By: debbie lynn elias
Although most of the hubbub over the past month and week have been about the Academy Awards, the real awards gem is the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Traditionally taking place the day before the Academy Awards, the Spirit Awards is the true litmus test reflective of today’s film industry. Long gone is the “studio system” and although there are studios like Disney, Pixar, Warner Brothers and even Universal, still producing and making movies, the bulk of the films we see (and don’t see) are independent films. And now for 27 years, Film Independent, the granddaddy and champion of the indie, has been honoring that independent spirit with the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
As a member of Film Independent, my affection, admiration and respect, for not only the organization and its independent filmmaking efforts but the Spirit Awards, runs deep and is only one of the reasons that I devote so much time and energy throughout the year to independent film and independent filmmakers. These filmmakers and their films are the future of the film industry. This has never been more evident that this year.
While the crossover of nominees with the Academy Awards speaks volumes as to the state of the industry today and the relevance of independent film, it is the unique jewels that I find this year amongst the Spirit Award nominees that shine the brightest and make this year’s Spirit Awards a real race. I can honestly say that this the most difficult year for me when voting for the Spirit Awards given the excellence of the nominees and performances.
But before we hit the beach in Santa Monica on February 25th, let’s take a look at some of our Spirit Award nominees and my predictions as to who should win a Film Independent Spirit Award in 2012.
Starting with BEST FEATURE, its important to remember that Best Feature mandates levels of being “the best” in every aspect of filmmaking – from sound to music to cinematography to acting, costuming make-up, storytelling, editing and the overall emotional impact and resonance of the film. And while any one of the five nominees could easily claim the prize of BEST FEATURE, there is one film that “wags” head and shoulders above the crowd. From the six diverse nominees of 50/50, Beginners, Drive, Take Shelter, The Artist and The Descendants, BEST FEATURE should go to THE ARTIST. Of course, Film Independent voters could be swayed to pass on The Artist due to its countless Academy Award nominations in which case I can easily see Drive or The Descendants take the honors.
Typically going hand in hand with BEST FEATURE is the BEST DIRECTOR. Mirroring those films nominated for BEST FEATURE, but for 50/50, the nominees for BEST DIRECTOR are: Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist, Mike Mills – Beginners, Jeff Nichols – Take Shelter, Alexander Payne – The Descendants and Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive. An extremely difficult category given some of the inherent challenges unique to each individual film, it’s a close call between Michel Hazanavicius and Nicolas Winding Refn, but at the end of the day, BEST DIRECTOR should go to Michel Hazanavicius. However, I won’t be surprised if voters run with indie fave, Alexander Payne.
There’s interesting diversification in the BEST SCREENPLAY category with nominations for Joseph Cedar’s incredible Footnote, Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist, Tom McCarthy and Win Win, Mike Mills’ Beginners and lastly, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash for The Descendants. While all are strongly written, The Descendants is essentially a telemovie but for the casting of George Clooney which pushed it onto the big screen. Beginners is an outstanding personal expression as is Footnote, the latter also being a Foreign Language Film at that. But, in the end, I look to the overall screenplay and each of its elements which comprise the film and story, leading me to THE ARTIST. And again, should the voters opt to let the Academy Awards laud The Artist, then my vote has to go to Joseph Cedar’s Footnote as BEST SCREENPLAY.
A truly inspired category this year is BEST FIRST FEATURE which finds, Another Earth, In the Family, Margin Call, Martha Marcy May Marlene and Natural Selection vying for top honor. Talk about eclectic and original works! But there can only be one winner and in this case, despite the hilarious black comedy of Natural Selection and existential intelligent beauty of Another Earth, I have to give it to MARGIN CALL for its truth, honesty, complexity and excellence on every level.
Looking at our BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY nominees we have Mike Cahill, Brit Marling – Another Earth, J.C. Chandor – Margin Call, Patrick deWitt – Terri, Phil Johnston – Cedar Rapids and Will Reiser – 50/50. A tough call again, but with my picks narrowed down to Another Earth and Margin Call as the leaders, this one is a coin toss. But don’t count out the appeal of Terri, which steals your heart and could very well have stolen the votes.
Always a significant award is the JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – (Best Feature made for under $500,000). Just ask any filmmaker how tough it is to make a film, let alone under $500,000 (although more and more quality films are being made for a lot less than that). So for Film Independent to specifically honor films that embrace this challenge is beyond gratifying. While each of this year’s nominees – Bellflower, Circumstance, Hello Lonesome, Pariah and The Dynamiter – are more than deserving of this honor, my heart has kicked into overdrive and I have to go with one of my all time Los Angeles Film Festival favorites, HELLO LONESOME as this year’s recipient. However, if I take my heart out of the equation, my vote would be for the emotionally powerful and dynamic, Pariah.
As we move into the acting awards, there is more than reason to celebrate as with this crop of nominees we are graced with some groundbreaking performances and some performances that not only the best of the year, but the best of a lifetime. Starting with BEST FEMALE LEAD, the nominees are: Lauren Ambrose – Think of Me, Rachael Harris – Natural Selection, Adepero Oduye – Pariah, Elizabeth Olsen – Martha Marcy May Marlene and Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn. 33 year old Adepero Oduye just explodes with her breakout performance in Pariah, tackling the role of Alike, a 17 year old high school student, struggling to come out as a lesbian to her parents. Oduye is magical. Similarly, Michelle Williams electrifies as she embodies the very essence of Marilyn Monroe. Dripping liquid gold, Williams captures three very distinct Marilyns, giving us understanding, insight and compassion into this very complex legend and is so emotionally powerful, at times we forget that it’s not Marilyn herself up on the screen. The woman that should win not only the Academy Award, but the Spirit Award (especially after 6 nominations to date), Michelle Williams.
For me, there is simply no contest when it comes to BEST MALE LEAD. With nominees Demián Bichir – A Better Life, Jean Dujardin – The Artist, Ryan Gosling – Drive, Woody Harrelson – Rampart and Michael Shannon – Take Shelter, this is the opportunity for a wrong to be righted. Overlooked by the Academy for an Oscar nomination, Woody Harrelson’s performance in Rampart, is not only the best of the year (even if pitted against Dujardin and Clooney), but the best of his career. This is what acting is all about; digging into the depths of your soul and giving a soul to the soul-less. For me, the choice for Best Male Lead is clear – Woody Harrelson.
When it comes to BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE we have another interesting scenario with nominees, Jessica Chastain – Take Shelter, Anjelica Huston – 50/50, Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs, Harmony Santana – Gun Hill Road and Shailene Woodley – The Descendants. Anjelica Huston is loved by Film Independent and the Spirit Awards. Janet McTeer is a tried and true performer in an interesting role. And then one must ask, is there a film in 2011 that didn’t have Jessica Chastain in it? While receiving great acknowledgment for her work in The Debt, The Help, The Tree of Life AND Take Shelter, will Spirit Award voters give her this award to honor her collective work? What about Shailene Woodley? Eager and energetic, she is almost in overdrive with her performance in The Descendants. But then there’s Harmony Santana – the first transgender actress to appear in a mainstream motion picture and in a role no less, that one would think was custom made for her. Santana and her performance in Gun Hill Road is the epitome of true independent spirit and as such, Harmony Santana should walk away with BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE.
With the category of BEST SUPPORTING MALE, Film Independent and the Spirit Awards right another Academy wrong by nominating Albert Brooks for his stellar performance in Drive. As with Harrelson, this is not only the performance of the year for a supporting actor, but the performance of Brooks’ storied career. Fellow nominees include John Hawkes – Martha Marcy May Marlene, Christopher Plummer – Beginners, John C. Reilly – Cedar Rapids and Corey Stoll – Midnight in Paris. Yes, we all know Plummer has been the frontrunner with every award in this category this season, but will Spirit Award voters take the bull by the horns and remove sentiment out of the picture and vote solely on performance? Or will they lean towards indie fave, the beloved John C. Reilly. For my money though, BEST SUPPORTING MALE should go to Albert Brooks.
Always one of my favorite categories, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY bodes an eclectic bunch of nominees. Joel Hodge – Bellflower, Benjamin Kasulke – The Off Hours, Darius Khondji – Midnight in Paris, Guillaume Schiffman – The Artist and Jeffrey Waldron – The Dynamiter. Each of these films has a separate and distinctive look and, even one in black & white which requires skills above and beyond that of working in color. While I believe the voters may throw a nod to Woody Allen and go with Darius Knondji for his work in Midnight in Paris, the Spirit Award for BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY should go to Guillaume Schiffman for The Artist.
Turning our attention to BEST DOCUMENTARY, of the nominees, An African Election,
Bill Cunningham New York, The Interrupters, The Redemption of General Butt Naked and
We Were Here, while voters may lean towards a more socially responsible documentary such as We Were Here or The Interrupters, I have to go with Bill Cunningham New York as BEST DOCUMENTARY.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM is another chance for an Academy wrong to be righted. Looking at nominees A Separation (Iran), Melancholia (Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany), Shame (UK), The Kid With a Bike (Belgium/France/Italy) and Tyrannosaur (UK), how can you not vote for Shame with a daring-to-be-bare in every sense of the word Michael Fassbender leading the way. And while Shame should win, I won’t be surprised if the Spirit Award goes to A Separation.
Several speciality awards were already announced in January and will be acknowledged during the Spirit Awards telecast on February 25th. These awards include:
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD -( Includes $25,000 unrestricted grant) –
Sophia Lin – Take Shelter
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – (Includes $25,000 unrestricted grant) –
Mark Jackson – Without
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – (Includes restricted $25,000 Grant)
Heather Courtney – Where Soldiers Come From
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Margin Call – Director: J.C. Chandor
Casting Director: Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey
Ensemble Cast: Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci
You can catch the Film Independent Spirit Awards live Red Carpet on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 2PM ET/11AM PT on Yahoo! Movies (http://movies.yahoo.com/oscars/independent-spirit-awards/) and then turn to IFC at 10pm ET/PT on Saturday to watch the awards ceremony hosted by Seth Rogen.
