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AWARDS USA / Europe

A splash of Europe at the Spirit Awards

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- Life and Nothing More and Faces Places were the surprise winners in an awards list led by the US title Get Out

A splash of Europe at the Spirit Awards
Director Antonio Méndez Esparza and producer Pedro Hernández Santos receiving their John Cassavetes Award for Life and Nothing More

Last Saturday, 3 March, the Independent Spirit Awards took place in Santa Monica. Just one day before the major event that is the Academy Awards, the prizes given out by Film Independent to the best independent productions of the year crowned one of the most relevant US films of the season, Get Out. The film by Jordan Peele received the Awards for Best Film and Director.

Yet by no means did the European contingent present at the ceremony leave the event empty-handed. Call Me by Your Name [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Luca Guadagnino
film profile
]
 received two awards (Best Actor for the astonishing turn by Timothée Chalamet, and Best Cinematography for Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s delightful work) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 received another two (Best Actress for Frances McDormand and Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell).

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The most surprising win came thanks to Spanish filmmaker Antonio Méndez Esparza’s Life and Nothing More [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antonio Méndez Esparza
film profile
]
, which received the John Cassavetes Award for best film made with less than $500,000. The film, premiered in competition at San Sebastián, is the first Spanish-produced title to receive this award, and only the second European co-production to do so (after the US-Icelandic title Land Ho! [+see also:
trailer
interview: Aaron Katz
film profile
]
in 2015) in the history of the prizes. Agnès Varda and JR’s beloved Faces Places [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
was also one of the best-received winners of the night, after it took home the Best Documentary Award. 

Lastly, Sebastián Lelio’s Chilean-German-US-Spanish co-production A Fantastic Woman [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
triumphed in the Best International Film category.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Film
Get Out
 - Jordan Peele

Best Actress
Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 (UK/USA)

Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Luca Guadagnino
film profile
]
 (Italy/France/USA/Brazil)

Best Supporting Actress
Allison Janney – I, Tonya

Best Supporting Actor
Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Debut Film
Ingrid Goes West - Matt Spicer

John Cassavetes Award for best film made with less than $500,000
Life and Nothing More [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antonio Méndez Esparza
film profile
]
 - Antonio Méndez Esparza (Spain/USA)

Best Director
Jordan Peele – Get Out

Best Screenplay
Greta Gerwig - Lady Bird

Best First Screenplay
Emily V Gordon, Kumail Nanjaini - The Big Sick

Best Cinematography
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom – Call Me by Your Name

Best Editing
Tatiana S Riegel - I, Tonya

Best Documentary
Faces Places [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Agnès Varda, JR (France)

Best International Film
A Fantastic Woman [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Sebastián Lelio (Chile/Germany/USA/Spain)

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