Kristen Stewart and Nick Offerman were among the movie stars giving a middle finger salute to Vladimir Putin at the 2022 Independent Spirit Awards this week.
The stars offered an angry message to the Russian President over his invasion of Ukraine and the war crimes he stands accused of as hundreds of Ukrainian civilians have been killed and over 1.7 million have fled the country.
The invasion was mentioned in many of the acceptance speeches, but Putin himself was singled out early on for the communal offensive hand gesture and an F-bomb from one of the hosts.
"Before we keep going, we'd like to take a minute to extend our best wishes to those affected by the war in Ukraine, and all unjust conflict around the world," said Offerman, co-host of the ceremony.
Co-host Megan Mullally, who is also Offerman's wife, added: "I think we speak for everyone here when we say we are hoping for a quick and peaceful resolution. Specifically, f**k off and go home, Putin."
Offerman continued: "Yes, that is the quick and peaceful resolution we're talking about. That Vladimir Putin f**ks off and goes home. And to that end, let's all join together and send him off with a Spirit Awards salute: To Putin!"
Among those seen in the live broadcast flipping off Putin was Stewart, who later gave an impassioned message to the people of Ukraine while presenting an award.
"We stand for independence as a community, we stand for freedom of expression, we stand for humanity, today we are compelled to stand with the people of Ukraine," the Twilight star said.
"They are risking their lives to fight for those very things. We stand with the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing this war, both Ukrainians and those of other ethnicities and nationalities being denied safe harbour.
"We must never ever take for granted the importance of courage, empathy and the power of connecting. The power of understanding each other feels really good."
The 37th Independent Spirit Awards took place on Sunday (local time) in Santa Monica and broadcast on IFC. Netflix's The Lost Daughter won three prizes, including the night's biggest award, Best Feature.
