The gay cowboys of Brokeback Mountain lassoed the best feature prize at the Independent Spirit Awards, the art-house world's equivalent of the Oscars, on Saturday, a day before the picture competes for a leading eight honors at the Academy Awards.
Oscar nominee
Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee (李安) was named best director for the his work on the acclaimed drama, but the film had to share the spotlight with three other double-winners that will also vie for Oscar glory.
Lee says he feels less pressure to win Oscars for Brokeback Mountain than five years ago when he was nominated for the best director award for his film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
"I'm more at ease this time," Lee told Taiwanese television reporters in Los Angeles on Saturday, on the eve of the Oscars ceremony.
"I was nervous last time, likely because I shouldered a cultural mission for reinvigorating the Chinese-language film industry back then," Lee said.
Unexpected
The gay cowboy love story has become so popular in the US that it has created a sort of a "cultural phenomenon," Lee said, noting it's something he had not expected.
From politicians to teenage basketball players, people try to crack a joke or make a point by referring to the film's name or plot, he said.
There is traditionally little crossover with the Academy Awards, since the Oscars generally favor big studio films. But this year could prove the exception as Brokeback Mountain has swept almost every awards show.
The Independent Spirit Awards are organized by Film Independent, a group that nurtures indie filmmakers, and winners are determined by the group's 9,000 members nationwide.
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