Ballet good night for Black Swan

Aronofsky takes top gong at Independent Spirit Awards

by Amber Wilkinson

Black Swan proved tu-tu much for the competition at the Independent Spirit Awards.

The film about a mentally tormented prima ballerina was named best film at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles, with Darren Aronofsky also named best director and Natalie Portman - hotly tipped to walk off with the Oscar tomorrow - named best actor. Matthew Libatique also picked up the award for best cinematography.

Winter's Bone - which had been hotly tipped ever since it won critical acclaim at last year's Sundance - didn't sweep the board as expected, but notched up best supporting actor awards for Dale Dickey and John Hawkes.

The best acting award went to James Franco, for his role as a stranded climber in 127 Hours, while The King's Speech continued it's award run, picking up the award for best foreign film.

A complete list of winners and nominees is below:

Best Feature
127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right
Winter’s Bone

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Danny Boyle - 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik - Winter’s Bone
John Cameron Mitchell - Rabbit Hole

Best Screenplay
Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini - Winter’s Bone
Nicole Holofcener - Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire - Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz - Life During Wartime

Best First Feature
Everything Strange and New - Director: Frazer Bradshaw, Producers: A.D. Liano, Laura Techera Francia
Get Low - Director: Aaron Schneider
, Producers: David Gundlach, Dean Zanuck
Night Catches Us - Director: Tanya Hamilton
, Producers: Sean Costello, Jason Orans, Ronald Simons
The Last Exorcism - Director: Daniel Stamm
, Producers: Marc Abraham, Tom Bliss, Eric Newman, Eli Roth
Tiny Furniture - Director: Lena Dunham
, Producers: Kyle Martin, Alicia Van Couvering

Best First Screenplay
Diane Bell - Obselidia
Lena Dunham - Tiny Furniture
Nik Fackler - Lovely, Still
Bob Glaudini - Jack Goes Boating
Dana Adam Shapiro, Evan M Wiener - Monogamy

John Cassavetes Award - Given to the best feature made for under $500,000.
Daddy Longlegs
Lbs
Lovers of Hate
Obselidia
The Exploding Girl

Best Female Lead
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Greta Gerwig - Greenberg
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

Best Male Lead
Ronald Bronstein - Daddy Longlegs
Aaron Eckhart - Rabbit Hole
James Franco - 127 Hours
John C Reilly - Cyrus
Ben Stiller - Greenberg

Best Supporting Female
Ashley Bell - The Last Exorcism
Dale Dickey - Winter’s Bone
Allison Janney - Life During Wartime
Daphne Rubin-Vega - Jack Goes Boating
Naomi Watts - Mother and Child

Best Supporting Male
John Hawkes - Winter’s Bone
Samuel L Jackson - Mother and Child
Bill Murray - Get Low
John Ortiz - Jack Goes Boating
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right

Best Cinematography
Adam Kimmel - Never Let Me Go
Matthew Libatique - Black Swan
Jody Lee Lipes - Tiny Furniture
Michael McDonough - Winter’s Bone
Harris Savides - Greenberg

Best Documentary
(Award given to the director)
Exit Through the Gift Shop; Director: Banksy
Marwencol; Director: Jeff Malmberg
Restrepo; Directors: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger
Sweetgrass; Directors: Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Thunder Soul; Director: Mark Landsman

Best Foreign Film (Award given to the director)
Kisses 
(Ireland); Director: Lance Daly
Mademoiselle Chambon
 (France); Director: Stéphane Brizé
Of Gods and Men 
(France); Director: Xavier Beauvois
The King’s Speech (United Kingdom); Director: Tom Hooper
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand); Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

The 17th Annual Acura Someone to Watch Award was given to Mike Ott, director of LiTTLEROCK. The $25,000 unrestricted grant, funded by Acura, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not received appropriate recognition.

The 16th Annual AVEENO® Truer Than Fiction Award was given to Jeff Malmberg, director of Marwencol.

The 14th Annual Piaget Producers Award was given to Anish Savjani, producer of Meek's Cutoff.

The inaugural Jameson FIND Your Audience Award was given to Marwencol.

Robert Altman Award - (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Please Give Director: Nicole Holofcener Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy Ensemble Cast: Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele

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