12th Independent Spirit Awards

The 12th Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best in independent filmmaking for 1996, were announced on March 22, 1997. It was hosted by Samuel L. Jackson.^[1][2][3]

12th Independent Spirit Awards
Date	March 22, 1997
Site	Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Hosted by	Samuel L. Jackson
Highlights
Best Film	Fargo
Most awards	Fargo (6)
Most nominations	Fargo (6)
← 11th Independent Spirit Awards 13th →

Nominees and winners

Joel and Ethan Coen, winners of Best Screenplay

William H. Macy, winner of Best Male Lead

Frances McDormand, winner of Best Female Lead

Benicio del Toro, winner of Best Supporting Male

Elizabeth Peña, winner of Best Supporting Female

Best Feature	Best Director
Fargo Dead Man The Funeral Lone Star Welcome to the Dollhouse	Joel Coen – Fargo Abel Ferrara – The Funeral David O. Russell – Flirting with Disaster Todd Solondz – Welcome to the Dollhouse Robert M. Young – Caught
Best Male Lead	Best Female Lead
William H. Macy – Fargo Chris Cooper – Lone Star Chris Penn – The Funeral Tony Shalhoub – Big Night Stanley Tucci – Big Night	Frances McDormand – Fargo María Conchita Alonso – Caught Scarlett Johansson – Manny & Lo Catherine Keener – Walking and Talking Renée Zellweger – The Whole Wide World
Best Supporting Male	Best Supporting Female
Benicio del Toro – Basquiat Kevin Corrigan – Walking and Talking Matthew Faber – Welcome to the Dollhouse Gary Farmer – Dead Man Richard Jenkins – Flirting with Disaster	Elizabeth Peña – Lone Star Mary Kay Place – Manny & Lo Queen Latifah – Set It Off Lili Taylor – Girls Town Lily Tomlin – Flirting with Disaster
Best Screenplay	Best First Screenplay
Fargo – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Dead Man – Jim Jarmusch Flirting with Disaster – David O. Russell The Funeral – Nicholas St. John Lone Star – John Sayles	Big Night – Joseph Tropiano and Stanley Tucci Girl 6 – Suzan-Lori Parks Manny & Lo – Lisa Krueger Trees Lounge – Steve Buscemi The Whole Wide World – Michael Scott Myers
Best First Feature	Best Debut Performance
Sling Blade Big Night I Shot Andy Warhol Manny & Lo Trees Lounge	Heather Matarazzo – Welcome to the Dollhouse Jena Malone – Bastard Out of Carolina Brendan Sexton III – Welcome to the Dollhouse Arie Verveen – Caught Jeffrey Wright – Basquiat
Best Cinematography	Best Foreign Film
Fargo – Roger Deakins Bound – Bill Pope Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day – Rob Sweeney Dead Man – Robby Müller The Funeral – Ken Kelsch	Secrets & Lies • UK Breaking the Waves • Denmark Chungking Express • Hong Kong Lamerica • Italy Trainspotting • UK

Films that received multiple nominations

Nominations	Film
6	Fargo
5	The Funeral
	Welcome to the Dollhouse
4	Big Night
	Dead Man
	Flirting with Disaster
	Manny & Lo
3	Caught
	Lone Star
2	Basquiat
	Trees Lounge
	Walking and Talking
	The Whole Wide World

Films that won multiple awards

Awards	Film
6	Fargo

Special awards

Truer Than Fiction Award

When We Were Kings

• The Celluloid Closet
• Looking for Richard
• Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
• Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern

Someone to Watch Award

Larry Fessenden – Habit

• Joe Brewster – The Keeper
• Chris Smith – American Job