Held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, the Spirit Awards aren't your normal awards show and all those involved are extremely thankful for that. The independent film version of the Oscars is a much, much more laidback affair, but that doesn't mean these awards aren't taken very seriously. Just being nominated helps boost a film's appeal to audiences and that's critical for indies that don't have the budget for big advertising campaigns.
2007 INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS
BEST FEATURE:
"American Gun"
"The Dead Girl"
"Half Nelson"
"Pan's Labyrinth"
Winner:
"Little Miss Sunshine"
BEST DIRECTOR:
Robert Altman - "A Prairie Home Companion"
Ryan Fleck - "Half Nelson"
Karen Moncrieff - "The Dead Girl"
Steven Soderbergh - "Bubble"
Winner: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris - "Little Miss Sunshine"
BEST SCREENPLAY:
"The Illusionist" - Writer: Neil Burger
"Friends with Money" - Writer: Nicole Holofcener
"The Painted Veil" - Writer: Ron Nyswaner
"Sorry, Haters" - Writer: Jeff Stanzler
Winner: "Thank You for Smoking" - Writer: Jason Reitman
BEST FIRST FEATURE:
"Day Night Day Night" - Director: Julia Loktev
"Man Push Cart" - Director: Ramin Bahrani
"The Motel" - Director: Michael Kang
"Wristcutters: A Love Story" - Director: Goran Dukic
Winner: "Sweet Land" - Director: Ali Selim
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY:
"Half Nelson" - Writers: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
"Wristcutters: A Love Story" - Writer: Goran Dukic
"A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" - Writer: Dito Montiel
"Conversations with Other Women" - Writer: Gabrielle Zevin
Winner: "Little Miss Sunshine" - Writer: Michael Arndt
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD: (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"Chalk"
"Four Eyed Monsters"
"Old Joy"
"Twelve and Holding"
Winner: "Quinceanera"
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE:
Melonie Diaz - "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints"
Marcia Gay Harden - "American Gun"
Mary Beth Hurt - "The Dead Girl"
Amber Tamblyn - "Stephanie Daley"
Winner: Frances McDormand - "Friends with Money"
BEST SUPPORTING MALE:
Raymond J Barry - "Steel City"
Daniel Craig - "Infamous"
Paul Dano - "Little Miss Sunshine"
Channing Tatum - "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints"
Winner: Alan Arkin - "Little Miss Sunshine"
BEST FEMALE LEAD:
Catherine O'Hara - "For Your Consideration"
Elizabeth Reaser - "Sweet Land"
Michelle Williams - "Land of Plenty"
Robin Wright Penn - "Sorry, Haters"
Winner: Shareeka Epps - "Half Nelson"
BEST MALE LEAD:
Aaron Eckhart - "Thank You for Smoking"
Edward Norton - "The Painted Veil"
Ahmad Razvi - "Man Push Cart"
Forest Whitaker - "American Gun"
Winner: Ryan Gosling - "Half Nelson"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
"Four Eyed Monsters" - Arin Crumley
"Brothers of the Head" - Anthony Dod Mantle
"Wild Tigers I Have Known" - Aaron Platt
"Man Push Cart" - Michael Simmonds
Winner: "Pan's Labyrinth" - Guillermo Navarro
BEST FOREIGN FILM:
"12:08 East of Bucharest" - Romania, Director: Corneliu Porumboiu
"The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros" - Phillippines, Director: Auraeus Solito
"Chronicle of an Escape" - Argentina, Director: Israel Adrian Caetano
"Days of Glory" - France/Morocco/Algeria/Belgium, Director: Rachid Bouchareb
Winner: "The Lives of Others" - Germany, Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
BEST DOCUMENTARY:
"A Lion in the House" - Directors: Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
"My Country, My Country" - Director: Laura Poitras
"The Trials of Darryl Hunt" - Directors: Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern
"You're Gonna Miss Me" - Director: Keven McAlester
Winner: "The Road to Guantanamo" - Directors: Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross
SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
David Lynch, Laura Dern - In recognition of their unique and stunning collaborative work in the mesmerizing "Inland Empire" as well as the influential independent classics "Blue Velvet" and "Wild at Heart."
