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Memento Wins Top Prize At Spirit Awards
Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Todd Field and writer/director Christopher Nolan take home trophies at the annual IFP/West awards ceremony honoring independent movies and their filmmakers.
Monday, March 25, 2002
By J. Sperling Reich
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On Saturday afternoon, the IFP/West held their annual Independent Spirit Awards
ceremony, and Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed film, Memento,
won four of the event's top prizes including Best Feature, Best Director, Best
Supporting Female and Best Screenplay. Held every year the Saturday before the
Academy Awards ceremony on Santa Monica beach overlooking the ocean, the festivities
have become a casual dress rehearsal for many of the actors and filmmakers who
will attend the more glitzy Oscars the following day.
This year, filmmaker John Waters lorded over the tented parking lot as master
of ceremonies, beginning the afternoon by dubbing the Independent Spirits, "An
awards show that celebrates what will come in sixth at the Oscars." Holding
court for nearly ten minutes in his trademark glib manner, Waters set an appropriate
tone for the proceedings.
First up was Steve Buscemi, who picked up the Best Supporting Male trophy for
portraying an oddball nerd in Ghost World. "I knew that if they
pushed it, that if they did the right marketing it would find the right audience,
so I'm really glad United Artists pushed it the way that they did," the
actor said of the film directed by Terry Zwigoff. This was Buscemi's second
Spirit Award, having won the trophy for his performance in Reservoir Dogs.
As for his lack of Academy Award nominations, Buscemi joked, "I'm still
hoping to get nominated. . . for this one. For me, it really doesn't matter,
for me getting to work on the film is it's own reward."
Ghost World also picked up the Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay,
which went to Daniel Clowes and Zwigoff. "I'd like to thank Terry Zwigoff
for making me come up here by myself, especially when he knows I have a terrible
social anxiety disorder," said Clowes upon taking the stage.
Memento's run began with a brief acceptance by Christopher Nolan accepting
the prize for Best Screenplay. Introducing the award were actors and nominees
Alan Cumming and Rachel Griffiths who had the audience in tatters as they compared
the amount of sexual activity audiences pursue after seeing an independent film,
versus big budget studio pictures. "We are confident that if more people
got laid after seeing independent films that they would return to see more independent
films," laughed Cumming.
Christopher Nolan also won the Best Director Spirit Award for Memento
and the film's co-star Carrie-Anne Moss took home the Best Supporting Female
prize. After stepping down from the podium a grateful Moss gushed, "I was
kind of in shock. I tend to get very emotional whenever I speak, whenever I
make a speech at a friends wedding even."
Certainly, the actress wanted to make it clear that she never expected to be
honored with an award for her performance in Memento. "I never expect
anything from anything from any movie that I do," she said. "I try
to really stay in the moment and not expect anything because I've learned through
my career that you can be constantly disappointed. I just try to show up and
do my best and leave it up to the powers that be."
Memento producers Jennifer Todd and Suzanne Todd accepted the Spirit
Awards' top prize, Best Feature. They thanked the Internet for building the
buzz behind the film, helping make it a financial success. As well, they pointed
out the difference between working on an independent film and studio feature,
such as their Austin Powers franchise. "On the big budget films you get
a nice trailer," said Jennifer. "On the low budget films you get a
desk in the street."
In The Bedroom, nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, walked off with
three of the Spirit Awards' top trophies. Tom Wilkinson was first presented
with the Best Male Lead award. Wilkinson alluded to his Best Actor Academy Award
nomination during his acceptance speech when he said, "I think no matter
what happens tomorrow now it's going to be an anticlimax." Afterwards,
the actor admitted, "I was terribly nervous. You always put winning to
the back of your mind when you attend these sorts of things. Then suddenly you're
in front of everybody and you feel terribly disoriented."
Presenting the award was Sir Ian McKellen, up for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar
in just a day's time for Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. He
won the attendees over by telling them he was happy to be there because it afforded
him the opportunity to get his first facial, manicure and pedicure.
Another award given to In The Bedroom was the Best Female Lead prize
handed to Sissy Spacek, front-runner for this year's Best Actress Oscar. "For
heaven's sake, who cares how big your trailer is anyway, or even if you have
one," Spacek said in her acceptance speech before going on to talk about
her history as an actress. "My roots are deep in independent film. I've
worked in independent film since 1973 so this picture was really like coming
home. I want to say one thing for all independent filmmakers to remember, it's
not the size of the dog in the fight, it's about the fight in the dog."
| Actress Ellen Burstyn, who won the Spirit Award in the same category last year
for Requiem For A Dream, presented Spacek with the award. Though nominated
for an Academy Award last year for the same performance, Burstyn kidded afterwards,
"I hope that the Spirit Award brings better luck for the Oscar to Sissy
than it did for me last year."
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Todd Field, who co-wrote and directed In The Bedroom won the award for
Best First Feature. "I'm sure many people in this room realize when you
are attempting to make your first feature it's like trying to climb Mount Everest
with three pick-up trucks on your back," said the actor turned filmmaker
in his thank you's. "You need so much help in so many ways."
| Michael Cuesta's L.I.E. was nominated for five Spirit Awards and nearly
left empty handed until Paul Franklin Dano, the seventeen year old actor featured
in the drama was announced as the winner of the Best Debut Performance trophy.
The young actor wanted to point out that the film's harsh rating might have
prevented those his own age from seeing a film that depicted the realities of
sexual abuse illustrated in the film. "Kids my age should be able to see
the film, because it brings out an element that is out there in the real world,"
he said. "I think it would have been a healthy thing for kids my age to
see that film and it's a shame they couldn't." The next time Dano will
jump on stage to receive any merits will be when he graduates from a Connecticut
high school in June.
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A film that did not find any luck at this year's Spirit Awards ceremony was
John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Despite having received
four nominations, including Best Feature and Best Director, the movie did not
win a prize.
| A moment of levity was provided by directory Stacy Peralta who bounded on stage
with the producers, editors and subjects of Dogtown and Z-Boys, a documentary
about the pioneers of extreme skateboarding. "We'd like to all welcome
you to our parking lot," shouted the filmmaker. "We basically grew
up 30 years ago right here and our film was about eight kids that affected the
world of skateboarding and they began that process right here as a bunch of
stoney little surfers with no future in sight and this little hill behind us
is where we started skate boarding together and the beach right here is where
we started surfing. So, to be here and to accept this award is a very cosmic
experience."
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Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie grabbed the award for Best Foreign
Film. "I went six years ago for City of Lost Children and we lost, but
this time we won," Jeunet gloated afterwards before mentioning that he
visited the Kodak Theater where his film is up for an Academy Award in the same
category on Sunday evening. "It's in a shopping mall," he exclaimed.
The Polish brothers' Jackpot won the John Cassavetes Award, given to
a feature film made for under $500,000. Mark and Michael Polish confessed that
their film only cost $325,000 to complete, less than their first film by nearly
$200,000. Though they didn't use any credit cards, Michael said, "We maxed
out our friendships!"
| Peter Deming was the winner of the Best Cinematography Spirit Award for Mulholland
Drive, while Monteith McCollum took home the Truer Than Fiction award for his
documentary Hybrid. The Motorola Producer's Award went to Rene Bastian and Linda
Moran for producing Martin and Orloff and L.I.E.
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Demonstrating the true spirit of independent movie making, Debra Eisenstadt
was presented with the Someone To Watch Award for Daydream Believer,
given to a filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate
recognition. Talking about the $20,000 grant she will receive with the prize,
Eisenstadt said, "It actually matches my budget, so I just broke even."
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