'Crouching Tiger' Tops Indie Awards

Ang Lee Wins Another Director's Honor

Tim Lammers, Staff Writer
March 25, 2001, 12:35 p.m. EST

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Ang Lee's martial arts epic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" out-dueled yet another slew of awards competitors Saturday, grabbing three major Independent Spirit Awards including best feature.

The Mandarin language film, which is also nominated for 10 Oscars, snared best supporting actress honors for Zhang Ziyi and the best director award for helmer Ang Lee as well. It’s the latest in a long string of awards for Lee, who won the top feature film honor from the Director's Guild of America earlier this month.

"Crouching Tiger" wasn't the only Academy Award nominee to enjoy Independent Spirit success. Best actress and actor Oscar nominees Ellen Burstyn and Javier Bardem won Spirit trophies for "Requiem For a Dream" and "Before Night Falls," respectively. Other major Spirit winners were Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe, who took home best supporting actor honors for "Shadow of the Vampire," and Michelle Rodriguez, who won for best debut performance for "Girlfight."

Writers Guild of America winner and Oscar nominee Kenneth Lonergan scored two major victories Saturday, winning Spirit awards for best screenplay and best first feature.

Celebrating its 16th year, the Independent Spirit Awards were broadcast live on cable's Independent Film Channel. To qualify, the nominated films must have been made on a low budget, and have been financed independently wholly or at least in part. Major studio distribution of any film does not disqualify it from the competition.

Complete List Of Winners

• Best Feature: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
• Best Director: Ang Lee, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
• Best Female Lead: Ellen Burstyn, "Requiem for a Dream"
• Best Male Lead: Javier Bardem, "Before Night Falls"
• Best Supporting Female: Zhang Ziyi, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
• Best Supporting Male: Willem Dafoe, "Shadow of the Vampire"
• Best Debut Performance: Michelle Rodriguez, "Girlfight"
• Best First Feature: "You Can Count on Me"
• Best Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, "You Can Count on Me"
• Best First Screenplay: Gina Prince-Bythewood, "Love & Basketball"
• Best Feature under $500,000: "Chuck & Buck"
• Best Cinematographer: Matthew Libatique, "Requiem for a Dream"
• Best Foreign Film: "Dancer in the Dark"
• Best Documentary: "Dark Days"

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