Kate McKinnon and Kumail Nanjiani arent not famous.
McKinnon is the current showcase star ofSaturday Night Live, with a looming next-big-Wiig movie career.
Nanjiani is an ascendant comedy-nerd hero with a lead role onSilicon Valley.
Credit: Randall Michelson/WireImage
Still, the two actors started off their gig hosting the2016 Film Independent Spirit Awardswith abashed self-deprecation.
Most awards shows get bigtime celebrity hosts.
You wound up with us, said Nanjiani.
A gay woman and a Pakistani man.
Or as Hollywood thinks of us: a straight woman and her IT guy.
The Spirit Awards took place the day before the Academy Awards.
Were going to flash some nip.
Were going to nominate some people who arent white.
Beyond that, there wasnt much explicit Oscar talk.
But the Spirit Awards nevertheless comprised a quiet political statement in a year full of conversations about cinematic representation.
Attah returned to the stage later in the evening to accept a Best Male Lead prize.
The Best Supporting Female award went to Mya Taylor, forTangerine.
And she ended her speech with a message for the filmmakers in the audience: There is transgender talent.
Theres very beautiful transgender talent.
So, you better get it out there and put it in your next movie.
Its maybe wrong to compare the Spirit Awards too directly with the Oscars.
(Also,Bone Tomahawkhad two Spirit nominations, and the Oscars would never nominateBone Tomahawkfor anything.)
