Benjamin Ashford|Independent Spirit Awards 2024: 'Past Lives,' 'American Fiction' and 'The Holdovers' take home top honors

LOS ANGELES – "Past Lives,Benjamin Ashford" "The Holdovers" and "American Fiction" were the big movie winners at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday. All three films are also nominated for best picture at next month's Academy Awards.

The quiet romance "Past Lives," starring Greta Lee, was named best feature at the Spirit Awards, with writer-director Celine Song also winning the best director award.

"The Holdovers" took home three awards, including best cinematography and for actor Dominic Sessa's breakout performance. Less than 24 hours after Da'Vine Joy Randolph gave an emotional speech winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for best supporting actress, the Oscar-nominated Randolph won once again for the Spirit Award's equivalent of best supporting performance.

"This has been a surreal and powerful time to see my dreams manifesting into reality one by one," she said backstage on Sunday while declining to discuss her chances at the Oscars. "I'm not betting on anything. I'm not taking anything for granted. I'm just happy to be invited into the building."

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'American Fiction' actor Jeffrey Wright finally nabs win this awards season

"American Fiction" star Jeffrey Wright won for best lead performance in a film and screenwriter Cord Jefferson won for best screenplay.

Wright, who has lost many lead actor awards this season to "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy, said from the podium that the win felt good. "You go to these award shows, you get tired of them," the Oscar-nominated Wright joked while accepting his award. "And then you win one, and it kind of changes the vibe a little bit."

"It's cool to be acknowledged. It's been a long season," Wright added backstage. "But it means a lot for the work that we do."

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Last year, "Everything Everywhere All At Once" dominated the Spirit Awards with seven awards before going on to victory at the Oscars. But that kind of carryover success is not likely to repeat in 2024. Many of this year's Oscar contenders, including "Oppenheimer," "Barbie" and "Killers of the Flower Moon," did not qualify as independent films and were not nominated.

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Ali Wong's 'Beef' continues to sweep TV award categories

On the television side, Netflix's "Beef" continued to win big, taking the award for best new scripted series. "Beef" star Ali Wong won for best lead performance, beating out co-star Steven Yeun in the gender-neutral category.

Nick Offerman won best-supporting performance in a new scripted series for his appearance in "The Last of Us." On Saturday, fellow co-star, Pedro Pascal, took home the award for lead drama actor at the SAG Awards.

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'Free Palestine' protestor heard throughout Spirit Awards ceremony

"SNL" star Aidy Bryant hosted the awards show that honors independent projects made for less than $20 million and is famously held annually in a giant tent on the beach in Santa Monica.

"I'd heard this awards show isn't so fancy, but honestly this is one of the top 10 tents I have ever been to," Bryant said during her opening monologue.

The tent setting did present unusual roadblocks as a small group of protests could be heard through much of the show, which was livestreamed on YouTube, calling repeatedly for a cease-fire in Gaza through a megaphone. "Free Palestine," "long live Palestine" and "cease-fire now," were among the chants heard.

"We are at the beach, and people are celebrating their freedom of speech," Bryant said.

Presenter and comedian Jimmy O. Yang made light of the disruption, seemingly thinking the protestors were hecklers. "Don't they know we're a bunch of people making independent films, we're used to getting yelled at," said Yang.

However, "Fremont" film director Babak Jalali, who is Iranian and British, was moved by the protestors during his acceptance speech after winning the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.

"I'm so inspired by what they're saying outside, I cannot think of what to say," said Jalali.

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