Moonlight dominates Independent Spirit Awards with six wins ahead of Oscars

Moonlight dominated the Independent Spirit Awards ahead of the Oscars as it came away with six wins including Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Feature.

The previous three Spirit Awards Best Feature winners all went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars.

Moonlight, a beautifully-shot drama about growing up gay and black in Miami, won every award it was nominated for at the 32^nd annual indie awards.

Directed by Barry Jenkins, Moonlight is based on the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue and follows the story of Chiron, who is played by three actors throughout his life - Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and finally Trevante Rhodes, and Naomie Harris as his mother.

None of the actors playing Chiron were allowed to meet in real life before the film's completion, despite performing with strikingly similar mannerisms.

The film now holds the record for the most awards won by a single film this decade at the ceremony.

The Spirit Awards only nominate films made for around £16 million or less, therefore disqualifying Academy Awards favourite La La Land, which has 14 Oscar nominations compared to Moonlight’s eight nods.

O.J.: Made in America won best documentary over Ava DuVernay’s 13th and Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro. All three are also Oscar-nominated.

Coming-of-age tale American Honey went home empty-handed despite getting six nods.

Best feature

Moonlight

Best male lead

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Best female lead

Isabelle Huppert, Elle

Best supporting male

Ben Foster, Hell or High Water

Best supporting female

Molly Shannon, Other People

Best director

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Best screenplay

Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney, Moonlight

Best documentary

O.J.: Made in America

Best international film

Toni Erdmann

Best cinematography

James Laxton, Moonlight

Best editing

Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon, Moonlight

Best first feature

The Witch

Best first screenplay

Robert Eggers, The Witch