The 34th Film Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best independent films of 2018, were presented by Film Independent on February 23, 2019. The nominations were announced on November 16, 2018 by actresses

Molly Shannon Molly Shannon (born September 16, 1964) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2001. In 2017, she won the Film Independent Spirit Award for playing Joanne ...

and

Gemma Chan Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is an English actress. A graduate of Worcester College, Oxford, Chan began acting during the late 2000s, making her film debut in 2009. She rose to attention with her leading role in the Channel 4 science fiction ...

. The ceremony was televised in the United States by IFC, taking place inside its usual tent setting on a beach in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. It was hosted by

Aubrey Plaza Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began performing Improvisational theatre, improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. After graduating from New York University ...

Winners and nominees

Films with multiple nominations and awards

Special awards

John Cassavetes Award The Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award is presented to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $1,000,000 by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It is named aft ...

En el séptimo día ''En el séptimo día'' (English: ''On the Seventh Day'') is a 2017 American Spanish-language independent drama film directed by Jim McKay (director), Jim McKay. Set over the course of seven days, the film depicts a group of undocumented Mexican i ...

'' * ''A Bread Factory'' * '' Never Goin' Back'' * ''

Sócrates Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira (19 February 1954 – 4 December 2011), simply known as Sócrates , was a Brazilian footballer who played as a midfielder. His medical degree and his political awareness, combined with s ...

'' * '' Thunder Road''

Robert Altman Award (Best Ensemble)

(The award is given to its film director, casting director, and ensemble cast) * ''

Suspiria ''Suspiria'' is a 1977 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Dario Argento, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daria Nicolodi, partially based on Thomas De Quincey's 1845 essay '' Suspiria de Profundis''. The film stars Jessica Harper ...

Kiehl's Someone to Watch Award

Recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl's. * Alex Moratto – ''

'' ** Ioana Uricaru – ''

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

'' **

Jeremiah Zagar Jeremiah Zagar (; born 1981) is an American filmmaker. He has directed the feature films '' We the Animals'' (2018) and '' Hustle'' (2022). The former was nominated for five categories at the 34th Independent Spirit Awards. He also directed the ...

– ''

We the Animals ''We the Animals'' (2011) is the debut novel by American author Justin Torres. It is a bildungsroman about three wild brothers of white and Puerto Rican parentage who live a rough and tumble childhood in rural upstate New York during the 1980s ...

The BONNIE Award

Recognizes mid-career women directors with a body of work that demonstrates uniqueness of vision and a groundbreaking approach to film making. The award includes a $50,000 unrestricted grant funded by American Airlines. *

Debra Granik Debra Granik (born February 6, 1963) is an American filmmaker. She is most known for 2004's '' Down to the Bone,'' which starred Vera Farmiga, 2010's ''Winter's Bone,'' which starred Jennifer Lawrence in her breakout performance and for which G ...

Tamara Jenkins Tamara Jenkins (born May 2, 1962) is an American filmmaker and occasional actress. She is best known for her feature films '' Slums of Beverly Hills'' (1998), '' Private Life'' (2018), and '' The Savages'' (2007). She received an Academy Award f ...

Karyn Kusama Karyn Kiyoko Kusama (born March 21, 1968) is an American filmmaker. She made her feature directorial debut with the sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000), for which she won Best Director and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival an ...

Piaget Producers Award

Honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by

Piaget Piaget () may refer to: People with the surname * Édouard Piaget (18171910), Swiss entomologist * Jean Piaget (18961980), Swiss developmental psychologist * Paul Piaget (disambiguation), several people * Solange Piaget Knowles (born 1986), Ameri ...

. * Shrihari Sathe ** Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ** Gabrielle Nadig

Truer than Fiction Award

Presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. * Bing Liu – ''

Minding the Gap ''Minding the Gap'' is a 2018 documentary film directed by Bing Liu and produced by Liu and Diane Moy Quon through Kartemquin Films. It chronicles the lives and friendships of three young men growing up in Rockford, Illinois, united by their lo ...

'' **

Alexandria Bombach Alexandria Bombach is an American filmmaker. Career Bombach is from Santa Fe, New Mexico. They graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. In 2009, they founded the production company, Red Reel. Their first film, ''23 Feet'' (2011), "c ...

– ''

On Her Shoulders ''On Her Shoulders'' is a 2018 American documentary film. It was directed by Alexandria Bombach and produced by Hayley Pappas, Brock Williams and Elizabeth Schaeffer Brown under the banner of RYOT Films. The film follows Iraqi Yazidi human right ...

'' ** RaMell Ross – ''

Hale County This Morning, This Evening ''Hale County This Morning, This Evening'' is a 2018 American documentary film about the lives of African Americans in Hale County, Alabama. It is directed by RaMell Ross and produced by RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes, Su Kim, and is Ross's first non ...

References

External links

* {{IS Awards Chron

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...