Virginia Yapp
Lulu Wang’s moving drama, The Farewell, came out of last year’s Sundance Film Festival with major buzz—and this past Saturday, the film’s fairytale journey came to an end when the writer/director took to the stage to accept the Best Feature statue at the Independent Spirit Awards. Fittingly, Wang dedicated the award to her grandmother, Nai Nai, who inspired the film’s script, as well as her parents.
“I’m sorry, Mom and Dad, for putting all of your baggage out there, but thank you,” she quipped during the ceremony in Santa Monica, where The Farewell’s Zhao Shuzhen also took home the Best Supporting Female prize.
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But The Farewell wasn’t the only Sundance-supported title to take home a big prize this past weekend: Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s American Factory, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, took home Best Documentary Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards.
And finally, writer/director/producer Rashaad Ernesto Green took home the Spirit Awards’ Someone to Watch Award for Premature, his acclaimed romantic comedy starring Zora Howard and Joshua Boone.
Next up, see our full recap of this year’s Festival and its films, from The Truffle Hunters to Palm Springs to Never Rarely Sometimes Always.
