The 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards honored the best in independent film and television on Sunday with a star-packed ceremony hosted by SNL alum Aidy Bryant. This year’s Spirit Awards ceremony was a one-of-a-kind affair, full of moments that embodied the award show’s renegade spirit. (Where can we buy Bryant and Charles Melton’s matching T-shirts? Asking for a friend.)
Below, you’ll find some of the top GIFs and Clips from this year’s Spirit Awards, all of which we captured live on the official Spirit Awards GIPHY channel.
Most-Viewed GIFs: Sterling K. Brown, Aidy Bryant, Babak Jalali
Spirit Award nominee Sterling K. Brown, host Aidy Bryant and John Cassavetes Award winner Babak Jalali topped our list of the most-viewed GIFs of the night.
For starters, “American Fiction” star Jeffrey Wright won the night’s top acting award, taking home Best Lead Performance for his role in the film. This GIF of his castmate Sterling K. Brown applauding Wright as he got up to accept his award was the third most-viewed GIF of the night.
Spirit Awards host Aidy Bryant opened this year’s ceremony with a hilarious bit roasting some of the stars in the room (including Messi the Dog from “Anatomy of a Fall”). Bryant closed her opening monologue with a promise to “keep this loose like an Alaska Airlines flight.”
This GIF of that quote was the second most-viewed GIF of the night.
And finally, director Babak Jalali accepted the John Cassavetes Award on behalf of the crew behind the film “Fremont.” During his acceptance speech, Jalali acknowledged the protestors outside of the Spirit Awards calling for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war.
This GIF of Jalali acknowledging the protests was the most-viewed GIF of the night.
The Biggest Winners of the Night
This year’s ceremony was a historic one, as several directors and actors won their first-ever Spirit Awards.
For starters, Celine Song’s “Past Lives” swept the night’s top awards — Best Director and Best Feature — marking A24’s second consecutive year winning both categories.
The cast and crew of “Past Lives” joined Song on the stage after the film’s Best Feature win. Here’s what Song said in her acceptance speech:
“There is a concept in our film, an Eastern concept, and it’s called inyeon, and it is about how finding and being in the same space and time in this life means that we actually knew each other for many, many lives that came before this one. And I think that making this movie, I have felt this way about everybody who’s on stage here, and I know that they have felt the same.”
“The Holdovers” star Da’Vine Joy Randolph continued her awards season streak on Sunday, taking home the award for Best Supporting Performance.
During her acceptance speech, Randolph joked that making the film was like “doing a student film” and stressed the importance of indie filmmaking.
“Whatever resources we lacked, such as heated seats during a Boston winter, we made up for in care and determination every day. I was astonished by the level of innovation and creativity that our cast and crew exhibited in order to turn what limited resources we had into an incredible piece of art, all of which is a beautiful testament of what can happen when a small group of passionate people are given a chance to come together and tell the story.”
This year’s Spirit Awards also honored newcomers to the industry, such as Keivonn Montreal Woodard, who won Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series for his role as Sam in “The Last of Us.”
Woodard delivered his speech in American Sign Language. Here’s what he said:
“This is amazing! Thank you to everyone for supporting and continuing to support me.”
“The Holdovers” star Dominic Sessa was also honored for his performance in the film, winning Best Breakthrough Performance.
“The Holdovers” was Sessa’s first film role. He thanked his co-stars, Randolph and Paul Giamatti, for giving him “patience” as he acclimated to acting in front of a camera.
“You guys heard me, you saw me, you trusted me, you gave me patience every single day and that’s everything. You guys are unbelievable.”
All the Aidy Bryant Clips
SNL alum Aidy Bryant brought her A-game as this year’s Spirit Awards host, delivering plenty of laughs throughout the night.
From her opening monologue to this bit with Charles Melton, here’s a look at some of her best moments from the Spirit Awards, in Clips!
“We know it. We love it. We do it. We regret it.”
“Alright, I guess we have to do this stupid awards show or whatever.”
“I’ll see you later then, baby.”
“It wouldn’t be a beach party without hot dogs.”
“I love you guys!”
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