12th Independent Spirit Awards

12th Independent Spirit Awards
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 →;

Last updated October 27, 2025

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]

Nominees and winners

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
5	Welcome to the Dollhouse
4	Big Night
	Dead Man
	Flirting with Disaster
	Manny & Lo
3	Caught
3	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

Someone to Watch Award

Larry Fessenden – Habit

Joe Brewster –The Keeper
Chris Smith – American Job

References

↑ "'Fargo' Is Leader in Spirit Award Nominations". Los Angeles Times. 1997-01-10. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
↑ "'Fargo' Wins Six Independent Spirits". Los Angeles Times. 1997-03-23. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
↑ "`Fargo' Big Winner Among Independents". Chicago Tribune. 1997-03-24. Retrieved 2012-08-16.

External links

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[1] "'Fargo' Is Leader in Spirit Award Nominations". Los Angeles Times. 1997-01-10. Retrieved 2012-08-16.

[2] "'Fargo' Wins Six Independent Spirits". Los Angeles Times. 1997-03-23. Retrieved 2012-08-16.

[3] "`Fargo' Big Winner Among Independents". Chicago Tribune. 1997-03-24. Retrieved 2012-08-16.

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v t e Independent Spirit Awards
Current categories	Best Film Best Director Best Lead Performance Best Supporting Performance Best Breakthrough Performance Best Cinematography Best Editing Best Documentary Feature Best First Feature Best International Film Best Screenplay Best First Screenplay Best New Scripted Series Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series John Cassavetes Award Robert Altman Award
Retired categories	Best Male Lead Best Female Lead Best Supporting Male Best Supporting Female Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series
Ceremonies	1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 (years are of film release; ceremonies are the following year)