Mya Taylor makes history as the first trans actor to win a major film award for her work in the film, “Tangerine” as she takes the Supporting Actress award at the 2015 Independent Spirit Awards.
Two things to note from yesterday’s Indie Spirit Awards held in Santa Monica, California…or, two things of possible interest if you’re LGBTQ and/or a fan of Seattle film making.
Transgender actor MYA TAYLOR became the first trans actor to win a Spirit Award for her work as a supporting actor in the drama “Tangerine”. The popular film had several screenings in Seattle last year and received considerable press attention for the fact the film was shot on an iPhone by director Sean Baker and used an app for the iPhone created by a local Seattle company.
“I came from almost nothing,” a beaming Taylor said from the stage following a standing ovation. “My life did a total 360.”
Taylor was the only Spirit Award winner from the film. Her co-star and fellow trans actor Kitana Kiki Rodriguez was nominated as Female Lead but lost to Brie Larson for her work in the film, “Room”. Trans actor Harmony Santana was the first trans nominated actor for a Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2011 for her role in “Gun Hill Road”.
And…
Seattle based film producer Mel Eslyn won the Piaget Producer’s Award at this year’s Spirit Awards.
2) Seattle based film maker/producer MEL ESLYN won the Piaget Producer’s Award. She’s best known for producing several locally made films including Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister and Touchy Feely.
Via the Spirit Awards website:
The Producers Award, now in its 19th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Mel Eslyn is an independent film producer who splits her time between Seattle and Los Angeles. She produced the 2014 Sundance Film Festival hit The One I Love, directed by Charlie McDowell and starring Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass and Ted Danson (Radius/TWC theatrical release August 2014). At the 2015 SXSW Film Festival Mel premiered two features, Ross Partridge’s Lamb (The Orchard) and Todd Rohal’s Uncle Kent 2 (Factory 25), both in theaters early 2016. Her other features include Improvement Club, Your Sister’s Sister,Treatment, and Touchy Feely. Mel is currently in post on her latest features The Intervention (d. Clea DuVall), Dreamland (d. Robert Schwartzman) and Lane 1974 (d. SJ Chiro), the Seattle-based web series Rocketmen (d. Web Crowell), and is currently in development on a slate of films for Duplass Brothers Productions.
Congrats to Mel and bravo for Seattle filmmaking…even, the mumblecore-y kind!
Here’s the complete list of winners:
Best Feature
Anomalisa
Beasts of No Nation
Carol
Spotlight — WINNER
Tangerine
Best Director
Sean Baker, Tangerine
Cary Joji Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation
Todd Haynes, Carol
Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson, Anomalisa
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight — WINNER
David Robert Mitchell, It Follows
Best Screenplay
Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa
Donald Margulies, The End of the Tour
Phyllis Nagy, Carol
Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer, Spotlight — WINNER
S. Craig Zahler, Bone Tomahawk
Best First Feature
The Diary of a Teenage Girl — WINNER
James White
Manos Sucias
Mediterranea
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Best First Screenplay
Jesse Andrews, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Jonas Carpignano, Mediterranea
Emma Donoghue, Room — WINNER
Marielle Heller, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
John Magary, Russell Harbaugh, Myna Joseph, The Mend
Best Male Lead
Christopher Abbott, James White
Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation — WINNER
Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind
Jason Segel, The End of the Tour
Koudous Seihon, Mediterranea
Best Female Lead
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room — WINNER
Rooney Mara, Carol
Bel Powley, The Diary of A Teenage Girl
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Tangerine
Best Supporting Male
Kevin Corrigan, Results
Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation — WINNER
Richard Jenkins, Bone Tomahawk
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Best Supporting Female
Robin Bartlett, H.
Marin Ireland, Glass Chin
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anomalisa
Cynthia Nixon, James White
Mya Taylor, Tangerine — WINNER
Best Documentary
(T)error
Best of Enemies
Heart of a Dog
The Look of Silence — WINNER
Meru
The Russian Woodpecker
Best International Film
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Embrace of the Serpent
Girlhood
Mustang
Son of Saul — WINNER
Best Cinematography
Beasts of No Nation
Carol — WINNER
It Follows
Meadlowland
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Best Editing
Heaven Knows What
It Follows
Manos Sucias
Room
Spotlight — WINNER
John Cassavetes Award (Best Feature Under $500,000)
Advantageous
Christmas, Again
Heaven Knows What
Krisha — WINNER
Out of My Hand
Robert Altman Award (Best Ensemble)
Spotlight
Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award
Chloe Zhao
Felix Thompson — WINNER
Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
Piaget Producers Award
Darren Dean
Mel Eslyn — WINNER
Rebecca Green and Laura D. Smith
Tags: Mel Eslyn, Mya Taylor, Seattle Film, Spirit Awards, Tangerine, Trans* Actors
