Neutral Acting Categories". Variety. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
13. ^ "Familiar names top Indie awards - Roger Ebert's Journal". Rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
14. ^ Page, Anna Thomas Tribute (August 10, 2009). "A Tribute to Anna Thomas: Biography for Anna Thomas". annathomastribute.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
15. ^ a b FOX, DAVID J. (March 27, 1992). "The Little Award Show That Could : Film: Since it started in the '80s, the Independent Spirit Awards, sort of an offbeat Oscar, has gained big-name supporters. Saturday's ceremony is sold out". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
16. ^ FOX, DAVID J. (March 30, 1992). "'Rose' and 'Idaho' Get the Spirit : Movies: Each takes three trophies in the offbeat independent counterpoint to tonight's Academy Awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
17. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
18. ^ "The Oscars Upstaged (Almost)". The New York Times. March 19, 1995. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
19. ^ "Producer Barbara Boyle to Head UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media". Businesswire.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.

* v
* t
* e

Independent Spirit Awards

Current categories|

* Best Film
* Best Director
* Best Lead Performance
* Best Supporting Performance
* Best Breakthrough Performance
* Best Cinematography
* Best Editing
* Best Documentary Feature
* Best First Feature
* Best International Film
* Best Screenplay
* Best First Screenplay
* Best New Scripted Series
* John Cassavetes Award
* Robert Altman Award

Retired categories|

* Best Male Lead
* Best Female Lead
* Best Supporting Male
* Best Supporting Female
* Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series

Ceremonies|

* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

* (years are of film release; ceremonies are the following year)

* v
* t
* e

Film awards

Industry|

* Academy Awards
* Australian Film Institute
* British Academy Film Awards
* César Awards – France
* Directors Guild of America Award
* European Film Awards
* Genie Awards – Canada
* Golden Globe Awards
* Goya Awards – Spain
* Independent Spirit Awards
* Magritte Awards – Belgium
* Producers Guild of America Award
* Satellite Awards
* Saturn Awards
* Screen Actors Guild Awards
* Writers Guild of America Awards

Critics associations|

* Boston
* Critics' Choice
* Chicago
* Dallas–Fort Worth
* Florida
* Los Angeles
* National Board of Review
* National Society
* New York
* Online
* San Diego
* San Francisco
* Toronto
* Vancouver
* Washington D.C.

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