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Film Independent Spirit Awards Gives Out $150,000 in 2018 Filmmaker Grants

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Emerging cinematic voices were awarded $150,000 by Film Independent on Saturday, with actors John Cho and Alia Shawkat presenting the annual grants
Emerging cinematic voices were awarded $150,000 by Film Independent on Saturday, with actors John Cho and Alia Shawkat presenting the annual grants in Los Angeles.
Nominees for four of the grant categories were announced at the same time as the rest of the Spirit Award nominations on Nov. 21, but the grant winners received their awards at the Nominees Brunch rather than the main show on March 3.
Also Read: ‘Get Out,’ ‘Call Me by Your Name,’ ‘Good Time’ Top Indie Spirit Awards Nominations
One new grant was added this year: The Bonnie Award. Sponsored by American Airlines, it is named after Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, who in 1973 became the first female pilot of a major U. S. airline. Carrying a prize of $50,000, it is the most lucrative of the grants and was designed to go to “a mid-career female director.”
The nominees:
BONNIE AWARD ($50,000 unrestricted grant to a mid-career female director):
So Yong Kim
Lynn Shelton WINNER: Chloé Zhao
JEEP TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD ($25,000 unrestricted grant to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition)
Shevaun Mizrahi, “Distant Constellation” WINNER: Jonathan Olshefski, “Quest”
Jeff Unay, “The Cage Fighter”
KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD ($25,000 unrestricted grant to a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition):
Amman Abbasi, “Dayveon” WINNER: Justin Chon, “Gook”
Kevin Phillips, “Super Dark Times”
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – ($25,000 unrestricted grant to emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films):
Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim
Ben LeClair WINNER: Summer Shelton
SEATTLE STORY AWARD ($25,000 to fund a short film that will debut on the Spirit Awards broadcast): Matty Brown
Golden Globes Film Predictions: From ‘Get Out’ to ‘Lady Bird’ (Photos)
Yes, there will be surprises at the 75th Golden Globe Awards on Sunday evening. There always are at the Golden Globes. Here’s what I think will happen on the film front:
(And see TheWrap’s film TV predictions here)
Best Motion Picture – Drama:
“Dunkirk” is big and bold and “The Post” is serious and timely, but the film with the most Globe nominations, “The Shape of Water,” is gloriously imaginative filmmaking whose biggest competition might have been two films that ended up being categorized as comedies, “Get Out” and “Lady Bird.”
Prediction: “The Shape of Water” Fox Searchlight
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:
“Lady Bird” could win if voters want to send a message in a year where women are claiming their spot in Hollywood. “Get Out” could win if voters aren’t gun-shy after all the criticism the HFPA received for accepting it as a comedy. “The Disaster Artist” could even win if they just want to have fun. I give a narrow edge to “Get Out,” only because the film with the most critics’ awards tends to get a Globe, too.
Prediction: “Get Out” Universal
Best Director:
Ridley Scott’s movie isn’t even nominated for best picture, so it’s hard to imagine him winning here. Spielberg might do it, but the race is probably between the guys responsible for the boldest, biggest movies, Christopher Nolan for “Dunkirk” and Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water.” “Dunkirk” feels a bit like old news by now, so look for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to give this to the director for whom English is a second language.
Prediction: Guillermo del Toro
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:
Gary Oldman is revered, under-recognized and overdue, and “Darkest Hour” gives him the kind of showcase that voters should celebrate. But his first Globe nomination is hardly a sure win, because he’s been an outspoken critic of the HFPA in the past, even calling for a boycott at one point. He changed his tune this year and said he was “very proud” of the nomination. If voters forgive and forget, he wins; if not, Timothée Chalamet could easily score an upset. Here’s betting the HFPA takes the high road.
Prediction: Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour” Focus Features
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama:
Meryl Streep provided the highlight of last year’s Globes show, but the Cecil B. DeMille award was probably thank-you enough. This one is probably between Sally Hawkins and Frances McDormand – and while Hawkins gives a radiant wordless performance in “The Shape of Water,” who the heck can say no to McDormand and “Three Billboards?”
Prediction: Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Fox Searchlight
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:
While Hugh Jackman could help the HFPA insist that the “musical” part of the category name actually means something, this is probably between Daniel Kaluuya and James Franco. And Franco has been omnipresent in the last month, charming everybody who gets near his movie – and while “Disaster Artist” might not be as important as “Get Out,” it’s pretty irresistible.
Prediction: James Franco, “The Disaster Artist” A24
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:
If the Globes didn’t have separate drama and musical/comedy acting categories, Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie are probably the only nominees who’d be contending for a spot in a single category. And Ronan is the only one who’d be contending to win.
Prediction: Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird” A24
Best Supporting Actor:
Sam Rockwell’s performance is strong and strange enough that he could pull off an upset, and Christopher Plummer is a real contender because he’d be the HFPA’s way of saluting Ridley Scott for his audacious last-minute reshoot with Plummer stepping into the role originally played by Kevin Spacey. But three nominations might be enough of a salute for Scott’s (and Plummer’s) film, leaving the path clear for Willem Dafoe to pick up yet another award for “The Florida Project.”
Prediction: Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project” A24
Best Supporting Actress:
While Mary J. Blige and Hong Chau have a shot and everybody loves Octavia Spencer, this will probably come down to a pair of actresses playing moms who clashed with their daughters. Laurie Metcalf has a couple of softer, redemptive moments in “Lady Bird,” which should give her the edge over Allison Janney’s mom from hell in “I, Tonya.”
Prediction: Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird” A24
Best Screenplay:
A tight race between Greta Gerwig and Martin McDonagh might just be tipped in Gerwig’s direction by the fact that her screenplay, based on her own teenage years, is more heartfelt – and also by the fact that the HFPA might owe her one, since she wasn’t nominated for Best Director.
Prediction: “Lady Bird” A24
Best Original Score
Jonny Greenwood’s demented piano music would be the adventurous choice, John Williams’ the safest possible one.

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