'Birdman' vs 'Boyhood' Oscar battle heats up after Spirit Awards

Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (C) accepts Best Feature for 'Birdman' onstage with actors Michael Keaton, Emma Stone and Zach Galifianakis and producer Arnon Milchan during the 2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards. AFP Photo

Dark showbiz satire "Birdman," and coming-of-age tale "Boyhood," took the top honors at the Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 21, a day before Hollywood's biggest night when both will face off in the top Oscars categories.
   
"Birdman," nominated for nine Oscars on Sunday, won three Spirit Awards, including the top prize of best feature.
   
"We're threatened as a species into extinction," Alejandro Irritu, director of "Birdman," said of independent filmmakers in his acceptance speech. "These kinds of awards are where we can celebrate the cinema that is being forgotten."
   
"Birdman" led the nominees with five nods along with jazz drama "Whiplash," which won two accolades, and civil rights drama "Selma," which left empty handed.
   
"Boyhood," filmed over a span of 12 years and nominated for six Oscars, won the best director award for Richard Linklater and best supporting actress for Patricia Arquette.
   
All four acting categories were won by Oscar-nominated frontrunners, including Michael Keaton for best actor for "Birdman." In his acceptance speech, he called the film "bold cinema," and a "game-changer."
   
Julianne Moore was named best actress for her portrayal of a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease in "Still Alice."
   
"I was lucky enough to come in at the beginning of the independent film movement and its really shaped my life and career," she said in an emotional acceptance speech.
   
The 30th annual Spirit Awards, hosted by Film Independent, honors the best achievements across movies made under $20 million and are often an indicator of Academy Award winners, with drama "12 Years a Slave," taking top honors at both the Spirit Awards and Oscars last year.
   

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