As the Independent Spirit Awards become increasingly aligned with the Academy Awards, we may need to start considering these as a serious precursor. Earlier today the 2015 Spirit Awards were presented at a ceremony in Santa Monica and there were definitely many familiar names being called. This year, I was able to vote on the winners as a member of Film Independent and I was happy to see most of picks (indicated below with asterisk) claiming prizes. The big winners of course, were Birdman and Boyhood, winning Best Film and Best Director respectively. Could this split be repeated tomorrow? We'll find out very soon but before then, here's a look at this year's best in independent cinema:
Best Feature
Birdman*
Best Director
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Male Lead
Michael Keaton, Birdman*
Best Female Lead
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Supporting Male
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Female
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood*
Best Screenplay
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler*
Best Documentary
Citizenfour
Best International Film
Ida
Best First Feature
Nightcrawler
Best First Screenplay
Justin Simien, Dear White People*
Best Editing
Tom Cross, Whiplash*
Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman*
John Cassavetes Award
Land Ho!*
