Working from a nomination slate at least partially in line with The A.V. Club’s own award season preferences—in so far, at least, as The Revenant not being treated like the inevitable juggernaut it’ll likely turn out to be—The Film Independent Spirit Awards were held today, with Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight picking up all those big awards it probably won’t be seeing at tomorrow night’s Oscars. The journalistic drama was tapped for a total of five awards, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and the Robert Altman Award for Best Ensemble, dominating the evening’s picks.
A few other welcome honors did slip in, though; Joshua Oppenheimer’s heartbreaking The Look Of Silence was recognized as Best Documentary, while Beast Of No Nation’s Idris Elba and Abraham Attah—two of six people of color nominated for acting as this year’s Spirits, a number that wouldn’t seem like a big deal in a year less dominated by #OscarsSoWhite—won Best Supporting Male and Best Male Lead, respectively. Meanwhile, Brie Larson beat out Carol stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara for her work in Room, and Mya Taylor took down the Best Supporting Female role for her work in the Oscar-ignored Tangerine.