Great Movies
The 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards held their 37th ceremony Sunday afternoon in tents on the beach of Santa Monica, and honored numerous films that were overlooked by the Oscars. Maggie Gyllenhaal's debut feature, "The Lost Daughter," was the big winner, receiving accolades for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Janicza Bravo's "Zola" won prizes for Best Actress (Taylour Paige) and Best Editing (Joi McMillon), while Rebecca Hall's debut feature, "Passing," was honored with the awards for Best Supporting Actress (Ruth Negga) and Best Cinematography (Eduard Grau). Simon Rex was named Best Actor for his unforgettable work in Sean Baker's "Red Rocket," while "CODA" star Troy Kotsur cemented his frontrunner status in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Questlove's exhilarating concert film, "Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised," won Best Documentary, while Ryusuke Hamaguchi's masterwork from Japan, "Drive My Car," was named Best International Film. Franz Kranz's shattering film set in the aftermath of a school shooting, "Mass," received the Robert Altman Award, and Emma Seligman's hit indie, "Shiva Baby," earned the John Cassavetes Award (its producer Lizzy Shapiro also won The Producer's Award). The big winner of the television awards was Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi's FX series, "Reservation Dogs," which earned prizes for Best New Scripted Series and Best Ensemble in a New Scripted Series. You can find the full list of winners below, along with the embedded speech of Ruth Negga, who is set to star on Broadway in "Macbeth" opposite Daniel Craig...
BEST FEATURE
"The Lost Daughter"
BEST MALE LEAD
Simon Rex, "Red Rocket"
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Taylour Paige, "Zola"
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Troy Kotsur, "CODA"
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Ruth Negga, "Passing"
BEST DIRECTOR
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Lost Daughter"
BEST SCREENPLAY
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Lost Daughter"
BEST FIRST FEATURE
"7 Days"
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Michael Sarnoski and Vanessa Block, "Pig"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Eduard Grau, "Passing"
BEST EDITING
Joi McMillon, "Zola"
BEST DOCUMENTARY
"Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)"
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
"Drive My Car"
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
"Mass"
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"Shiva Baby"
PRODUCER'S AWARD
Lizzy Shapiro, "Shiva Baby"
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Alex Camilleri, "Luzzu"
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Jessica Beshir, "Faya Dayi"
BEST ENSEMBLE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
"Reservation Dogs"
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
"Reservation Dogs"
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Thuso Mbedu, "The Underground Railroad"
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Lee Jung-jae, "Squid Game"
BEST NEW NONSCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
"Black and Missing"
For more information, including the full round-up of acceptance speeches, visit the official site of Film Independent.
