Sunday’s Oscars may well wind up focusing on darker cinematic fare, but Saturday’s Film Independent Spirit Awards belonged to the blockbuster indie comedy that took everyone by surprise this awards season. The Jason Reitman-directed Juno was a huge winner at this year’s indie kudofest, taking home the prize for best feature, best female lead for Oscar nominee Ellen Page, and best first screenplay for Diablo Cody. The Savages, another Fox Searchlight feature, also came up big, grabbing best male lead for Philip Seymour Hoffman and best screenplay for Tamara Jenkins. In other major categories, Julian Schnabel won best director for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Cate Blanchett won best supporting female for her gender-bending portrayal of Bob Dylan in I’m Not There, and Chiwetel Ejiofor got best supporting male for Talk to Me.
The 2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards
Best Feature
Juno
Best Director
Julian Schnabel
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Female Lead
Ellen Page
Juno
Best Male Lead
Philip Seymour Hoffman
The Savages
Best Supporting Female
Cate Blanchett
I?m Not There
Best Supporting Male
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Talk To Me
Best Screenplay
Tamara Jenkins
The Savages
Best First Feature
The Lookout
Director: Scott Frank
Best First Screenplay
Diablo Cody
Juno
Best Foreign Film
Once
Best Documentary
Crazy Love
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