Film Independent Spirit Awards again celebrate non-studio movies
With independent films prominent in the Oscars now, the Film Independent Spirit Awards offer a more logical start than ever to that weekend of honors.
IFC again televises the annual ceremony for movies made principally outside the studio system Saturday, Feb. 23, from a tent at the beach in Santa Monica, Calif. Aubrey Plaza (“Legion”) will host the 34th such event, and the vibe is sure to remain casual as many of the players in this film-award season gather.
The nominees for best documentary include “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” the acclaimed and financially successful profile of iconic children’s-show host Fred Rogers (“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”) that recently had its television premiere on both HBO and PBS. Its director, Morgan Neville, says, “I feel like there are probably better keepers of the flame about Fred, but he spoke to me in a way that is why I made the film. The fact that it spoke to other people was fortuitous.”
So was the film’s timing, since Neville reflects, “We don’t think enough about what we get out of things like public broadcasting or children’s television or moral principles. That all sounds very kind of high-minded, but that’s what Fred was. The power of the film is Fred’s power, which is the power of sincerity.”
Also up for best documentary are “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” “Minding the Gap,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “On Her Shoulders” and “Shirkers.”