Independent Spirit Awards: Beale Street Wins Big in Oscars

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If Beale Street Could Talk was the big winner of Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards, winning three major awards.

He won the best feature – the highest award at the ceremony – as well as best director for Barry Jenkins and best supporting actress for Regina King.

Spirits honor low-budget films and are the last major awards ceremony before the Oscars Sunday.

Beale Street is Jenkins' first film since Moonlight, which won the Oscar for best film in 2017.

S addressing BBC News, the director said he was delighted with the advances made by the Academy or attempted to be in recent years.

The organ behind the Oscars has diversified its membership, tried to introduce a category of popular films and tried to make the ceremony shorter and more entertaining.

"All this with the popular film, I think that all that the Academy is going through is a period of extreme evolution, started by [former Academy president] Cheryl Boone Isaacs, this raises growth issues, "said Jenkins.

"But I think the progress that started 5 to 10 years ago, if you really care about it, is going on and I think in 5 to 10 years we will look at the past and realize that the Academy has reorganized in a truly amazing way. "

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The awards season peaks on Sunday night with the Oscars at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Beale Street may not be nominated for the best photo, but her victories at the Spirits give Regina King a boost as a runner-up for Best Supporting Actress.

Jenkins said the fact that Moonlight won first prize at the Oscars two years ago was invaluable for its follow-up.

"Winning the best picture was crazy, but it gave me a lot of opportunities," he said.

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"So the funding was pretty simple in the end, but I think that fitting an inner text like this was the challenge."

Jenkins has already talked about the difficulties of translating the book's non-linear format, where the reader takes advantage of listening to the characters' inner voices on the big screen.

Jenkins said about the author of the novel: "I love James Baldwin and have always wanted to adapt my favorite author.

"Black writers are not keeping pace with their white peers." Megan Ellison [founder of Annapurna Pictures] said that she wanted to support this black literary adaptation, and I was all about it. "

Richard E Grant was one of the UK's Independent Spirits winners, winning Best Supporting Actor – a victory that he said that he was "completely overwhelmed" by.

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It is unlikely that he wins in the same category at the Oscars because there has been a big favorite throughout the awards season.

"Last month, the wonderful actor Mahershala Ali received the award," he told BBC News, the star of the Green Book.

"So, the other four nominees, we benefit."

He added that the number of job offers he had received had increased significantly since his Oscar nomination.

"I have a new representation in Los Angeles and I've been sending a lot of scripts that I've never had in my career before, but I'm sure everything will be fine for the pumpkin before." Monday, "he laughed. .

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Glenn Close continues her season of awards at the Spirits, winning another Best Actress Award for her role in The Wife.

She is almost certain to win the same award at the Oscars, thus ending her actress record with the most winless nominees.

But she downplayed the competitive aspect by telling BBC News: "It's very difficult for me to accept a win-lose situation.

"I do not think there are any losers, so say," I hope to win, "that does not suit me, because look who's in my category and look at the incredible work that's being done .

"I think it's a great honor at this stage of my career to be in this room with some of the most creative people on the planet."

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Of course, the leader of the best Oscar film this year is Roma – who won the prize for Best International Film at Spirits.

Despite a limited theatrical release, his main platform was Netflix.

This is a sign that traditional film bodies are beginning to show less hostility and resistance towards movies produced or released by streaming services.

"I hope Netflix will build beautiful big cinemas in every city in the world," said actress Tilda Swinton at BBC News.

"That's what I want them to do … and then they'll prove that they're really dedicated to big screen entertainment."

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The actress is a person aware of the potential for snobbery in the field of streaming – his film for Netflix, Okja, was controversial during its screening at the Cannes Film Festival last year.

Swinton said the company had told him that she would consider getting more into movie theaters, adding that "they have money" to build their own movie theaters.

"I told them about it and they made some very encouraging noises, hopefully they will," she said.

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Independent Spirit Awards: The Big Winners

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Reuters

Best Feature – If Beale Street Could Speak

Best Female Role – Glenn Close, The Wife

Best Man – Ethan Hawke, First Reformed

Best Supporting Woman – Regina King, if Beale Street could speak

Best Male Supporter – Richard E. Grant, Can You Forgive Me?

Best Director – Barry Jenkins, Si Beale Street Could Talk

Best feature debut – Sorry to bother you

Best Screenplay – Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, can you forgive me?

Best First Screenplay – Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade

Robert Altman Award – Suspiria

Best documentary – Will not you be my neighbor?

Best International Film – Roma