The 2015 Spirit Awards were handed out today and it was Birdman taking Best Feature and Best Actor (Michael Keaton) while Boyhood went home a double winner taking Best Director (Richard Linklater) and Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette). However, while that’s the result for the two big guns that will be going head-to-head at tomorrow night’s Oscars, Nightcrawler was also a double winner taking Best Screenplay and Best First Feature, both awarded to writer/director Dan Gilroy.
Otherwise, no big surprises with Julianne Moore (Still Alice) taking Best Actress and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) taking Supporting Actor, Citizenfour took Best Documentary and Birdman scored a third win for Emmanuel Lubezki for Best Cinematography.
Justin Simien (Dear White People) took home Best First Screenplay and, whoa!, Look!, Whiplash was also a double winner, with Tom Cross winning for Best Editing (well deserved!) and anticipated Oscar winner in the same category, Ida won Best Foreign Language Film.
Now, I have to wonder, how does this make everyone feel about their here) and quite honestly, this reassures me with my Birdman prediction for Best Picture, but that win for Linklater makes me wonder if I over-thought the Best Director category.
I’ve included the winners and nominees below with winners higlighted in bold, red text and I’ve added the Spirit win to the Oscar Overture, which is now complete. Join us tomorrow for the 2015 Oscars and our live blog and we’ll see how this awards season shakes out.
BEST FEATURE
Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
- Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
- Boyhood
- Love is Strange
- Selma
- Whiplash
BEST DIRECTOR
- Damien Chazelle (Whiplash)
- Ava DuVernay (Selma)
- Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))
- Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
- David Zellner (Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter)
BEST SCREENPLAY
- Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (Big Eyes)
- J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year)
- Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)
- Jim Jarmusch (Only Lovers Left Alive)
- Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias (Love is Strange)
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Award given to the director and producer
- A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Producers: Justin Begnaud, Sina Sayyah - Dear White People
Director/Producer: Justin Simien
Producers: Effie T. Brown, Ann Le, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe - Nightcrawler
Director: Dan Gilroy
Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak - Obvious Child
Director: Gillian Robespierre
Producer: Elisabeth Holm - She’s Lost Control
Director/Producer: Anja Marquardt
Producers: Mollye Asher, Kiara C. Jones
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- Desiree Akhavan (Appropriate Behavior)
- Sara Colangelo (Little Accidents)
- Justin Lader (The One I Love)
- Anja Marquardt (She’s Lost Control)
- Justin Simien (Dear White People)
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
- Blue Ruin
Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Producers: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani - It Felt Like Love
Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman
Producers: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner - Land Ho!
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens
Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy - Man From Reno
Writer/Director: Dave Boyle
Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman
Producer: Ko Mori - Test
Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson
Producer: Chris Martin
BEST FEMALE LEAD
- Marion Cotillard (The Immigrant)
- Rinko Kikuchi (Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter)
- Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
- Jenny Slate (Obvious Child)
- Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive)
BEST MALE LEAD
- André Benjamin (Jimi: All Is By My Side)
- Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
- Michael Keaton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))
- John Lithgow (Love is Strange)
- David Oyelowo (Selma)
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
- Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
- Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)
- Carmen Ejogo (Selma)
- Andrea Suarez Paz (Stand Clear of the Closing Doors)
- Emma Stone (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
- Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler)
- Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
- Alfred Molina (Love is Strange)
- Edward Norton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))
- J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Darius Khondji (The Immigrant)
- Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))
- Sean Porter (It Felt Like Love)
- Lyle Vincent (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night)
- Bradford Young (Selma)
BEST EDITING
- Sandra Adair (Boyhood)
- Tom Cross (Whiplash)
- John Gilroy (Nightcrawler)
- Ron Patane (A Most Violent Year)
- Adam Wingard (The Guest)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Award given to the director and producer
- 20,000 Days on Earth
- CITIZENFOUR
- Stray Dog
- The Salt of the Earth
- Virunga
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Award given to the director
- Force Majeure (Sweden)
- Ida (Poland)
- Leviathan (Russia)
- Mommy (Canada)
- Norte, the End of History (Philippines)
- Under the Skin (United Kingdom)
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast
Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon
SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Foxcatcher
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik
Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum
18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
The 18th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
- Chad Burris
- Elisabeth Holm
- Chris Ohlson
21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
The 21st annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.
- A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour - H.
Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia - The Retrieval
Director: Chris Eska
20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
The 20th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.
- Approaching the Elephant
Director: Amanda Rose Wilder - Evolution of a Criminal
Director: Darius Clark Monroe - The Kill Team
Director: Dan Krauss - The Last Season
Director: Sara Dosa
