The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, announced today the winners of the 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards(tm) at a ceremony held at New York City’s Cipriani Wall Street.
Presented by IFP, the Gotham Independent Film Awards(tm) is one of the leading awards for independent film and the first major honors of the film awards season. As previously announced, the awards ceremony streamed live in its entirety for the first time to a global audience via a partnership with Ustream.com. The show was streamed at www.ustream.tv/gothamawards2009.
A total of 22 films received nominations in six competitive categories, including: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You(r).
For the second year, the recipient of the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You award will receive a cash award of $5,000 provided by Reiff & Associates, a full service brokerage firm specializing in Arts & Entertainment Insurance.
In addition to the competitive awards, career tributes were presented to actors Natalie Portman and Stanley Tucci, filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow and producer/executives Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, Co-Chairman of Working Title Films. The awards ceremony was hosted by the up-and-coming comedian, Kumail Nanjiani.
The 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Award(tm) Recipients
Best Feature presented by actress Shohreh Aghdashloo.
THE HURT LOCKER
Directed and produced by Kathryn Bigelow; Written and produced by Mark Boal; Produced by Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro
Released by Summit Entertainment
The Best Feature Jury included: actress Shohreh Aghdashloo; filmmakers Julie Taymor and William Friedkin, producer Wendy Finerman and musician/composer Stewart Copeland.
Best Documentary presented by actor Melonie Diaz and filmmaker Brett Morgen
FOOD, INC.
Directed and produced by Robert Kenner; Produced by Elise Pearlstein
Released by Magnolia Pictures
The Best Documentary Jury included: editor Sabine Hoffman and filmmakers Edet Belzberg, Albert and Allen Hughes, Brett Morgen and Julia Reichert.
Breakthrough Director Award presented by actors Rosie Perez and Anthony Mackie
ROBERT SIEGEL
Writer and director, BIG FAN
Released by First Independent Pictures
The Breakthrough Director Jury included: actors William H. Macy and Rosie Perez, filmmaker Marc Forster, producer Heather Rae, director of photography Matthew Libatique, and editor Christopher Tellefsen.
Breakthrough Actor Award presented by actors Ellen Burstyn and Oliver Platt
CATALINA SAAVEDRA
Actress, THE MAID
Released by Elephant Eye Films
The Breakthrough Actor Jury included: actors Ellen Burstyn, Melonie Diaz and Oliver Platt, and filmmakers Jesse Peretz and David O. Russell.
Best Ensemble Performance Award presented by actress and author Brooke Shields and writer/director Richard LaGravenese.
Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse and Evangeline Lilly in THE HURT LOCKER
Released by Summit Entertainment / Casting director: Mark Bennett
The Best Ensemble Performance Jury included: actors Dylan Baker, America Ferrera, Brooke Shields, writer/director Richard LaGravenese, and producer Susan Stover.
Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Award presented by actors Patricia Clarkson and Sam Rockwell.
YOU WONT MISS ME
Ry Russo-Young, director, producer and co-writer
The recipient of The Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You(tm) award was determined by the editors of Filmmaker magazine, a publication of IFP, and a curator from The Museum of Modern Art.
The Premier sponsor of the 2009 Gotham Independent Film Awards(tm) is The New York Times. The awards were promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on Tuesday, November 24th. Presenting Sponsors: A Diamond Is Forever, Focus Features, Stella Artois and Universal Pictures.
About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)
After debuting with a program in the 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit IFP has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premier advocate for them. Since its start, IFP has supported the production of 7,000 films and provided resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers’ voices that otherwise might not have been heard. IFP believes that independent films broaden the palette of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism.
Currently, IFP represent a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships, and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology, and business of independent filmmaking (there are special programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender, and sexual diversity). IFP builds audiences by hosting screenings, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions and also bestows the Gotham Independent Film Awards(tm), the first honors of the film awards season. When all is said and done, IFP fosters the development of 350 feature and documentary films each year. www.ifp.org
About the Gotham Independent Film Awards(tm)
The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition. For info: http://gotham.ifp.org
