Saturday before the Oscar broadcast takes the spotlight away from Hollywood Boulevard temporarily and moves it West to Santa Monica beach for the Independent Spirit Awards. Silver Linings Playbook grabbed four awards including Best Director and Best Screenplay for writer/director David O. Russell. Not surprisingly, The Sessions won two awards for acting. Here is a list of the winners in the major categories:
Best Feature – Silver Linings Playbook (Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon – producers)
Best Director – David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook
Best Screenplay – David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook
Best First Feature – The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky – director, Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich and Russell Smith – producers)
Best First Screenplay – Derek Connolly for Safety Not Guaranteed
John Cassavettes Award – Middle of Nowhere (Ava DuVernay – writer/producer/director, Howard Barish and Paul Garnes – producers)
Best Female Lead – Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook
Best Male Lead – John Hawkes for The Sessions
Best Supporting Female Lead – Helen Hunt for The Sessions
Best Supporting Male Lead – Matthew McConaughey for Magic Mike