Chinese-American director Lulu Wang's movie 'The Farewell' won at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday. Adam Sandler received the Best Actor award. He also made fun of his exclusion from Sunday's Oscars.
Sandler received the award for his role as a jeweler addicted to gambling in ‘Uncut Gems.’ Brothers Josh and Benny Safdie received the prize as best directors for the film. "A few weeks back when I was quote, unquote, snubbed by the Academy, it reminded me when I briefly attended high school and was overlooked for the coveted yearbook superlative category best looking," Sandler said.
Calling the Oscar nominees "feather-haired douchebags," Sandler said: "Their handsome good looks will fade in time, while our independent personalities will shine on forever." The Spirit Awards honor independent films made under $20 million. Many of the nominees were women and actors or directors of color. On the other hand, only one of the actors nominated for an Oscar is non-white.
'The Farewell', featuring an all-Asian cast and filmed in both Mandarin and English, won the best feature film.
Wang, whose film was also overlooked at the Oscars, referred to the all-male Oscar director race. He said. "You don't have to encourage women. There are lots of women making films and who want to make films. What women need is jobs. Just give them the freakin' jobs. Give them the money."
