'Sideways' sweeps Spirit Awards

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 26 (UPI) -- The road-trip comedy "Sideways" swept the the 20th Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica Sunday, winning six awards including Best Feature.

"Sideways" writer-director Alexander Payne won for Best Director and shared the award for Best Screenplay with his long-time writing partner Jim Taylor. Paul Giamatti won for Best Male Lead, while Virginia Madsen was named Best Supporting Female and Thomas Haden Church was Best Supporting Male.

Catalina Sandino Moreno -- appearing in her first feature film -- won Best Female Lead, and writer-director Josh Marston won for Best First Screenplay, for the drug-smuggling drama "Maria Full of Grace."

"Garden State," written and directed by "Scrubs" star Zach Braff, won for Best First Feature. Writer-director Jacon Aaron Estes won the John Cassavetes Award, for Best Feature made for under $500,000, for "Mean Creek."

"The Motorcyle Diaries" won two awards -- Best Debut Performance for Rodrigo de la Serna, and Best Cinematography for Eric Gautier.

"The Sea Inside" won for Best Foreign Film, and "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" was named Best Documentary.

The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards were presented in ceremonies televised live on the Independent Film Channel, with Samuel L. Jackson as emcee.