- By Chelsea Bailey
- BBC News, Washington
Daniel Kwan received the award and told the audience it was time to ‘dream really big’
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once swept the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, picking up wins in nearly every major category and cementing its status as an Oscar favorite.
The kinetic, multiverse family opus won numerous awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Editing.
Comedian Hasan Minhaj hosted the star-studded event live from the beach in Santa Monica, California. The annual awards ceremony recognizes the best independent films and television.
This year, for the first time in the award’s 37-year history, the top acting categories were all neutral.
Minhaj kicked off the night with a hilarious and sometimes barbed roast from the nominees and the film industry. At one point, he embarrassed actress Cate Blanchett so much that she crawled under the table.
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Actor Ke Huy Quan won the night’s top prize for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Everything Everywhere.
Quan, who has spent much of his career working behind the scenes, used his speech to praise the often overlooked crew members, from pole vaulters to stunt coordinators, who make movies possible.
Later, Michelle Yeoh took home the award for Best Lead Performance in Film and Stephanie Hsu took off her shoes to run on stage and accept the award for Best Breakthrough Performance.
“This is my very first individual award, and it feels incredibly fitting that it’s in this room,” Hsu said.
It was also a great night for first-time nominees. Ayo Edebiri won Best Supporting Actor in a New Scripted Series for his role in ‘The Bear’.
Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, who was also nominated in the same category, went on to explain how she spent much of her early career begging Hollywood to branch out.
“I’m here tonight after losing Best Supporting Actress on Television to Ayo,” Ms Ralph said. “I have to honestly say that’s what change looks like.”
source of images, Getty Images
Filmmaker Reid Davenport has urged Hollywood to allow artists with disabilities to tell their stories.
By far, one of the most gripping moments of the night was when filmmaker Reid Davenport won the “Truer than Fiction” award. Davenport’s film, I Didn’t See You There, traces his daily life as someone who navigates the world in a wheelchair due to his disability.
“There are so many artists with disabilities trying to get into this industry who don’t have a chance,” Davenport said. “I humbly ask you to let them in. It’s time.” said Davenport.
Independent Spirit Awards: the big winners
Best Feature – Everything Everywhere, All At Once
Best Lead Performance – Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Supporting Performance – Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere, Everything At Once
Best Director – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere, Everything At Once
Best Screenplay – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere, Everything at Once
Best Documentary Feature – All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Best International Film – Joyland
Best First Feature – Aftersun
Best First Screenplay – John Patton Ford, “Emily the Criminal”
Robert Altman Award – Women Who Speak