OSCAR WATCH: Indie Spirit Awards

As the final precursor before the big Oscar night, the Independent Spirit Awards have long prided themselves on their celebration of emerging, diverse voices in cinema. Tonight was no exception, as the members of Film Independent (of which I'm a member) selected a fine group of winners for the best in independent cinema for 2015. Indeed, it was a rather joyous night for me, as many of my personal picks (indicated below) won prizes tonight. One film that I didn't vote for but was nevertheless happy for was "Spotlight", which virtually swept the night with wins in Best Feature, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Screenplay and the previously announced Robert Altman Award for Best Ensemble. Is this a preview for the Oscars, as has been the case with the Indie Spirits as of late? We'll find out soon enough. Here are this year's excellent Spirit Award honorees:

Best Feature
Spotlight

Best Director
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Best Male Lead
Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation

Best Female Lead
Brie Larson, Room

Best Supporting Male
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation*

Best Supporting Female
Mya Taylor, Tangerine*

Best Screenplay
Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer, Spotlight

Best Cinematography
Ed Lachman, Carol*

Best Documentary
The Look of Silence*

Best Film Editing
Tom McArdle, Spotlight

Best First Feature
The Diary of a Teenage Girl*

Best First Screenplay
Emma Donoghue, Room*

Best International Film
Son of Saul*

John Cassavetes Award
Krisha

Robert Altman Award
Spotlight