Saturday night’s 35th Film Independent Spirit Awards celebrated several of the films and stars which were egregiously overlooked by the Oscars this year, and Adam Sandler made sure to rub the Academy’s nose in it after winning for Best Male Lead in Uncut Gems.
“I stand before you trembling with ample glee as I receive this so-called Best Actor trophy — independently speaking, of course,” he said to open his acceptance speech, which was pre-written but certainly not formulaic. “It’s great to see our host Aubrey Plaza again. Aubrey and I did a movie entitled Funny People 11 years ago. That was actually the last time critics pretended not to hate me for five f—ing minutes. Catch you in another 11 years, Aubrey. I’d like to also give a shoutout to my fellow nominees, who will now and forever be known as the guys who lost to f—ing Adam Sandler.”
After that moment of hilarious self-deprecation, Sandler then went on to specifically address the fact that unlike some of the night’s winners and nominees, he would not be taking the podium at the Oscars on Sunday.
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“When I was quote-unquote ‘snubbed’ by the Academy, it reminded me when I briefly attended high school and was overlooked for the coveted yearbook superlative category Best Looking. That accolade was given to a jean jacket-wearing, feather-haired douchebag by the name of Skipper Jenkins,” Sandler joked. “But my classmates did honor me with the allegedly less prestigious designation of Best Personality. And tonight, as I look around this room, I realize the Independent Spirit Awards are the Best Personality awards of Hollywood. So, let all those feather-haired douchebag motherf-ers get their Oscars tomorrow night. Their handsome good looks will fade in time, while our independent personalities will shine on forever!” Sandler’s mic wasn’t detachable, but yeah, he still dropped it right there.
Sandler wasn’t the only one to get some redemption at the 2020 Spirit Awards. Lulu Wang’s The Farewell was also chosen Best Feature, and actress Zhao Shuzhen took home the Best Supporting Female prize for her work in the film. Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde‘s Booksmart won for Best First Feature, and Willem Dafoe was chosen Best Supporting Male for his work in The Lighthouse.
Check out the full list of this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards winners below.
Best Feature
A Hidden Life
Clemency
WINNER: The Farewell
Marriage Story
Uncut Gems
Best First Feature
WINNER: Booksmart
The Climb
Diane
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
The Mustang
See You Yesterday
Best Director
Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse
Alma Har’el, Honey Boy
Julius Onah, Luce
WINNER Benny and Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems
Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers
Best Screenplay
WINNER: Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
Jason Begue and Shawn Snyder, To Dust
Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, and Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems
Chinonye Chukwu, Clemency
Tarell Alvin McCraney, High Flying Bird
Best First Screenplay
WINNER: Fredrica Bailey and Stefon Bristol, See You Yesterday
Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, Driveways
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, Blow the Man Down
Jocelyn Deboer and Dawn Luebbe, Greener Grass
Andrew Patterson and Craig W. Sanger, The Vast of Night
John Cassavetes Award
Burning Cane
Colewell
WINNER: Give Me Liberty
Premature
Wild Nights with Emily
Best Male Lead
Chris Galust, Give Me Liberty
Kelvin Harrison Jr., Luce
Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse
WINNER: Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems
Matthias Schoenaerts, The Mustang
Best Female Lead
Karen Allen, Colewell
Hong Chau, Driveways
Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell
Mary Kay Place, Diane
WINNER: Renée Zellweger, Judy
Alfre Woodard, Clemency
Best Supporting Male
WINNER: Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse
Noah Jupe, Honey Boy
Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy
Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Wendell Pierce, Burning Cane
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Best Supporting Female
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Taylor Russell, Waves
WINNER: Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell
Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, Give Me Liberty
Octavia Spencer, Luce
Best Cinematography
Todd Banhazl, Hustlers
WINNER: Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse
Natasha Braier, Honey Boy
Chananun Chotrungroj, The Third Wife
Pawel Pogorzelski, Midsommer
Best Editing
Julie Béziau, The Third Wife
WINNER: Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems
Tyler L. Cook, Sword of Trust
Louise Ford, The Lighthouse
Kirill Mikhanovsky, Give Me Liberty
Best International Film
Invisible Life (Brazil)
Les Misérables (France)
WINNER: Parasite (South Korea)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (France)
Retablo (Peru)
The Souvenir (United Kingdom)
Best Documentary
WINNER: American Factory
Apollo 11
For Sama
Honeyland
Island of the Hungry Ghosts
Robert Altman Award
WINNER: Marriage Story
Bonnie Award
Marielle Heller
WINNER: Kelly Reichardt
Lulu Wang
Producers Award
WINNER: Mollye Asher
Krista Parris
Ryan Zacarias
Someone to Watch Award
WINNER: Rashaad Ernesto Green, Premature
Joe Talbot, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Ash Mayfair, The Third Wife
Truer than Fiction Award
Davy Rothbart, 17 Blocks
Erick Stoll and Chase Whiteside, América
Khalik Allah, Black Mother
WINNER: Nadia Shihab, Jaddoland
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Adam Sandler at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards