For the last couple of years, it is becoming increasingly harder to tell the indies from the majors. When a truly indie film like LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE may just win the Best Picture Oscar race on Sunday evening, the distinctions leave those in and out of the industry just a little bit confused. So, let's just do away with labels and appreciate the films that made the strongest impressions, and leave our dictionaries at the door.
The 2007 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards ceremony airs live on Saturday, February 24, beginning at 5:00 pm EST on the Independent Film Channel. Live red carpet footage will precede the show starting at 4:30 pm EST on WE tv, and an edited re-broadcast of the ceremony will air later that evening on American Movie Classics. Actress/comedienne Sarah Silverman will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the second year in a row.
A list of nominees follows, and we will report the winners in a special Saturday posting. In addition to the winners in competitive categories, Film Independent, the Los Angeles-based professional association that sponsors the event, will be honoring director David Lynch and actress Laura Dern with a Special Distinction Award for their collaborative work on three of Lynch's films, BLUE VELVET, WILD AT HEART and the recent INLAND EMPIRE.
INDEPENDENT SPIRT AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE
American Gun
Producer: Ted Kroeber
The Dead Girl
Producers: Tom Rosenberg, Henry Winterstern, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright, Eric Karten, Kevin Turen
Half Nelson
Producers: Jamie Patricof, Alex Orlovsky, Lynette Howell, Anna Boden, Rosanne Korenberg
Little Miss Sunshine
Producers: Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa
Pan’s Labyrinth
Producers: Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuarón, Frida Torresblanco, Alvaro Augustin, Guillermo Del Toro
BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Altman
A Prairie Home Companion
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Little Miss Sunshine
Ryan Fleck
Half Nelson
Karen Moncrieff
The Dead Girl
Steven Soderbergh
Bubble
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Day Night Day Night
Director: Julia Loktev
Producers: Julia Loktev, Melanie Judd, Jessica Levin
Man Push Cart
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Producers: Ramin Bahrani, Pradip Ghosh, Bedford T. Bentley III
The Motel
Director: Michael Kang
Producers: Matthew Greenfield, Miguel Arteta, Gina Kwon, Karin Chien
Sweet Land
Director: Ali Selim Producers: Alan Cumming, James Bigham, Ali Selim
Wristcutters: A Love Story
Director: Goran Dukic
Producers: Adam Sherman, Chris Coen, Tatiana Kelly, Mikal P. Lazarev
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Chalk
Director: Mike Akel Producers: Mike Akel, Angie Alvarez, Graham Davidson, Chris Mass Writers: Chris Mass & Mike Akel
Four Eyed Monsters
Writer/Director/Producers: Arin Crumley & Susan Buice
Old Joy
Director: Kelly Reichardt Producers: Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy, Anish Savjani, Neil Kopp Writers: Jon Raymond & Kelly Reichardt
Quinceanera
Writer/Directors: Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland Producer: Anne Clements
Twelve and Holding
Director: Michael Cuesta Producers: Leslie Urdang, Michael Cuesta, Brian Bell, Jenny Schweitzer Writer: Anthony S. Cipriano
BEST SCREENPLAY
Neil Burger
The Illusionist
Nicole Holofcener
Friends with Money
Ron Nyswaner
The Painted Veil
Jason Reitman
Thank You For Smoking
Jeff Stanzler
Sorry, Haters
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Michael Arndt
Little Miss Sunshine
Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
Half Nelson
Goran Dukic
Wristcutters: A Love Story
Dito Montiel
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Gabrielle Zevin
Conversations with Other Women
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Shareeka Epps
Half Nelson
Catherine O’Hara
For Your Consideration
Elizabeth Reaser
Sweet Land
Michelle Williams
Land of Plenty
Robin Wright Penn
Sorry, Haters
BEST MALE LEAD
Aaron Eckhart
Thank You For Smoking
Ryan Gosling
Half Nelson
Edward Norton
The Painted Veil
Ahmad Razvi
Man Push Cart
Forest Whitaker
American Gun
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Melonie Diaz
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Marcia Gay Harden
American Gun
Mary Beth Hurt
The Dead Girl
Frances McDormand
Friends with Money
Amber Tamblyn
Stephanie Daley
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Alan Arkin
Little Miss Sunshine
Raymond J. Barry
Steel City
Daniel Craig
Infamous
Paul Dano
Little Miss Sunshine
Channing Tatum
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Arin Crumley
Four Eyed Monsters
Anthony Dod Mantle
Brothers of the Head
Guillermo Navarro
Pan’s Labyrinth
Aaron Platt
Wild Tigers I Have Known
Michael Simmonds
Man Push Cart
BEST DOCUMENTARY
A Lion in the House
Directors: Steven Bognar & Julia Reichert
My Country, My Country
Director: Laura Poitras
The Road to Guantanamo
Directors: Michael Winterbottom & Mat Whitecross
The Trials of Darryl Hunt
Directors: Annie Sundberg & Ricki Stern
You’re Gonna Miss Me
Director: Keven McAlester
BEST FOREIGN FILM
12:08 East of Bucharest (Romania)
Director: Corneliu Porumboiu
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (Philippines)
Director: Auraeus Solito
Chronicle of an Escape (Argentina)
Director: Israel Adrián Caetano
Days of Glory (France/Morocco/Algeria/Belgium)
Director: Rachid Bouchareb
The Lives of Others (Germany)
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
SPECIAL AWARDS - IFC/Acura Someone to Watch Award
So Yong Kim
director of In Between Days
Julia Loktev
director of Day Night Day Night
Richard Wong
director of Colma: The Musical
SPECIAL AWARDS - Axium Truer Than Fiction Award
Adele Horne
The Tailenders
Eric Daniel Metzgar
The Chances of the World Changing
AJ Schnack
Kurt Cobain About A Son
SPECIAL AWARDS - Axium Producers Award
Julie Lynn
producer of Nine Lives and 10 Items or Less
Alex Orlovsky and Jamie Patricof
producers of Half Nelson and Point & Shoot
Howard Gertler and Tim Perell
producers of Shortbus and Pizza
Sandy Mandelberger, Awards Watch Editor
24.02.2007 | Editor's blog
Cat. : Aaron Eckhart Aaron Platt Wild Tigers Adam Sherman Adele Horne Alan Cumming Albert Berger Alex Orlovsky Alfonso Cuarón Algeria Ali Selim Wristcutters Alvaro Augustin American film directors Angie Alvarez Anish Savjani Anna Boden Anna Boden Annie Sundberg Anthony Dod Mantle Arin Crumley Arin Crumley Four Bedford T. Bentley III The Motel Belgium Bertha Navarro Blue Velvet Brian Bell Bucharest Chris Coen Chris Mass Writers Cinema of the United States Daniel Craig Infamous Paul Daniel Metzgar Darryl Hunt David Lynch David T. Friendly Day Night Day Night Richard Wong Days Julia Loktev Department of Defense Director: Florian Henckel von DonnersmarckSPECIAL AWARDS Elizabeth Reaser Sweet Eric Karten Escape Films France Frida Torresblanco Gabrielle Zevin Gary Lucchesi Gina Kwon Goran Dukić Graham Davidson Guillermo Del ToroBEST DIRECTOR Robert Altman A Half Nelson Henry Winterstern Howard Gertler Human Interest Human Interest Israel Adrián Caetano James Bigham Jamie Patricof Jamie Patricof Jay Van Hoy Jenny Schweitzer Jessica Levin Man Push Cart Jon Raymond Jonathan Dayton Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Julia Loktev Julia Loktev Karin Chien Sweet Land Kelly Reichardt Quinceanera Keven McAlesterBEST Kevin Turen Half Nelson Producers Kurt Cobain Lars Knudsen LAURA DERN Laura Poitras Leslie Urdang Little Miss Sunshine Little Miss Sunshine Los Angeles Lynette Howell Marc Turtletaub Marcia Gay Harden Matthew Greenfield Melanie Judd Melonie Diaz Michael Cuesta Miguel Arteta Mikal P. LazarevJOHN CASSAVETES AWARD Chalk Mike Akel Morocco Neil Kopp Writers Nelson Edward Norton Oscar Oscars Peter Saraf Pradip Ghosh Ramin Bahrani Ramin Bahrani Raymond J. Barry Richard Wright Ricki Stern Ron Yerxa Pan Rosanne Korenberg Little Miss Sunshine Producers Ryan Fleck Ryan Fleck Half Ryan GoslingHalf Sarah Silverman Shareeka Epps Steven Bognar Steven Soderbergh Sunshine Anna Boden Sunshine Channing Tatum Sunshine Raymond Sunshine Ryan Fleck Half Susan Buice Old Tatiana Kelly Tatum A Guide Ted Kroeber The 2007 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards Tim Perell Tom Rosenberg Valerie Faris Little Miss