Film Independent says hello to The Farewell: 2019 Spirit Award winners

Awkwafina and Zhao Shu Zhen in The Farewell

As the Academy prepares to award its Best Picture prize to yet another male-directed movie, Film Independent offered up an alternative, more refreshing perspective on the best in cinema last year with their Spirit Awards last night. The Safdie brothers' Uncut Gems may have been the biggest award winner of the night with three, including Best Director and Best Male Lead, but Lulu Wang's The Farewell was voters' choice for Best Feature. It becomes the first movie directed by a woman of colour to win the top Spirit Award, and it also won Best Supporting Female for Zhao Shu Zhen's unforgettable turn as Nai Nai.

Best Feature

THE FAREWELL (ANITA GOU, ANDREW MIANO, PETER SARAF, DANIELE TATE MELIA, MARC TURTLETAUB, LULU WANG, CHRIS WEITZ AND JANE ZHENG)

Best Director

BENNY SAFDIE AND JOSH SAFDIE (UNCUT GEMS)

Best Female Lead

RENEE ZELLWEGER (JUDY)

Best Male Lead

ADAM SANDLER (UNCUT GEMS)

Best Supporting Female

ZHAO SHU ZHEN (THE FAREWELL)

Best Supporting Male

WILLEM DAFOE (THE LIGHTHOUSE)

Best Screenplay

NOAH BAUMBACH (MARRIAGE STORY)

Best Cinematography

JARIN BLASCHKE (THE LIGHTHOUSE)

Best Editing

RONALD BRONSTEIN AND BENNY SAFDIE (UNCUT GEMS)

Robert Altman Award

DOUGLAS AIBEL, ALAN ALDA, NOAH BAUMBACH, LAURA DERN, ADAM DRIVER, JULIE HAGERTY, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, RAY LIOTTA, FRANCINE MAISLER, AZHY ROBERTSON AND MERRITT WEAVER (MARRIAGE STORY)

Best Documentary

AMERICAN FACTORY (STEVEN BOGNAR, JULIE PARKER BENELLO, JEFF REICHERT AND JULIA REICHERT)

Best International Film

PARASITE (BONG JOON HO)

Best First Feature

BOOKSMART (CHELSEA BARNARD, DAVID DISTENFELD, JESSICA ELBAUM, MEGAN ELLISON, KATIE SILBERMAN AND OLIVIA WILDE)

Best First Screenplay

FREDRICA BAILEY AND STEFON BRISTOL (SEE YOU YESTERDAY)

John Cassavetes Award

GIVE ME LIBERTY (VAL ABEL, ALICE AUSTIN, WALTER S. HALL, MICHAEL MANASSERI, KIRILL MIKHANOVSKY, GEORGE RUSH AND SERGEY SHTERN)

Bonnie Award

KELLY REICHARDT

Piaget Producers Award

MOLLYE ASHER

Kiehl's Someone to Watch Award

RASHAAD ERNESTO GREEN (PREMATURE)

Truer Than Fiction Award

NADIA SHIHAB (JADDOLAND)

Image credit: MovieStillsDB