A beachside gathering for artists and industry folks to mingle in a casual environment, this year the Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch turned into a uniquely contemplative celebration.
In addition to honoring the people behind some of the most accomplished films and episodic series of the last year, the event was an opportunity to remember Josh Welsh, Film Independent president since 2012, who died on New Year’s Eve after a fierce battle with colon cancer. Brenda Robinson, Film Independent board chair, spoke about Welsh to a visibly moved crowd inside the banquet hall at Santa Monica’s Hotel Casa del Mar.
Robinson noted that the organization’s intention was to have Welsh in person at the brunch so that he could bask in the film community’s appreciation and recharged to continue fighting against his illness. Though devastated that those plans didn’t materialize, Robinson still asked the room to give Welsh a standing ovation in recognition of his tireless efforts as a leader of an organization that so diligently supports independent voices.
Among the most notable attendees was actress Demi Moore, whose performance in the “The Substance,” body horror extravaganza grappling with beauty standards imposed on women, has earned her some the best reviews of her career and plenty of recognition.
Standing nearby was Sebastian Stan, nominated here for portraying a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice.” The actor has enjoyed an extraordinary year as his lead role in “A Different Man,” a tragicomedy about a man whose physical transformation doesn’t result in the happenings he expected, has also received much deserved praise and a Berlinale award.
British auteur Mike Leigh and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, the star of his latest drama “Hard Truths,” were present thanks to their mention in the best international film category. Fellow nominees in that group Payal Kapadia, for the Indian stunner “All We Imagine as Light” and Gints Zilbalodis, for the Latvian animated marvel “Flow,” were also in attendance.
“Anora” director Sean Baker and his cast—including Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov and Karren Karagulian—interacted with numerous people eager to shake their hands and share their love for the Palme d’Or winning dramedy about a sex worker whose marriage to the son of a Russian oligarch sets a series of chaotic events in motion.
The filmmaking team behind “Nickel Boys,” one of the most celebrated films of the season for its wondrous use of first-person perspective to immerse audiences in the experiences of two Black teenagers in a brutal Florida reform school during the 1960s, also joined the festivities.
Director and co-writer RaMell Ross, co-writer and producer Joslyn Barnes, and cinematographer Jomo Fray expressed their delight and gratitude at the critical support behind “Nickel Boys,” particularly because as the brunch happened, their movie won the Best Picture and Best Cinematography awards from the National Society of Film Critics.
The event also serves as a vehicle for Film Independent to hand out three emerging filmmaking awards. Each of these comes with a substantial $25,000 cash grant.
First, the Producers Award went to Sarah Winshall, whose recent credits include Jane Schoenbruns’s “I Saw the TV Glow” and India Donaldson’s “Good One”—two of the most acclaimed independent projects released in 2024.
The Truer Than Fiction Award, for an emerging voice working in documentary storytelling, landed in the hands of Rachel Elizabeth Seed , the director of the outstanding and personal debut “A Photographic Memory,” in which Seed evocatively explores her late mother’s life in journalism.
And the Someone to Watch Award, for a fiction filmmaker who has yet to receive appropriate recognition, was for Sarah Friedland, the writer-director of “Familiar Touch,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and will be released in theaters this summer by Chicago-based distributor Music Box Films, per the director’s remarks.
Following the announcement, attendees returned to their conversations over drinks for the next hour or so while the hall slowly emptied out as people headed to their next event. With several industry parties ahead of the Golden Globes, it’s a busy weekend in Los Angeles.
The Film Independent Spirit Awards, the filmed annual ceremony, is taking place on Saturday, February 22 at the beach in Santa Monica and will have Aidy Bryant as host.