‘Beale Street’ a winner
If Beale Street Could Talk was crowned best picture on Saturday at the Film Independent Spirit Awards – as Roma scooped best international film.
Directed by Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk took two other prizes – best director for Jenkins and best supporting actress for Regina King.
The film follows the story of a young African-American woman (KiKi Layne) who seeks to clear her husband’s name before the birth of their son.
Jenkins, whose film was nominated in three categories at Sunday’s Oscars, was frank in his acceptance speech.
“I’m not gonna lie, man. I didn’t want to win this damn award. With everything going on in the world, it just feels strange to be up here,” he said.
“And so, I’m going to take this. But I want to take it by thanking all the women involved in If Beale Street Could Talk to make it the film it was.”
Meanwhile, Glenn Close continued her sweep of this awards season, winning best actress for her role in The Wife.
The veteran actress was a favourite to take the same accolade at the Oscars.
“It’s very hard for me to accept the win-lose situation,” she said on the red carpet in Santa Monica – which was actually blue – accompanied by her dog, Pip.
“I don’t think there’re any losers.”
The award for best actor went to Ethan Hawke for his role as a protestant minister who undergoes a spiritual crisis in First Reformed.
Hawke was not at the event, and his award was picked up by co-star Amanda Seyfried.
First Reformed was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Screenplay category.
Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma won in the only category in which it was nominated – international cinema.
“I’m optimistic, we are reaching a moment in which greater diversity is happening in cinema, and I think this greater diversity is going to make this category irrelevant [very soon],” he said.
He may be right. Roma is nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best film – and it is a hot favourite to become the first non-English language film to win the top prize.
Filmed in Spanish and Mixtec and based on Cuaron’s childhood, it tells the story of a young indigenous woman (Yalitza Aparicio) who is a domestic worker for a family in 1970s Mexico City.
British actor Richard E Grant won best supporting actor for Can You Ever Forgive Me?.
The well reviewed Won’t You Be My Neighbor? on the life and legacy of Fred Rogers, host of a popular US children’s TV show, was a surprise Oscar snub but won a Spirit award in the best documentary category.
Best first feature went to Boots Riley for his witty class and race comedy Sorry to Bother You – and the rapper and filmmaker took the chance to make a political point on the crisis in Venezuela.
“The CIA is trying to have a coup in Venezuela.
“We should all be putting our voices out to stop the US from having regime change for oil in Venezuela,” he said.