 |
| Train Dreams Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute |
It has enjoyed a lot of nominations and not many wins so far this year, but Sunday was the night when the big dream finally came true for Netflix hit Train Dreams, which won Best Picture at the Independent Spirit Awards and also took home the Best Director prize for Clint Bentley. The film, which stars Joel Edgerton as a logger and railroad worker whose life takes him through the rural landscapes of the US at a critical point in its history, has a deep love of place and a quiet rhythm at odds with most of this year's other big name films, and has become an audience favourite.
If Train Dreams spoke to an audience desire for comfort, quite the reverse could be said about Alex Russell's Lurker, which was praised as an outstanding début in both the screenplay and feature categories, with its awkward tale of an obsessive would-be photojournalist who inveigles himself into the life of a young music star.
Those film award winners in full:
Best Picture
Best First Feature
John Cassavettes Award
- Esta Isla (This Island)
Best Director
- Clint Bentley, Train Dreams
Best Screenplay
Best First Screenplay
Best Lead Performance
- Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Best Supporting Performance
- Naomi Ackie, Sorry, Baby
Breakthrough Performance
- Kayo Martin, The Plague
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Documentary
- The Perfect Neighbor
Robert Altman Award
Best International Film
Producers Award
- Tony Yang
Someone To Watch Award
- Tatti Ribeiro, director of Valentina
Truer Than Fiction Award
- Rajee Samarasinghe, director of Your Touch Makes Others Invisible
