"Lost" Sweeps Spirits

Nothing got lost in translation.

Sofia Coppola's darkly comic film about two jet-lagged American misfits in Tokyo seeking comfort in each other's companionship swept the 2004 IFP/Independent Spirit Awards, capturing Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Male Lead for Bill Murray.

It's unusual for Independent Spirit and Academy Award nominees to overlap, but this year Lost in Translation is nominated in all the same categories for both shows.

Even when they are nominated for both sets of awards, Spirit winners historically don't fare as well at the Oscars. That means Coppola, as well as all four winners in the major acting categories could be out of luck at Sunday's Academy Awards, if choices run true to type.

The Spirit Awards serve as a sort of anti-establishment awards show, adhering to a dressed-down and low-key atmosphere, in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the next day's Oscars.

The ceremony takes place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, and stars are more likely to show up in jeans than Chanel.

Thirteen-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes, star of Best Foreign Film, Whale Rider, and an Oscar nominee for Best Actress, said the relaxed atmosphere kept her mind off Sunday's events.

"It's nice to come here--I'm using it as a distraction," Castle-Hughes said.

Seemingly equally at ease (or perhaps just acting like it) was fellow Oscar nominee Charlize Theron, who captured Best Female Lead for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster.

In addition to the Spirit Award, Theron has already won Best Actress recognition from the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes and looks to complete her sweep on Sunday.

"I have a date and a dress and we'll just see what happens," she said.

Monster director Patty Jenkins was also a winner for Best First Feature for her brutal telling of Wuornos' story--the drug-addicted prostitute killed seven men during a nine-month period in 1989 and 1990 and was executed for her crimes.

Shohreh Aghdashloo took the prize for Best Supporting Female for House of Sand and Fog and claimed to be "happiness personified."

She told reporters that she wanted to use her celebrity to encourage young Iranians to keep fighting for human rights in their country, but that she would not bring her politics to the red carpet.

"[The awards] are purely artistic, I'm not going to ruin it with a political message," Aghdashloo said. "My presence is political; I don't need to shout it out."

Djimon Hounsou won the prize for Best Supporting Male for In America, and said he was proud to be the first to win the award for his country, the West African nation of Benin.

Backstage, celeb presenters such as Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal were treated to elaborate gift baskets, courtesy of On 3 Productions, and valued at $21,000. The most coveted goodies up for grabs included TiVos--most stars were snatching up their second or third--and a Loews movie pass for two, good for one year.

The excitement of it all proved exhausting for some--when asked what her plans were following the awards, Best Debut Performance winner Nikki Reed (Thirteen) exclaimed, "I'm not going to any parties--I'm going to stay home and eat pizza!"

Here's a complete list of the winners of the 2004 IFP/Independent Spirit Awards:

Film: Lost in Translation Director: Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation Actor: Bill Murray, Lost in Translation Actress: Charlize Theron, Monster Supporting Actor: Djimon Hounsou, In America Supporting Actress: Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Sand and Fog Debut Performance: Nikki Reed, Thirteen Screenplay: Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation Cinematography: In America Documentary: The Fog of War Foreign Film: Whale Rider First Film: Monster First Screenplay: Thomas McCarthy, The Station Agent John Cassavetes Award (best feature under $500,000): The Station Agent Producers Award: Mary Jane Skalski, The Station Agent, The Jimmy Show Turning Leaf Someone to Watch: Andrew Bujalski, Funny Ha Ha DIRECTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award: Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk, Lost Boys of Sudan Special Distinction Award: 21 Grams