Independent Spirit Awards 1996
The eleventh presentation of the Independent Spirit Awards took place on March 23, 1996.
Summary
The clear winner was Mike Figgis ' drama Leaving Las Vegas , which won four awards. However, Nicolas Cage , who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in this film , was beaten by Sean Penn . Penn played a condemned man in Tim Robbins ' Dead Man Walking, but this film only earned one other nomination. Neither he nor The Usual Suspects (The Usual Suspects) were nominated for the best film. Ulu Grosbard's Georgia was as tough competition for Figgis with four nominations as Larry Clark's sensational first film, Kids , which made four nominations but did not win the award for best debut film. Before the Rain beat Atom Egoyan's Exotica and Abbas Kiarostamis Across the Olive Grove (Zire darakhatan zeyton) and became Best Foreign Film. Samuel Fuller received a special award.
Winners and nominees
Best movie
Leaving Las Vegas - Lila Cazès , Annie Stewart
- The Addiction - Dennis Hann , Fernando Sulichin
- The Secret of Roan Babies (The Secret of Roan Inish) - Sarah Green , Maggie Renzi
- Living in Oblivion - Michael Griffiths , Marcus Viscidi
- Safe - Christine Vachon , Lauren Zalaznick
Best debut film
Little Sins Among Brothers (The Brothers McMullen) - Edward Burns , Dick Fisher
- Kids - Larry Clark , Cary Woods
- Little Odessa - James Gray , Paul Webster
- The Secret of the Bride (Picture Bride) - Kayo Hatto , Diane Mei Lin Mark , Lisa Onodera
- River of Grass - Kelly Reichardt
Best Actor
Sean Penn - Dead Man Walking - His Last Walk (Dead Man Walking)
- Nicolas Cage - Leaving Las Vegas
- Tim Roth - Little Odessa
- Jimmy Smits - My family (My Family)
- Kevin Spacey - Swimming with Sharks (Swimming with Sharks)
Best main actress
Elisabeth Shue - Leaving Las Vegas
- Jennifer Jason Leigh - Georgia
- Elina Löwensohn - Nadja
- Julianne Moore - Safe
- Lili Taylor - The Addiction
Best supporting actor
Benicio del Toro - The Usual Suspects (The Usual Suspects)
- James LeGros - Living in Oblivion
- David Morse - Crossing Guard - It happened on the open road (The Crossing Guard)
- Max Perlich - Georgia
- Harold Perrineau - Smoke
The best supporting actress
- Jennifer Lopez - My family (My Family)
- Vanessa Redgrave - Little Odessa
- Chloë Sevigny - Kids
- Celia Weston - Dead Man Walking - His Last Walk (Dead Man Walking)
Best screen debut
- Jason Andrews - Rhythmn Thief
- Lisa Bowman - River of Grass
- Gabriel Casseus - New Jersey Drive
- Rose McGowan - The Doom Generation
Best director
Mike Figgis - Leaving Las Vegas
- Michael Almereyda - Nadja
- Ulu Grosbard - Georgia
- Todd Haynes - Safe
- John Sayles - The Secret of Roan Babies (The Secret of Roan Inish)
Best script
Christopher McQuarrie - The Usual Suspects (The Usual Suspects)
- Tom DiCillo - Living in Oblivion
- Mike Figgis - Leaving Las Vegas
- Todd Haynes - Safe
- John Sayles - The Secret of Roan Babies (The Secret of Roan Inish)
Best screenplay debut
- James Gray - Little Odessa
- Harmony Korine - Kids
- Steve McLean - Post Cards from America
- Kelly Reichardt - River of Grass
Best camera
Declan Quinn - Leaving Las Vegas
- Elliot Davis - The Downside of the Coin (Underneath)
- Jim Denault - Nadja
- Tom Richmond - Little Odessa
- Newton Thomas Sigel - The Usual Suspects (The Usual Suspects)
Best foreign film
Before the Rain - Milčo Mančevski
- Exotica - Atom Egoyan
- I am Cuba (Soy Cuba) - Mikhail Kalatosow
- Across the olive grove (Zire darakhatan zeyton) - Abbas Kiarostami
- The City of Lost Children (La cité des enfants perdu) - Marc Caro , Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Someone to Watch Award
Christopher Münch - Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day
- Tim McCann - Without scruples (Desolation Angels)
- Jennifer Montgomery - Art for Teachers of Children
- Kelly Reichardt - River of Grass
- Rafal Zielinski - The Elevator
Special Distinction Award
Samuel Fuller "for his tremendous contributions to independent film"