Saturday’s Indie Spirit Awards were a takedown of sexist bullshit and a celebration of inclusive talent. Hosts John Mulaney (“SNL”) and Nick Kroll (“Big Mouth”) had plenty to say about Hollywood predators at the event in LA. “Let’s name some names!” exclaimed Mulaney. And that they did. Their monologue called out men including Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, Louis C.K. and — of course — Harvey Weinstein. They joked that “the male apology has become an art form,” citing Mario Batali’s apology that ended with a cinnamon bun recipe as particularly egregious.
The pair also mocked men who feel paranoid about interacting with women in the wake of #MeToo, saying that hugs are still okay, but “not the way you’re doing it, pal — all breathy.” “Women, people of color, what have you left us white males?” Kroll asked before answering his own question. “Everything…we still basically control everything.”
Greta Gerwig won Best Screenplay for “Lady Bird,” her Sacramento-set coming-of-age story about a teen and her mother. The filmmaker, who said she’d “always wanted to be a writer,” described stars Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf as “the most extraordinary actresses [she] could ever imagine.” “Thank you for always watching all the plays I put on in the living room,” the writer-director said of her mom and dad. “Thank you to my brother and sister for being in the plays.”
“Mudbound” co-writer and director Dee Rees received the Robert Altman Award, given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast. She addressed the audience of indie filmmakers “as the so-called Rebels, as the Outsiders creating without respect to means or access.” She emphasized, “I know that we, of all makers, are far, far beyond any Identity Tokenism or snobbery of form in both production and distribution.”
The “Bessie” helmer discussed how cinema lies not in a “strip of celluloid, a length of magnetic tape, nor across the blind plain of an image sensor,” and has nothing to do with “a Smartphone screen, a television screen, nor a 52-foot high IMAX screen.” Offering examples of what cinema does lie in, Rees drew attention to individual contributions to post-WWII drama “Mudbound,” including DP “Rachel Morrison’s compelling, sculptural, humanistic photography that elevates reality into a visceral, highly textured symphony of feeling,” editor Mako Kamitsuna’s “literary and perfectly fluid interweaving of seven distinct character’s voices and worldview into one single sweeping, and cohesive narrative,” and actress “Mary J. Blige’s “un-smile beneath wary eyes.”
Wrapping up her speech, Rees emphasized that everyone in the room knows “that this, or any other award, valuation, critique of any artistic work is purely subjective, is not about the work itself, is not a meritocracy,” seemingly acknowledging the politics that go on behind the scenes of awards shows. “Because nothing diminishes nor enhances the value of the work except the work itself,” she concluded.
Check out the full speech below:
Clad in a glorious purple tracksuit, Agnès Varda (and co-director JR) accepted the honor for Best Documentary. The road trip movie sees the collaborators traveling through rural France. “It feels good to be in a place where independence is important,” observed Varda at the podium.
Other winners included “The Big Sick” co-writer Emily V. Gordon, “The Rider” writer-director Chloé Zhao, and “I, Tonya” editor Tatiana S. Riegel,
Check of all of the women winners below. List adapted from Variety.
BEST SCREENPLAY
Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird”
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani, “The Big Sick”
BEST EDITING
Tatiana S. Riegel, “I, Tonya”
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD — Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast
“Mudbound”
Director: Dee Rees
Casting Directors: Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram
Ensemble Cast: Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan, Carey Mulligan
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
“Faces Places,” directed by Agnés Varda, JR, produced by Rosalie Varda (WINNER)
BONNIE AWARD — The inaugural Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.
Chloé Zhao (WINNER)
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD — The 21st annual Producers Award, funded by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films.
Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim
Summer Shelton
