SANTA MONICA, California, Feb 26 (AP/UNB) - "The Artist" has won best picture and three other prizes at the Spirit Awards honoring independent film, a possible prelude to a big night at the Academy Awards for the black-and-white silent film.

The film also won for best director Saturday for Michel Hazanavicius and lead actor for Jean Dujardin as a silent-era star whose career crumbles as talking pictures take over in the 1920s. It earned the cinematography prize, too.

"The Artist" is the best-picture favorite at Sunday's Oscars.

Michelle Williams won best actress as Marilyn Monroe in the filmmaking tale "My Week with Marilyn."
Supporting-acting honors went to Christopher Plummer as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in "Beginners" and Shailene Woodley as a troublesome Hawaiian teenager in "The Descendants."