‘12 Years a Slave’ rolls at Spirit Awards

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — “12 Years a Slave” rolled at the Spirit Awards, winning five awards including best feature at the annual independent film celebration.

On the eve of the Academy Awards, the slavery tale won awards for director Steve McQueen, actress Lupita Nyong’o, screenwriter John Ridley and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt. In a more laid-back, beachside ceremony in Santa Monica, just west of Los Angeles, “12 Years a Slave” was applauded as the clear favorite of the indie circuit.

The Spirit Awards could end up being — more than ever before — a dress rehearsal to Sunday’s Academy Awards. “12 Years a Slave” is considered — albeit extremely narrowly — the favorite for best picture over the space spectacle “Gravity” and the 1970s con-artist “American Hustle.” (Neither film was eligible at the Spirits, which honor films made for $20 million or less.)

The acting winners, too, may line up. All of the Oscar favorites won Saturday at the Spirits, including best actor for Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club” and Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine.” McConaughey’s co-star, Jared Leto, won best male supporting performance.

Leto gave what might be the acceptance speech to end all acceptance speeches, rattling off an absurd list of thank-yous to not just those with “Dallas Buyers Club,” but Herman Hess, Wayne Gretzky, home-made burritos, “the seven billion people on the planet” and many more. The actor-rocker added, with emphasis, “all the women I’ve been with and all the women who think they’ve been with me.”

For many, the Spirit Awards conclude months of award-season events, and they provide a chance to exhale before the Oscars. McConaughey, Blanchett, Leto and Nyong’o have racked up a slew of awards, often triumphing over the same colleagues.

Nyong’o dedicated the award to her mother, Dorothy, who was in the audience, for years of driving her to auditions. “Your love has driven me this far,” she said.