It only took 19 years for director/writer David O. Russell to return to the winners’ circle at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and he did so with an exclamation point today as his Silver Linings Playbook led the way with four statues–Best Picture, individual honors for Russell for Best Director and Best Screenplay, and Best Female Lead for Jennifer Lawrence.
Russell’s initial Spirit wins came for the 1994 release Spanking the Monkey which earned him Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay honors. Back then, Russell’s son Matthew–an inspiration for Silver Linings Playbook because of his battle with bipolar disorder–was just a year old. In accepting the Best Screenplay Spirit Award for Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell, said, “He gave me this movie, so I want to thank him, Matthew, for this movie.” Matthew, now a young man, was at the awards ceremony which is held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. (David O. Russell is repped by Wondros for commercials and branded content.)
Silver Linings Playbook fell short in only one category in which it was nominated, Best Male Lead, which went to John Hawkes in The Sessions. Hawkes topped a field that included Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook. Backstage, Hawkes said that among the homework he did for the part of a man in an iron lung hoping to lose his virginity was watching the Jessica Yu documentary Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien. A writer, O’Brien, was the man on whom The Sessions was based. Breathing Lessons won the Best Short Subject Documentary Oscar in 1997. (Yu directs commercials via Nonfiction Unlimited.)
The Sessions swept the two acting categories in which it was nominated with Helen Hunt winning the Spirit for Best Supporting Female.
Rounding out the acting honors was Matthew McConaughey who earned Best Supporting Male distinction for Magic Mike.
Best Int’l. Film, Documentary
Named Best International Film was Amour from Austria, directed by Michael Haneke.
Taking the Best Documentary Spirit Award was The Invisible War, a moving film on the epidemic of soldiers being raped in the U.S. military. In her acceptance remarks, producer Amy Ziering said that the Spirit recognition and the audience acceptance of the film tells our soldiers, “You are heard. You are not alone and you are no longer invisible.”
Cinematography; posthumous honor
Ben Richardson won for Best Cinematography on the strength of his work on Beasts of the Southern Wild. When asked backstage what inspired his lensing of that acclaimed film, Richardson cited his first meeting Quvenzhane Wallis, a non-actor who would up being a Spirit Award nominee for Best Female Lead. Richardson recalled shooting a short rehearsal video with Wallis and knowing instantly that his priority as a cinematographer was to make sure to capture her magical spirit.
Speaking of cinematography, Haris Savides, ASC, a legendary DP who passed away last year, was honored with a Special Distinction Award. Savides was nominated five times for a Best Cinematography Spirit Award. The nominations were for Greenberg, Milk, Elephant, Last Days and Gerry.
Best Firsts
The Spirit for Best First Feature went to writer/director Stephen Chbosky for The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
The Best First Screenplay honor was bestowed upon Derek Connolly for Safety Not Guaranteed.
Cassavetes, Altman recipients
The John Cassavetes Award recognizing the best feature made for less than $500,000 went to Middle of Nowhere from writer/director/producer Ava DuVernay.
And taking the Robert Altman Award–which is given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast–was Starlet directed by Sean Baker, with Julia Kim having served as casting director, and a cast comprised of Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Karren Karaguilian, Stella Maeve and James Ransone.
Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization, produces the Spirit Awards. Andy Samberg was emcee of the awards ceremony.
Director Angie Bird Joins Scheme Engine For U.S. Representation
Scheme Engine has added director/photographer Angie Bird to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and original content.
Bird crafts deeply human and charismatic portrayals of community, empowerment and the rituals of celebration across commercials, elevated documentary and short film. A former agency creative, Bird has a body of brand work consisting of cinematic lifestyle campaigns for Nike, Dove, Allstate, Procter & Gamble and the YMCA, among others. Prior to joining Scheme Engine, Bird was most recently represented in the U.S. for commercials by production house Curfew.
Two years into her career, Bird back in 2016 won a Cannes Young Director Award for “Mean Tweets,” a provocative campaign for Raising the Roof, that challenged stereotypes of unhoused individuals with striking humanizing portraits. The project earned honors at the Clios, and Webbys and was shortlisted at Cannes.
Her Gillette campaign, “First Shave”--a heartfelt examination of masculinity in the trans community--earned three Cannes prizes and won honors at the Clios and The One Show.
As a director invested in films that ignite conversation, and inspire action, Bird embraces challenging, overlooked stories, bringing to light complex, authentically heroic characters faced with cultural stigmatization and gender-based discrimination. She co-wrote and directed "Short Life Stories" for White Ribbon and Canadian agency Bensimon Byrne--a shattering call to dismantle transphobia, following the journey of a transgender woman as she steps into her authentic life. The campaign won six awards at One SCREEN 2024, including Best in Region: North America and Best in Show
“I’m inspired,” affirmed Bird, “to create stories that champion the... Read More