Spirits Raised
Film Independent evolves to accommodate industry, cultural changes
When film and TV talents collide on the Santa Monica beach at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, anything can happen. Just ask “American Fiction” nominee Jeffrey Wright.
“The year I was nominated for ‘Basquiat,’ our producer Jon Kilik said, ‘Hey, do you want to meet Muhammad Ali?’” recalls Wright, up for the debut performance trophy at the 1997 ceremony, while the boxing champ was there with his doc “When We Were Kings.” “I pretty much skipped over a series of tables to say hello to him. Ali was an absolute personal hero and meeting him blew my mind. That was the beginning of a really gratifying relationship, because I ended up [playing photographer Howard Bingham] in the movie ‘Ali.’”
Wright, who had already won a Tony Award at that point, went on to more acclaim and glory in film and TV roles, this year receiving his first Oscar nomination for his performance in “American Fiction.” The annual event, first conceived as the FINDIE (Friends of Independents) awards 40 years ago, has toasted many other notables early in their career, including Christopher Nolan, Spike Lee, Lena Dunham and Paul Dano.
And the ceremony continues to evolve: Organizers switched to gender-neutral acting awards last year, with Michelle Yeoh emerging victorious in the lead category for her work in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” There are now awards for breakthrough performance and ensemble cast in a new scripted series to match the org’s existing film prizes.
“So now we have just as many opportunities for actors to win Spirit Awards as they did before we went gender neutral,” says Film Independent president Josh Welsh, easing concerns over a side effect of the more inclusive categories.
Supporting independent artists is also a priority for the honorary chair, “Killers of the Flower Moon” star Lily Gladstone, a John Cassavetes Award nominee for co-writing “The Unknown Country,” along with this year’s host, “Saturday Night Live” vet Aidy Bryant.
“In the wake of the strikes, there’s something really nice about celebrating the little guy this year,” Bryant says. “Independent film now feels especially like a very strong little guy next to these juicehead pumped-up studios.” As a fourtime Emmy nominee, Bryant is no stranger to kudos, but the Feb. 25 afternoon event will mark her first time hosting the Spirits — or any awards ceremony. “So I’m flying blind here,” she jokes. “You’re really making me scared!”
It’s also been a challenging time for the Spirits. Last year, it lost longtime cable outlet IFC — and its licensing fee — for the event that has become Film Independent’s biggest fundraiser. It will be streamed live again on the Youtube channels of principal sponsor IMDB, Film Independent and other social platforms. “I was nervous heading into it, but the move to streaming was hugely successful for us,” Welsh says. “Our viewership last year nearly doubled over the year before [and] we were able to reach an international audience, which we had not really been able to do.”
This year’s top film honorees — Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Celine Song’s “Past Lives” — each earned five nominations. Any wins for these or other Academy Award nominees could help influence late Oscar voting, which closes two days after the Spirits ceremony.
And if the health of the industry is measured in volume, things are looking up. The nominating committees received 439 film and 170 television episode submissions, a Spirits record. “We didn’t know if submissions were going to be way up or way down, given Covid and the strikes,” Welsh says. “The movie business may be troubled, but the movies are not, and I find that very heartening.”
So does Bryant, who’s taking her hosting duties very seriously. “I will not know peace,” she says, “until awards season is regarded as the heartbeat of America!”
The movie business may be troubled, but the movies are not.” — Film Independent president Josh Welsh