“I’m Not There,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and “The Savages” also in focus at the independent film prize fest

By Matthew B. Zeidman

SANTA MONICA, CA (Hollywood Today) 2/23/08 – Independent film fans may be holding their breath in anticipation of tomorrow’s Oscars, featuring nominees like “Juno,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and “I’m Not There,” but many nominees have already won big at this afternoon’s Film Independent’s Spirit Awards.

“Juno,” the surprise comedy hit, which has grossed more than $127 million in domestic box office and made Ellen Page a household name, was the show’s big winner. The film took home winged statuettes for Best First Screenplay (writer Diablo Cody), Best Female Lead (Page) and the most coveted prize of the day, Best Feature.

“Jason [Reitman] and I actually hate each other, so this is amazing,” Cody joked, as she accepted her award. “This is the coolest award in the coolest category. There is nothing like writing your first screenplay, and then to do so and to find yourself in this company is like the most amazing experience imaginable.”

“This is pretty much all Diablo Cody’s fault,” Page remarked wryly after being handed her award. “She wrote one of the best screenplays that I have ever read and created an incredible character—a teenage female lead—that I just feel like we’ve never seen before.”

“I’m Not There,” the Bob Dylan biopic featuring portrayals of the singer/songwriter by actors of different ages, races and sexes, also did well, taking home the honor for Best Supporting Female (Cate Blanchett), as well as the Robert Altman Award created to honor the spirit of the directing great. As Todd Haynes accepted the Robert Altman Award on behalf of himself, casting director Laura Rosenthal and the entire cast of the film, he took the time to remember late actor Heath Ledger, one of the film’s stars.

“Honoring this amazing ensemble today is so bittersweet, given how shattered all of us are by Heath’s inconceivable absence,” said director Haynes. “I have no doubt he would have made an astounding director, and when I’m not looking bitterly or perhaps selfishly at the future of cinema without him, I treasure the time we shared on this film and the love and talent that he gave so freely.”

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” also performed admirably, taking home two awards—Best Director (Julian Schnabel) and Best Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski)—as did “The Savages,” which won Best Male Lead (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Best Screenplay (Tamara Jenkins).

Notably absent from the show’s list of nominees were big-budget Oscar hopefuls “There Will Be Blood” and “No Country For Old Men,” which host Rainn Wilson joked were “too upbeat” for the Spirit Awards.