Oscar's evil twin The Spirit Awards

By: Paul Zimmerman
Date: Saturday, March 30, 2002

Picture a large white tent on a beach in Santa Monica, Calif. Now picture limousines pulling up to that tent, stars filing out and collecting awards. All this occurred last Saturday as the IFP/West hosted the 17TH Annual Spirit Awards, a kind of Bizarro World version of the Oscars.

Meant to honor independent films, this year the IFP bestowed ugly bronze trophies to films like MEMENTO, IN THE BEDROOM and GHOST WORLD. Sure, these three films are also nominated for Oscars; the difference is at the Spirit Awards they actually win.

It all starts in the mid-morning as stars saunter down a red carpet. Like last year, John Waters is the irreverent master of ceremonies. Unlike last year, metal detectors are put into place along with 15 different access badges.

"Increased security, you know," apologizes one flack as confused attendees attempt to navigate the "You're OK," "You're not allowed in here" sea of confusion.

Out on the red carpet, the stars of the indie world file in. A beaming Ben Kingsley slides by. Over to his left Gillian Anderson, an award presenter today, is sporting red sunglasses and a jean jacket. A diminutive Christina Ricci looks so thin many of the photographers gasp. And so it goes.

The 2002 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards

Unlike those attending the formal Academy Awards, the Spirit denizens are dressed down, albeit in a flashy, contrived sort of way. Meanwhile, around the back of the tent this year's Honorary Chair Nicole Kidman has committed a Hollywood sin: she's actually arrived early. Dennis Hopper works the crowd next to the ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY courtesy tent, while GHOST WORLD's Scarlett Johansson poses for three different photographers.

The Spirit Awards have always been a good place to spot an out of place celebrity. Two years ago, Gov. Jessie Ventura made the scene, and this year the "What the hell are they doing here?" award goes to political pundit Arianna Huffington.

"I just vant to vind a Starbucks," Huffington moans to several confused-looking handlers.

Just before 2 p.m., following a quick brunch, John Waters takes the stage and the event goes live on the Bravo Channel. In an opening speech that's equal parts greetings and stand-up comedy, Waters gets the crowd loosened up and laughing.

"I wish someone would streak," Waters laughs, referencing the famous time a naked man ran behind David Niven at the Oscars in the 1970s. Insisting that if he had his way he'd force every winner to make a political statement, Waters laughs at the fact that MULHOLLAND FALLS is nominated only for Best Cinematography.

"The IFP seems to think David Lynch is too commercial," he cracks.

The awards start and continue at a nice clip, with no fawning tributes or musical numbers to slow down the action. The first winner is Steve Buscemi, who snags Best Supporting Male for GHOST WORLD. The actor thanks director Terry Zwigoff, who spent five years getting the film to screen, "for holding out for me."

Scarlett Johansson in the dark comedy GHOST WORLD

When GHOST WORLD's Dan Clowes takes the stage to accept the Best First Screenplay Award, he thanks his co-writer and director of the film this way: "I'd like to thank Terry Zwigoff, that lousy rat bastard for making me come up here by myself when he knows I have a terrible social anxiety disorder."

Referring to the no-show Zwigoff and himself as "two unseemly louts, one an aging documentation and the other an obscure cartoonist," Clowes seems downright humble and appreciative.

Most of the films of the day are ones that will find little distribution and even less shelf space at the local Blockbuster, but as the awards unfold three films dominate: IN THE BEDROOM, MEMENTO and GHOST WORLD.

Carrie-Anne Moss gets the Best Supporting Female Award for her complex work in MEMENTO. Backstage, she says the film's script read like "the greatest book I've ever read." When talk turns to Moss working Down Under on the two MATRIX sequels, she lets out a long sigh.

"We have four more months it will have been two years total," she says. When someone asks her about Australia she opines: "I'd love to live in Australia. They really do work to live and we could take a lesson from the Aussies."

Decked out in a smart blue blazer, Chris Nolan clutches the trophy he just got for Best Screenplay. Speaking in an even voice, Nolan thanks the producers for being able to visualize a screenplay that was so Byzantine. He hints big things are in store when his upcoming INSOMNIA remake is released starring Al Pacino and a very mad Robin Williams.

Director TERRY ZWIGOFF (center) with THORA BIRCH and STEVE BUSCEMI on the set of United Artists Films' dark comedy GHOST WORLD.

When MULHOLLAND DRIVE takes the Best Cinematographer Award, director of photography Peter Deming explains the reason it looked like a feature film even though more than half of it consists of a TV pilot ABC turned down is because "Lynch and I see things cinematically, no matter what the format."

Deming then surprises the press by explaining the shoot consisted of only "25 days for the pilot" and then just "nine more days" two years later. No wonder actresses Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring look different in the final third of the film.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's AMELIE wins Best Foreign Film, and flanked by presenters Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna (co-stars of Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN), the director is beaming.

"This [award] is much cooler than the Oscar," Jeunet says in a thick French accent. Which is all fine and good as the next day the much-favored AMELIE lost the Best Foreign Film Academy Award to the war drama NO MAN'S LAND.

Considering that AMELIE is already the most popular French film of all time, someone asks Jeunet why he thinks it was first turned down by the Cannes Film Festival.

"I suppose because it's a popular story," Jeunet laughs. "They like very sad, very dark things."

Presenter and indie fixture Christina Ricci is asked just where and when her pet project PROZAC NATION will finally see the light of screen. She frowns and offers, "Soon. As a producer [which she is on the film, as well as the star], you want the best date." She then adds that the shoot, on which they figured she was either crying or having a breakdown three out of every four days, "was the hardest [job] of my life."

MULHOLLAND DRIVE: a film by David Lynch

Moments later, Tom Wilkinson wins for Best Male Lead for IN THE BEDROOM and is brought by to talk to the press corps. In a low voice, he says winning is "lovely, a wonderful honor," because with award shows he always "assumes it's not going to happen."

To no one's great surprise IN THE BEDROOM's Sissy Spacek takes the Best Female Lead honor. With her usual Texan aplomb, she thanks director Todd Field, saying, "I did my first independent film in 1973, so you might say I'm an indie veteran."

Finally MEMENTO rules the day, winning Best Feature and Best Director, and as quickly as it had started the show is over. For those keeping score at home, it shakes down like this: MEMENTO is the top film, taking four awards including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Female. IN THE BEDROOM nabs three: Best First Feature and Best Female and Male Lead. GHOST WORLD comes away with Best First Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.

The following is a complete breakdown of the awards:

BEST FEATURE: MEMENTO

BEST DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan, MEMENTO

BEST SCREENPLAY: Christopher Nolan, MEMENTO

BEST FIRST FEATURE: Todd Field, IN THE BEDROOM

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY: Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff, GHOST WORLD

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE: Paul Franklin Dano, L.I.E.

BEST FEMALE LEAD: Sissy Spacek, IN THE BEDROOM

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE: Carrie-Anne Moss, MEMENTO

BEST MALE LEAD: Tom Wilkinson, IN THE BEDROOM

BEST SUPPORTING MALE: Steve Buscemi, GHOST WORLD

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Deming, MULHOLLAND DRIVE