# 35th Independent Spirit Awards

The 35th Film Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best independent films of 2019, were presented by Film Independent on February 8, 2020. The nominations were announced on November 21, 2019 by actresses Zazie Beetz and Natasha Lyonne. The ceremony was televised in the United States by IFC, taking place inside its usual tent setting on a beach in Santa Monica, California. Aubrey Plaza returned to host the ceremony for the second time.

## Winners and nominees

| Best Feature | Best Director |
| The Farewell Clemency A Hidden Life Marriage Story Uncut Gems | Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie – Uncut Gems Robert Eggers – The Lighthouse Alma Har'el – Honey Boy Julius Onah – Luce Lorene Scafaria – Hustlers |
| Best Male Lead | Best Female Lead |
| Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems as Howard Ratner Chris Galust – Give Me Liberty as Vic Kelvin Harrison Jr. – Luce as Luce Edgar Robert Pattinson – The Lighthouse as Ephraim Winslow Matthias Schoenaerts – The Mustang as Roman Coleman | Renée Zellweger – Judy as Judy Garland Karen Allen – Colewell as Nora Pancowski Hong Chau – Driveways as Kathy Elisabeth Moss – Her Smell as Becky Something Mary Kay Place – Diane as Diane Alfre Woodard – Clemency as Bernadine Williams |
| Best Supporting Male | Best Supporting Female |
| Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse as Thomas Wake Noah Jupe – Honey Boy as Otis Lort Shia LaBeouf – Honey Boy as James Lort Jonathan Majors – The Last Black Man in San Francisco as Montgomery "Mont" Allen Wendell Pierce – Burning Cane as Reverend Tillman | Zhao Shu-zhen – The Farewell as Nai Nai Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers as Ramona Vega Taylor Russell – Waves as Emily Williams Lauren "Lolo" Spencer – Give Me Liberty as Tracy Octavia Spencer – Luce as Harriet Wilson |
| Best Screenplay | Best First Screenplay |
| Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story Jason Begue and Shawn Snyder – To Dust Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, and Benny Safdie – Uncut Gems Chinonye Chukwu – Clemency Tarell Alvin McCraney – High Flying Bird | Fredrica Bailey and Stefon Bristol – See You Yesterday Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen – Driveways Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy – Blow the Man Down Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe – Greener Grass James Montague and Craig W. Sanger – The Vast of Night |
| Best First Feature | Best Documentary Feature |
| Olivia Wilde – Booksmart Stefon Bristol – See You Yesterday Michael Angelo Covino – The Climb Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre – The Mustang Kent Jones – Diane Joe Talbot – The Last Black Man in San Francisco | American Factory Apollo 11 For Sama Honeyland Island of the Hungry Ghosts |
| Best Cinematography | Best Editing |
| Jarin Blaschke – The Lighthouse Todd Banhazl – Hustlers Natasha Braier – Honey Boy Chananun Chotrungroj – The Third Wife Pawel Pogorzelski – Midsommar | Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie – Uncut Gems Julie Béziau – The Third Wife Tyler L. Cook – Sword of Trust Louise Ford – The Lighthouse Kirill Mikhanovsky – Give Me Liberty |
| Best International Film ||
| Parasite ( South Korea) The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão ( Brazil) Les Misérables ( France) Portrait of a Lady on Fire ( France) Retablo ( Peru) The Souvenir ( United Kingdom) ||

### Films with multiple nominations and awards

Films that received multiple nominations :
| Nominations | Film |
| 5 | The Lighthouse |
| 5 | Uncut Gems |
| 4 | Give Me Liberty |
| 4 | Honey Boy |
| 3 | Clemency |
| 3 | Hustlers |
| 3 | The Last Black Man in San Francisco |
| 3 | Luce |
| 3 | Marriage Story |
| 3 | The Third Wife |
| 2 | Burning Cane |
| 2 | Colewell |
| 2 | Diane |
| 2 | Driveways |
| 2 | The Farewell |
| 2 | The Mustang |
| 2 | Premature |
| 2 | See You Yesterday |
Films that won multiple awards :
| Awards | Film |
| 3 | Uncut Gems |
| 2 | The Farewell |
| 2 | The Lighthouse |
| 2 | Marriage Story |

## Special awards
### John Cassavetes Award

Give Me Liberty
* Burning Cane
* Colewell
* Premature
* Wild Nights with Emily

### Robert Altman Award

(The award is given to its film director, casting director, and ensemble cast)
* Marriage Story – Noah Baumbach, Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler, Alan Alda, Laura Dern, Adam Driver, Julie Hagerty, Scarlett Johansson, Ray Liotta, Azhy Robertson, and Merritt Wever

### Someone to Watch Award

Recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl's.
* Rashaad Ernesto Green – Premature
** Ash Mayfair – The Third Wife
** Joe Talbot – The Last Black Man in San Francisco

### The BONNIE Award

Recognizes mid-career women directors with a body of work that demonstrates uniqueness of vision and a groundbreaking approach to film making. The award includes a $50,000 unrestricted grant funded by American Airlines.
* Kelly Reichardt
** Marielle Heller
** Lulu Wang

### Producers Award

Honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
* Mollye Asher
** Krista Parris
** Ryan Zacarias

### Truer than Fiction Award

Presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
* Nadia Shihab – Jaddoland
** Khalik Allah – Black Mother
** Davy Rothbart – 17 Blocks
** Erick Stoll and Chase Whiteside – América