With The Hurt Locker and Avatar out of the picture, Precious swept last night's Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honor the industry's independent films. The wrenching drama picked up the top prize for best feature, as well as four prizes for directing (Lee Daniels), acting (Mo'Nique and Gabourey Sidibe) and screenwriting (Geoffrey Fletcher). Jeff Bridges, as expected, won the best male actor award for Crazy Heart, while Woody Harrelson received recognition for his supporting role in The Messenger.
Despite its indie moniker, the Spirit Awards honored numerous films that have gone on to garner mainstream attention since their initial release. Many of the winners, including Precious, Crazy Heart and An Education will in fact be contenders at tomorrow night's Oscars. The Oscar polls closed earlier this week, though, so the outcome of the Spirit Awards have no bearing on tomorrow's ceremony. Read on for a full list of winners from the Spirit Awards site.
Best Feature: Precious
Best Director: Lee Daniels, Precious
Best First Feature: Crazy Heart
John Cassavetes Award: Humpday
Best Screenplay: Scott Neustader and Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer
Best First Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Best Female Lead: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Best Male Lead: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Supporting Female: Mo'Nique, Precious
Best Supporting Male: Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Best Foreign Film: An Education
Best Documentary: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, A Serious Man
Producers Award: Karin Chien, The Exploding Girl and Santa Mesa
Someone to Watch Award: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Easier With Practice
Truer Than Fiction Award: Bill Ross and Turner Ross, 45365
