Spirit Awards: Benny and Josh Safdie Win Best Director for 'Uncut Gems'

The brothers delivered their speeches simultaneously onstage in order to not get played off with music.

As the year's best in indie films were honored Saturday during the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards, Benny and Josh Safdie had more of a reason to celebrate after winning the best director prize for Uncut Gems.

The helmers beat out fellow nominees Alma Har'el (Honey Boy), Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers), Julius Onah (Luce) and Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse).

After taking the stage to accept their award, the two brothers spoke at the same time, expressing their individual thank-yous before anyone had the chance to play them off. Though difficult to comprehend, the two appeared to thank Sandler and the Uncut Gems team for their work on the film.

"Last time I was on this stage I fell twice," quipped Josh as he finished his speech, whereas Benny told his brother he loved him before the two left the stage.

Uncut Gems led the Spirit Awards with five nominations. The Adam Sandler starrer received mentions for best feature, director, editing, male lead and screenplay.

The pic — which marked a big-screen comeback for Sandler — tells the story of a New York jeweler and gambling addict who tracks down a rare gem in hopes of auctioning it off to pay his debts. Kevin Garnett, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Mike Francesa, Idina Menzel and Eric Bogosian also star.

Less than two weeks after its release on Christmas Day, the indie crime-thriller joined the list of the top-grossing movies with the most F-bombs, a group that also includes Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. Uncut Gems' count is roughly 500.

The R-rated indie pic opened to $20 million over the holiday frame, marking the top launch to date for specialty distributor A24.

Despite winning the prize for best male lead at the Spirit Awards, Sandler failed to earn an Oscar nom. The actor responded to the Oscar snub on Twitter, congratulating his Waterboy co-star Kathy Bates on her nod and celebrating that he no longer had to wear suits. When accepting his Spirit Award, he also poked fun at the Oscars snub, saying the "handsome good looks" of Oscar winners will "fade in time, whereas our independent personalities will shine on forever."

The Independent Spirit Awards aired live from Santa Monica on IFC. Aubrey Plaza hosted the ceremony for the second year in a row.