L.I.E. among Independent Spirit Award honorees

Actor Paul Franklin Dano was honored with the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his work as a troubled teenager in Michael Cuesta's L.I.E.. The film's producers, Rene Bastian and Linda Moran, also won the Motorola Producers Award. The awards, presented Saturday in a ceremony hosted by gay director John Waters, honor achievements in independent cinema. The big winners at the 2002 Independent Spirit Awards, presented by the Independent Feature Project/West, included Memento (Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Female), In the Bedroom (Best First Feature, Best Female Lead, Best Male Lead), and Ghost World (Best First Screenplay, Best Supporting Male). Going home empty-handed was John Cameron Mitchell, whose Hedwig and the Angry Inch was nominated in multiple categories, including Best Feature and Best Director. Here is a complete list of the 2002 Independent Spirit Award winners: Best Feature: Memento Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Memento Best Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, Memento Best Male Lead: Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom Best Female Lead: Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom Best Supporting Male: Steve Buscemi, Ghost World Best Supporting Female: Carrie-Anne Moss, Memento Best First Feature: In the Bedroom Best First Screenplay: Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff, Ghost World John Cassavetes Award (Best Feature Under $500,000): Jackpot Best Debut Performance: Paul Franklin Dano, L.I.E. Best Cinematographer: Peter Deming, Mulholland Drive Best Foreign Film: Amelie Best Documentary: Dogtown and Z-Boys Motorola Producers Award: Rene Bastian and Linda Moran Turning Leaf Coastal Reserve Someone to Watch Award: Debra Eisenstadt DIRECT TV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award: Monteith McCollum