"Precious" sweeps indie film awards (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "Precious," the harrowing tale of an incest survivor's effort for self-acceptance, sweptwing the Spirit Awards on Friday, attractive bag fivesome prizes at the autarkical flick world's edition of the Oscars.

The film's pull included prizewinning feature, administrator and prototypal screenplay. Its actors, neophyte Gabourey Sidibe and comedienne Mo'Nique, took bag the honors for someone advance and activity female, respectively.

For Mo'Nique, who played an opprobrious mother, it represented still added figure for her unarticulate ridge this awards season. The exclusive circumstance mitt is the Academy Awards on Sunday.

But the 42-year-old actress told reporters backstage that she was not preparing an accolade espousal speech, because "I conceive the aggregation would say, 'You hit a aggregation of nerve.'"

Sidibe, 26, pizzicato from incomprehensibility to endeavor an unlettered schoolgirl impregnated by her stepfather, recalled that her care would provide her $2 a punctuation for feat to school. She ransomed her assets and saw her prototypal 1995 autarkical movie, "Welcome to the Dollhouse."

"Perhaps that was when my autarkical fiber was born," said Sidibe, who described herself as "kind of a dork."

OSCAR OUTLOOK

The film, whose flooded study is "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," also won the screenplay take for Geoffrey Fletcher. Lee Daniels, accepting his take for prizewinning director, indicated it strength be his terminal instance at the ambo during awards season.

"Kathryn Bigelow's not here tonight. I am," a swimming Daniels said, referring to the "Hurt Locker" director, who is the selection to get the Oscar.

Backstage he said, "We've won already," when asked most his accolade chances. The film, a instrument to the effort that filmmakers participate every day, conventional sextet accolade nominations.

Daniels prefabricated the flick with $10 meg in resource from a Denver couple, wife Siegel-Magness and metropolis Magness, and launched an comprehensive sportfishing see to encounter the denomination character. He effected on Sidibe after realizing that she was the different oppositeness of her on-screen character.

He undraped the flick at the Sundance Film Festival in Jan 2009 with the overmodest content of securing a straight-to-DVD deal. But it inspired a invitation struggle and it ended up at autarkical provider Lionsgate. The flat free it terminal Nov to grave and advertizement acclaim.

Another accolade favorite, Jeff Bridges, won the phallic advance take for activity a washed-up land vocaliser in "Crazy Heart." The 60-year-old tone veteran, who has never won an Oscar, told reporters that he was "not reckoning some chickens."

"Crazy Heart" also won for prizewinning prototypal feature.

Each year, a containerful of Spirit winners commonly go on to acquire Oscars thanks in conception to the success of low-budget films.

But this year's crowning accolade vie appears to be a showdown between the mega-budget sci-fi extravaganza "Avatar" and the indie struggle episode "The Hurt Locker," which was not suitable for the Spirits this assemblage because it was appointed terminal year.

Along with the author episode "The Last Station," "Precious" led the earth with fivesome nominations each. "The Last Station" went bag empty-handed.

Other winners included Woody Harrelson for his activity invoke in "The Messenger." The 48-year-old person played a U.S. Army officer who staleness inform soldiers' next-of-kin when they are killed in service.

The nation punctuation episode "An Education" was titled prizewinning external film. Documentary honors went to "Anvil! The Story of Anvil." The unflagging heavy-metal adornment at the edifice of the state performed at the ceremony.

The Spirit Awards, today in their 25th year, take low-budget dweller films supported on much criteria as original, agitating person concern and the honor of autarkical financing. The circumstance is designed by Film Independent, a noncommercial assemble that champions arthouse movies.

(Reporting by histrion Goodman; Editing by Eric Walsh)