Clint Bentley's lyrical Denis Johnson adaptation ''Train Dreams " won the top film award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles, while ''Adolescence'' dominated the television categories. Both were released on Netflix.
Bentley also won best director for the film starring Joel Edgerton, whom he thanked profusely for ''being the heartbeat of our film.''
''We're so grateful to Netflix,'' Bentley said. ''It's very, very hard these days to film in the United States, but it's worth it and we're proud to be able to pull it off."
Edgerton missed out on the top acting prize, however, which went to Rose Byrne for ''If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.'' The organization switched to gender-neutral acting categories in 2022.
Byrne was one of the few actors nominated for both a Spirit Award and an Oscar, for her performance as a mother on the edge.
''I share this with Mary Bronstein, my writer-director who fought for eight years to get this movie made,'' Byrne said.
She added that this was a film that could have only been made independently. Her character, she said, is ''fierce and ferocious and a middle-aged woman.''
''Adolescence'' won new scripted series, best actor for Stephen Graham, best supporting actor for Erin Doherty, and the breakthrough prize for Owen Cooper.
