Spotlight won top honors at the 2016 Spirit Awards, winning best feature, best director, best screenplay, best editing, and best ensemble.
Earlier in the afternoon, Brie Larson earned the prize for best lead female for her performance in Room.
Abraham Attah won the Spirit Award for best actor for his portrayal of a child soldier in the drama Beasts of No Nation — his first acting role.
Cast mate Idris Elba won the Spirit Award for supporting actor for Beasts of No Nation. The award is a partial redemption for Elba, who was snubbed by the Academy of of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on January 14 for his role as a commandant of an African army of child soldiers — a major reason for the #OscarsSoWhite protest about the exclusion of non-white actors from the nominations.
Elba brought on co-star Attah on stage in his acceptance speech. Elba won the Screen Actors Guild award for the part on Jan. 30.
Tom McCarthy won the Spirit Award for directing “Spotlight” — his second award of the day after winning for the script.
McCarthy and Josh Singer won for Best Screenplay for “Spotlight,” their exploration of the Boston Globe’s investigation into pedophile priests.
The announcements evoked a strong response from the audience at the 31st Spirit Award ceremonies at a tent on Santa Monica beach on Saturday afternoon. McCarthy had introduced both the cast and the Globe journalists during the presentation of the previously announced Robert Altman cast award.
“We stand on the shoulders of these journalists,” McCarthy said back stage.
Transgender actress Mya Taylor won the Spirit Award for best supporting actress for the transgender drama “Tangerine” for her role as sex worker Alexandra.
“I came from almost nothing,” a beaming Taylor said from the stage following a standing ovation. “My life did a total 360.”
In a pre-broadcast announcement, Tom McArdle won the editing award for “Spotlight.” He’s also up for the Oscar.
Emma Donoghue won the best first screenplay award for “Room” while “The Look of Silence” took the documentary trophy.
Ed Lachman won the cinematography award for “Carol,” a romance set in 1950s New York City.
Laszlo Nemes’ “Son of Saul” took the international award. The Hungarian film, set in a World War II concentration camp, is a front-runner for the foreign language Oscar.
“Krisha,” which was shot in nine days, took the John Cassavetes award for best film produced for under $500,000.
Film Independent’s 31st Spirit Awards are being held Saturday — the day before the Academy Awards — in a tent on Santa Monica Beach. “Saturday Night Live” star Kate McKinnon and “Silicon Valley’s” Kumail Nanjiani are co-hosting the awards.
The Spirit Awards are voted on by members of Film Independent and require that the films be produced in the U.S. for less than $20 million. “Birdman” and “12 Years a Slave” won both the SpiritAward and the Oscar best picture trophies during the past two years, as did “The Artist” four years ago.
See the winners and nominees below:
Best Feature
Anomalisa
Beasts of No Nation
Carol
Spotlight — WINNER
Tangerine
Best Director
Sean Baker, Tangerine
Cary Joji Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation
Todd Haynes, Carol
Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson, Anomalisa
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight WINNER
David Robert Mitchell, It Follows
Best Screenplay
Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa
Donald Margulies, The End of the Tour
Phyllis Nagy, Carol
Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer, Spotlight WINNER
S. Craig Zahler, Bone Tomahawk
Best First Feature
The Diary of a Teenage Girl WINNER
James White
Manos Sucias
Mediterranea
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Best First Screenplay
Jesse Andrews, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Jonas Carpignano, Mediterranea
Emma Donoghue, Room WINNER
Marielle Heller, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
John Magary, Russell Harbaugh, Myna Joseph, The Mend
Best Male Lead
Christopher Abbott, James White
Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation
Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind
Jason Segel, The End of the Tour
Koudous Seihon, Mediterranea
Best Female Lead
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Rooney Mara, Carol
Bel Powley, The Diary of A Teenage Girl
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Tangerine
Best Supporting Male
Kevin Corrigan, Results
Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation WINNER
Richard Jenkins, Bone Tomahawk
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Best Supporting Female
Robin Bartlett, H.
Marin Ireland, Glass Chin
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anomalisa
Cynthia Nixon, James White
Mya Taylor, Tangerine WINNER
Best Documentary
(T)error
Best of Enemies
Heart of a Dog
The Look of Silence WINNER
Meru
The Russian Woodpecker
Best International Film
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Embrace of the Serpent
Girlhood
Mustang
Son of Saul
Best Cinematography
Beasts of No Nation
Carol WINNER
It Follows
Meadlowland
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Best Editing
Heaven Knows What
It Follows
Manos Sucias
Room
Spotlight WINNER
John Cassavetes Award (Best Feature Under $500,000)
Advantageous
Christmas, Again
Heaven Knows What
Krisha WINNER
Out of My Hand
Robert Altman Award (Best Ensemble)
Spotlight WINNER
Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award
Chloe Zhao
Felix Thompson
Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
Piaget Producers Award
Darren Dean
Mel Eslyn
Rebecca Green and Laura D. Smith