Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced that the 2015 Spirit Awards will be broadcast exclusively on IFC on February 21, 2015, live at 2:00 pm PT / 5:00 pm ET. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the award show that celebrates the best of independent film. Joel Gallen of Tenth Planet Productions has been named executive producer of the show that will be held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. Producer Shawn Davis returns for his 13th show.
“We wanted to shake things up to mark the 30th anniversary,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh, “and I think by broadcasting live from the beach we’ll do just that.”
Gallen’s credits include the Emmy nominated specials Stand Up To Cancer (2014, 2012), the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert (2009), Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief (2010) and the Emmy and Peabody Award winning America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001). He produced the MTV Movie Awards for 12 consecutive years from 1995 to 2006. He has also produced the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony since 2003 and the Comedy Central Roasts for the last 10 years including the most recent roast featuring James Franco. Gallen will executive produce and direct the upcoming Concert for Valor for HBO on November 11.
Gallen said, “Producing the MTV Movie Awards for more than a decade gave me the opportunity to stir up the traditional award show format and I plan to ‘mix it up’ again in my approach to the Spirit Awards. And with the show going 100% live, look for a faster-paced and energized show.”
In addition to celebrating the broad spectrum of independent filmmaking, the Spirit Awards is also the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and promote diversity in the industry.
