Leave it to the indie film crowd to add some spice to the weekend.

During an awards season in which many boldfaced names have been playing it safe when it comes to weighing in on hot button cultural and political issues — not counting Guillermo del Toro who shouted “fuck AI” at New York’s Gotham Awards — the handful of boldfaced names who made it to the podium at Saturday’s Spirit Awards brunch did not shy away from sharing their passionate takes.

But first, official business: Film Independent brought its typically beachside act to the London West Hollywood to host Spirit Award nominees for an airy rooftop brunch. (For years, Santa Monica hosted the brunch at Casa Del Mar and the Spirit Awards in a tent on the beach.) Aside from serving up avocado toast, tacos and Lavazza espresso martinis, the org doled out $75,000 in grants to emerging artists. Hannah Einbinder and Natasha Rothwell teamed to announce the winners in front of a starry crowd that included Ethan Hawke, Zoey Deutch, Joel Edgerton, Dylan O’Brien, Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, Rebecca Hall, Kyle Marvin, Jane Levy and Tig Notaro, and the team from Come See Me in the Good Light.

“What’s up freaks,” the Hacks Emmy Award-winning star said in greeting the crowd. “How are we feeling? Are we on a frequency all together as one?” Rothwell certainly was. After exchanging compliments, she said to Einbinder, “I’m going to touch myself later and think about you.”

Film Independent acting president was thinking about the rollercoaster that was 2025. “Last year we endured quite a moment and we are just so grateful that we were able to navigate the many things happening in the world and even within the industry with all of you. We’re emerging now with greater energy, with greater purpose. And we are very excited to be in the brighter days ahead that we knew were waiting for us.”

It was a bright day for Tony Yang who won the first prize of the afternoon, the Producers Award sponsored for the first time by Producers United. Finalists for the honor, which comes with a $25,000 unrestricted grant, included Emma Hannaway and Luca Intili.

“Being a producer to me has always meant creating the best possible environment for everyone around me to succeed, for the people around me to feel the most creative, most free to do their best work. And the key word here is — not ChatGPT, not generative AI, not ,” Yang said in his acceptance speech. “It is the real people here and the real independent filmmakers in this room that inspire me and continue to inspire audiences with their works of art. There’s no greater community than ours that harnesses the power of storytelling into its most vulnerable, raw and authentic form.”