The Farewell is Independent Spirits Best Feature

Sandler and Zellweger win acting awards

by Jennie Kermode

Best Feature winner The Farewell
Best Feature winner The Farewell

The Independent Spirit Awards have once again taken an independent direction, showing support for the underdogs in this year's awards race. Lulu Wang was over the moon when her film The Farewell took Best Feature. She used her speech to call out the idea that women need encouragement to make films, saying that in fact what they need is to be hired.

Uncut Gems was the night's other big winner, taking Best Director for Benny and Josh Safdie and Best Actor for Adam Sandler. In a speech that delighted the audience, Sandler compared being snubbed by the Oscars as being left out of the Best Looking category in his high school yearbook but winning Best Personality instead.

Those awards in full:-

Best Feature

Best Director

Best Female Lead

  • Renée Zellweger, Judy

Best Male Lead

Best Supporting Female

Best Supporting Male

Best Screenplay

Best Editing

Best Documentary Feature

Best Cinematography

Best First Feature

Best First Screenplay

  • Fredrica Bailey, Stefon Bristol, See You Yesterday

John Cassavetes Award

Robert Altman Award

Best International Film

Producers Award

  • Mollye Asher

Someone to Watch Award

  • Rashaad Ernesto Green, Premature

Truer than Fiction award

  • Nadia Shihab, Jaddoland

Bonnie Award

  • Kelly Reichardt

Share this with others on...
News

Spotlight on forgotten history Miwa Nishikawa on telling the story of post-war street orphans in Children Untold

A compulsion for cinema Thomas Bond on the secret of being a producer, the value of flaws, and Imposters

Streaming spotlight: off with their heads! Hold onto your noggin as we reflect on characters who have lost theirs entirely

'This has to be the beginning of a conversation' Peter Brunner, Caleb Landry Jones and other cast members on the social impact of Down The Arm Of God

The image of desire Adrian Chiarella on confronting re-emerging homophobia with Leviticus

Jeremy Thomas dies at 77 Producer passes away days before premiere of latest film

More news and features

We're bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival.



We're looking forward to Fantastic Fest, San Sebastian and Beyond Fest.



We've recently brought you coverage of the Venice Film Festival, Frightfest, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Locarno Film Festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Muslim International Film Festival and Docs Ireland.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.

Interact

Don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon and Bluesky.


It's a busy time for festivals and here's the latest:


Venice announces winners


LFF Full programme announced


Venice Giornate degli Autori awards announce


Festival Scope Venice Sala Web offers chance to stream shorts for free


San Sebastian Naomi Watts to receive Donostia Award