'Krisha' Leads The Winners At The Inaugural American Independent Film Awards

It’s one down and hopefully many more to come for the American Independent Film Awards. The group issued their inaugural awards over the weekend, celebrating the best films of 2016 that worked with budgets of $1 million or less.

Leading the pack with five wins was Trey Edward Shults‘ “Krisha,” as it picked up Best Film, Best Director, Best Lead Performance, Best Score, and Best Original Screenplay. That’s a heckuva feat. Other wins of note include Molly Shannon for her turn in “Other People,” and in the Michael Cimino Award category (for films made between $1 and $3 million), Anna Biller‘s “The Love Witch” took the prize.

READ MORE: Surprise: ‘Moonlight’ Tops ‘Manchester By The Sea’ And ‘La La Land’ At WGA Awards 

Check out the full list of winners below.

BEST FILM (10 Noms)
#10. White Girl – Director: Elizabeth Wood
#9. Always Shine – Director: Sophia Takal
#8. The Other Side – Director: Roberto Minervini
#7. Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party – Director: Stephen Cone
#6. The Eyes of My Mother – Director: Nicolas Pesce
#5. Little Sister – Director: Zach Clark
#4. The Invitation – Director: Karyn Kusama
#3. Kate Plays Christine – Director: Robert Greene
#2. The Fits – Director: Anna Rose Holmer
#1. Krisha – Director: Trey Edward Shults

BEST DIRECTOR
Trey Edward Shults, Krisha

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Trey Edward Shults, Krisha

BEST IMPROVISATIONAL SCREENPLAY
Kate Plays Christine

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Krisha Fairchild, Krisha

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Molly Shannon, Other People

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER
Paul Yee, The Fits

BEST EDITOR
Robert Greene, Kate Plays Christine

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Christina Blackaller, The Greasy Strangler

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Sam Hensen, The Eyes of My Mother

BEST HAIR & MAKE-UP
Michelle Sfarzo, The Greasy Strangler

BEST SCORE
Brian McOmber, Krisha

The NOBUDGE FILM AWARD
Fort Buchanan, Benjamin Crotty

THE MICHAEL CIMINO BEST FILM AWARD (Films with a budget between 1M to 3M)
Winner: The Love Witch – Director: Anna Biller
Runner up: Certain Women – Director: Kelly Reichardt