Natalie Portman‘s turn as an obsessive ballerina slowly losing her grip on reality won her the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Award as Best Actress on Saturday night. Also taking top honors was jack-of-all-trades James Franco as Best Actor for playing real-life adventurer Aron Ralston, who faced life-or-death decisions when he was literally caught between a rock and a hard place in the Utah desert.
Among the movies earning showbiz hardware were “Daddy Longlegs,” “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” “Get Low,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The King’s Speech” and “Tiny Furniture.”
Natalie Portman ("Black Swan") wins Best Female Lead at the Spirit Awards 2011
The Film Independent Spirit Awards unspooled Saturday, February 26, during a ceremony held inside a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, California. Actor-comedian Joel McHale (NBC’s “Community,” host of E!’s “The Soup”) served as emcee.
Portman’s “Black Swan” from Fox Searchlight snagged a total of four wins, including the marquee category Best Feature as well as Best Director for Darren Aronofsky and Best Cinematography (Matthew Libatique).
The supporting male and female categories were claimed by actors John Hawkes and Dale Dickey from “Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions).
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg won Best Screenplay for “The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features) while Best First Feature went to “Get Low” (Sony Pictures) from director Aaron Schneider with producers David Gundlach and Dean Zanuck.
James Franco ("127 Hours") wins best actor at Spirit Awards 2011
Filmmaker Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” (IFC Films) was awarded Best First Screenplay while Best Documentary went to “Exit Through the Gift Shop” (Producers Distribution Agency). The film’s mysterious director and subject, street artist Banksy, who rigorously maintains his anonymity, did not accept the award onstage and it’s not known whether he was in attendance.
Director Tom Hooper was on hand to accept Best Foreign Film for his box office smash “The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company).
Winning the John Cassavetes Award for best indie feature with a budget under $500,000 was “Daddy Longlegs” from writer/directors Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie. Producers Casey Neistat and Tom Scott also shared in the award.
The Robert Altman Award, presented annually to a film’s director, casting director and ensemble, was given to “Please Give” director Nicole Holofcener, casting director Jeanne McCarthy and actors Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith and Sarah Steele.
Joel Mchale hosting the Spirit Awards 2011
Among the presenters dishing out trophies were: Will Arnett, Don Cheadle, David Cross, Rosario Dawson, Jesse Eisenberg, Vera Farmiga, Jamie Foxx, Greta Gerwig, Anna Kenrick, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Diego Luna, Ewan McGregor, Eva Mendes, Sandra Oh, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Ben Stiller, Uma Thurman, John Waters, Naomi Watts and Rainn Wilson.
Sponsors for Saturday night’s festivities include Premiere Sponsors Acura, “Elle” magazine, IFC, HTC, Jameson Irish Whiskey, LG Cinema 3D, Netflix and Piaget; as well as Principal Sponsors Stella Artois and Aveeno.
The awards are presented annual by Film Independent, a nonprofit organization that supports and advocates for independent cinema and its filmmakers. Its current executive director is Dawn Hudson.
