“Lost in Translation,” Sofia Coppola’s quirky tale of friendship in Tokyo, dominated Saturday’s Independent Spirit Awards, winning Best Picture and three other prizes.
Ms. Coppola won directing and screenplay honours and her star, Bill Murray, was named Best Actor for his role as a has-been movie star shooting whiskey ads in Japan.
First time nominee and Oscar contender Charlize Theron won the Best Actress award for playing serial killer Aileen Wuornos in “Monster,” which also received the Best First Feature prize for director Patty Jenkins.
Best Supporting Actor honours went to Djimon Hounsou as an artist dying of AIDS, in the Jim Sheridan-directed film “In America,” while Shohreh Aghdashloo was named Best Supporting Actress, as a compassionate Iranian immigrant in one of 2003’s best films, “House of Sand and Fog.”
Other Indie Spirit Award winners:
– Best film shot for under $500,000: “The Station Agent.”
– Best début performance: Nikki Reed, “thirteen.”
– Best first screenplay: Thomas McCarthy, “The Station Agent.”
– Best foreign film: “Whale Rider.”
– Best documentary: “The Fog of War.”
– Best cinematography: Declan Quinn, “In America.”
