2015 Awards Season: Independent Spirit Awards Winners

February 27, 2016

Awards Season begins with the Independent Spirit Awards nominations, but they don't hand the awards out until the day before the Oscars. Spotlight was the big winner tonight, but it wasn’t the only one.

The categories and winners are...

BEST FEATURE

• Spotlight

BEST DIRECTOR

• Thomas McCarthy for Spotlight

BEST SCREENPLAY

• Thomas McCarthy and Josh Singer for Spotlight

BEST FIRST FEATURE

• The Diary of a Teenage Girl

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

• Emma Donoghue for Room

BEST FEMALE LEAD

• Brie Larson for Room

BEST MALE LEAD

• Abraham Attah for Beasts of No Nation

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

• Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

• Mya Taylor for Tangerine

BEST DOCUMENTARY

• The Look of Silence

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

• Son of Saul (Hungary)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Ed Lachman for Carol

BEST EDITING

• Tom McArdle for Spotlight

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)

• Krisha

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)

• Spotlight

Also announced were the winners for the three Filmmaker Grant Awards.

Piaget Producers Award

• Mel Eslyn

Kiehl's Someone to Watch Award

• Felix Thompson

Lenscrafter Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant attention.

• Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Notes and Reactions...

• Spotlight picked up four wins, which could be a sign it will do better than expected on Oscar night.
• Room and Beasts of No Nation picked up two wins each.
• Meanwhile, Carol had six nominations, but only one win.
• Mya Taylor made history by becoming the first transgender actress to win and Independent Spirit Award.

- C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: Idris Elba, Brie Larson, , Mel Eslyn, Tom McArdle, Josh Singer, Ed Lachman, Emma Donoghue, Mya Taylor, Felix Thompson, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Abraham Attah