Celebrating it’s 4oth ceremony, the Film Independent Spirit Awards took place on February 22 in Santa Monica, Calif. with Saturday Nigh Live alum Aidy Bryant hosting for the second time.
The Spirit Awards celebrated the past year in film and TV, supporting the work of independent artists. After strikes, socio-political strife, and the L.A. wildfires, the ceremony honored first responders and a tribute to Josh Welsh, the beloved longtime president of Film Independent who passed away recently after a courageous five-year battle with cancer.
Netflix’s Baby Reindeer swept the acting categories is scripted series including Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series for Nava Mau (Hunter Schaefer presented her with the award); Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series for Jessica Gunning; and Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series for Richard Gadd.
Other notable winners with LGBTQ ties include Shuchi Talati‘s Girls Will Be Girls, which won the John Cassavetes Award. Maisy Stella took home a trophy for her role in My Old Ass while Justin Simien won his second Spirit Award for Hollywood Black in the Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series category.
The evening included included impassioned speeches including one from Best Director and Best Feature winner, Anora‘s Sean Baker, who spoke so truthfully and earnestly about the state of indie filmmaking.
How To Die Alone creator and star Natasha Rothwell accepted the award for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Series with her cast mates. After talking about the importance of Black stories, taking up space, and being seen, she took the opportunity to show support for the trans community. “To the trans community that is under attack right now, know that you are not alone. I see you. We see you. We all see you. We stand with you.”
