The Spirit Awards celebrates artist-driven filmmaking and recognizes the finest achievements of today’s independent filmmakers.
2012 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
- $115,000 in grants to be awarded to filmmakers -
LOS ANGELES (Novembe...
Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced nominations for the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards this morning. Anthony Mackie and Kate Beckinsale served as presenters. Nominees for Best Feature include 50/50, Beginners, Drive, Take Shelter, The Descendants and The Artist.Margin Call was selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ense...
The inspirational TRUE STORY about Sam Childers and the civil conflict in Sudan, “Machine Gun Preacher”, Due out Nov 2, 2011Executive producer of “Machine Gun Preacher”, Louise Rosner, is brave, fearless, pretty, and personable. She traveled to Sudan and Uganda back in January of 2010 for pre-production research and scouting, and stated that, “Going to Sudan was especially intimidating. The director, Marc Forster (“The Kite Runner”), the screenwriter, Jason Keller, and I, had to...
Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced the program for its 10th annual Directors Close-Up series, taking place February 2 - March 2, 2011 at The Landmark - West Los Angeles. Writer/Directors James Gray (Two Lovers) and Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and Los Angeles Film Festival Artistic Director David Ansen will be moderators. Series panelists include writer/directors Lisa...
by Marc Halperin
The USC School of Cinematic Arts and
Visions and Voices and The USC Arts & Humanities Initiative in conjunction with Danjaq and Eon Productions presented a special program taking us behind the scenes of the world’s most well known secret agent on the 6 through the 8th of November, 2009. Nine of the popular films were shown during three days and two panel discussions were presented with stars and members of the production team. This was a tribute to th...
The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) announced today that three-time Academy Award® nominee Johnny Depp will be honored with the prestigious Career Achievement Award at this year's Film Festival, taking place December 10-17 in Nassau. The announcement was made by BIFF Founder and Executive Director Leslie Vanderpool.
Depp will be on hand for the special tribute and presentation at the Balmoral Club in Nassau. Legendary leading man Sir Sean Connery will again be lending his ful...
Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced today that the 2010 Spirit Awards will be held on Friday evening March 5 at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. The event will be held in a tent on the complexís panoramic event deck beginning at 8:00 p.m. Over the past 25 years, the event has been held at various locations in Los Angeles, including 385 North Restaurant, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Beverly Hills Hotel, R...
Ischia Global Fest 2009 – OFFICIAL PROGRAM
SATURDAY JULY 11
LACCO AMENO
8:00pm: Museo Villa Arbusto: Tony Renis and Olivia Magnani to open the “Mina’s exhibit”
ISCHIA PORTO
8:30pm – Piazza San Girolamo – Welcome to Ischia Global 2009 with Olivia Magnani and
Riccardo Marone, minister Tourism and Industry Campania Region
FORIO
8:30pm – Piazzale del Soccorso – Welcome to Ischia Global 2009 with Tony Renis
LACCO AMENO (by...
Ischia Global Fest 2009 – OFFICIAL PROGRAMSATURDAY JULY 11LACCO AMENO8:00pm: Museo Villa Arbusto: Tony Renis and Olivia Magnani to open the “Mina’s exhibit”ISCHIA PORTO8:30pm – Piazza San Girolamo – Welcome to Ischia Global 2009 with Olivia Magnani andRiccardo Marone, minister Tourism and Industry Campania RegionFORIO8:30pm – Piazzale del Soccorso – Welcome to Ischia Global 2009 with Tony RenisLACCO AMENO (by invitation only)9:00pm – Albergo Regina Isabella: Special Screening ...
Christoph Waltz, Best actor in Cannes for ‘Inglourious Basterds' by Quentin Tarantino will attend the seventh Ischia Global Film & Music Fest, the summer event film world, which opens Sunday in Ischia 12 July with three Music superstars Sting, Andrea Bocelli and Zucchero. On their side the actresses Jacqueline Bisset and Elsa Pataki, directors Paul Haggis, Marc Forster, Francesca Archibugi and Dario Argento, the set designers Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo, producers, Riccardo T...
Christoph Waltz, Best actor in Cannes for ‘Inglourious Basterds' by Quentin Tarantino will attend the seventh Ischia Global Film & Music Fest, the summer event film world, which opens Sunday in Ischia 12 July with three Music superstars Sting, Andrea Bocelli and Zucchero. On their side the actresses Jacqueline Bisset and Elsa Pataki, directors Paul Haggis, Marc Forster, Francesca Archibugi and Dario Argento, the set designers Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo, producers, Riccardo Tozzi a...
The Ischia Film Festival and the APE award MarcForster’s film[Ischia,July 19th 2009] The Ischia Film Festival awards “007 Quantum of Solace”,directed by Marc Forster and the 22nd chapter of the film saga dedicatedto James Bond’s adventures .TheForeign Award 2009 is assigned every year to the international movieproductions that selected Italy as the location for their shooting . Since thisyear it will be assigned with the APE – Executive Producers Association – thatembraced its philos...
Film Independent announced today that Rebecca Yeldham is joining the organization as the Director of the Los Angeles Film Festival, effective immediately. Rachel Rosen serves as Director of Programming for Film Independent and the Los Angeles Film Festival, and had been working with Film Independent’s Senior Director Sean McManus as interim Co-Directors during the search for a new Festival Director. “Rebecca has a wide range of experience in the industry and she’s an inspiring leader -...
Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, announced today the ninth annual Directors Close-Up: Conversations on the Art of Filmmaking, formerly known as the Director Series, which will be held February 4 – March 11, 2009 at The Landmark - West Los Angeles. Attendees will have access to some of the most innovative names in independent filmmaking, with Mary Sweeney (“The Straight Story,” “Mulholland Drive”), David Lynch’s long time creative collaborator, serving as moderato...
The Top 10 winners of the 13th Annual Slamdance Screenplay Competition have been announced, with a screenplay about numbers taking top honors. Numbered writer Neil McGowan, who works as an administrative assistant for a non-profit research and analysis company and is a first time screenwriter, was given a $7,000 cash prize for best feature-length screenplay during an awards presentation hosted by the Writers Guild of America, West.Other winners (ordered 2nd through 10th place) include: Goodman...
The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival runs from 15 October – 30 October. The programme, announced today by Artistic Director Sandra Hebron, includes a record number of world and international premieres with a total of 189 features and 108 shorts screening alongside a stellar line-up of special events and expected guests.Opening Night film, Ron Howard’s FROST/NIXON, is one of the Festival’s 15 world premieres and the Closing Night Gala is the European premiere of Danny Boyle’s SLUMDOG M...
In 2009, the Slamdance Film Festival, the preeminent festival whose sole mission is to nurture, support and showcase truly independent works, is celebrating a milestone: its 15th Anniversary. From now until next summer, Slamdance will commemorate this watershed year with a series of special events and happenings, beginning next month with alumni directors Christopher Nolan and Steven Soderbergh screening their Slamdance –debuted films, followed by Q & A sessions and parties. In their contin...
The 12th Annual Hollywood Film Festival(r) and Hollywood Awards(r), presented by STARZ, announced today the launch of their "Hollywood Trailer Festival" and "Hollywood Trailer Awards." This is the first major festival honoring feature film previews. The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the festival."We are very excited that we will be recognizing the great art form of creation and production of film trailers," de Abre...
The 12th Annual Hollywood Film Festival(r) and Hollywood Awards(r), presented by STARZ, announced today the launch of their "Hollywood Trailer Festival" and "Hollywood Trailer Awards." This is the first major festival honoring feature film previews. The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the festival."We are very excited that we will be recognizing the great art form of creation and production of film trailers," de Abreu said.The "Hollywood Trailer ...
Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, announced today the eighth-annual Director Series will be held February 20 – March 26, 2008 at The Landmark West Los Angeles, giving attendees access to some of the most innovative names in independent filmmaking. Oscar® nominated writer José Rivera (“The Motorcycle Diaries”) will serve as moderator for the first time.“The Director Series is a unique event which provides film lovers with a rare opportunity to hear and learn from toda...
FINDING A LOST KABUL IN OUTBACK CHINAAustralian born producer Rebecca Yeldham has been through some wild filmmaking when shooting The Motorcycle Diaries in deepest Peru, but that now seems tame after “the wild ride” that was the making of The Kite Runner in even deeper Western China, she tells Andrew L. Urban.From the start, the question of where to shoot The Kite Runner loomed over the production. The story would require the wholesale re-creation of several disparate worlds that no longer e...
The Kite Runner, the highly anticipated film adaptation of the best-selling novel, directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster’s Ball) will close this year’s prestigious 4th Dubai International Film Festival 2007 on December 16, it was announced today. The closing night event will be attended by author Khaled Hosseini and the film’s key cast including Khalid Abdalla (United 93), Homayoun Ershadi, Zekiria Ebrahami, Ali Danesh Bakhtyari, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada and Sayed Jafar Massi...
The 11th Annual Hollywood Film Festival's "Hollywood Awards(r)" ceremony, honoring independent filmmakers and established Hollywood professionals, was held last night before a standing-room-only audience of over 1,200 Hollywood Film Festival(r) attendees at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.The festival, presented by STARZ, announced this year's winner of the "Hollywood Movie of the Year Award" -- Zach Snyder's "300" -- which was chosen by the public voting online at the Yahoo! Movies we...
Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, announced today the third-annual Filmmaker Forum will be held October 19- 21 at the Directors Guild of America, giving attendees access to some of the most innovative names in indie filmmaking. “Our Filmmaker Forum is not your conventional ‘How to Make it in the Business’ seminar,” said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent. “It’s an honest, off-the-record discussion about a filmmaker’s options. Our highly respect...
The 2007 Sundance Film Festival opened with the premiere of director Brett Morgan’s animated feature “Chicago 10”. The director is an alumni of the festival and first appeared here with his biopic of legendary producer Robert Evans “The Kid Stays in the Picture”. This feature combines motion capture animation and archival footage to explore trial of 10 activists accused of inciting riots during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. The film looks into the heart of the sixties rad...