Best Picture The Artist
Best Cinematography Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
Best Screenplay Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball
Best Director Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Foreign Language Film A Separation
Best Actor Brad Pitt, Moneyball & The Tree of Life
Best Actress Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Best Supporting Actor Albert Brooks, Drive
Best Supporting Actress Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life, The Help, and Take Shelter
Best First Feature Margin Call
Best Non-Fiction Film Cave of Forgotten Dreams

2012 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
- $115,000 in grants to be awarded to filmmakers -

LOS ANGELES (November 29, 2011) – 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 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 ensemble cast.

“The Film Independent Spirit Awards recognize the finest artistic achievements across the broad spectrum of independent filmmaking—from emerging talent working on a shoestring budget to established auteurs,” said Film Independent Senior Director Sean Mc Manus. “The 2012 nominees tell their stories in such an authentic way and reflect the inclusive nature of the independent filmmaking community. We are delighted to support them and expand the audience for their work.”

“The Spirit Awards focuses primarily on American independents, so it was an honor to serve alongside an esteemed and dedicated group of indie film colleagues to determine many of the 2012 nominees,” said producer and Chair of the American Narrative Feature Nominating Committee Gail Mutrux. “It was an invigorating process—experiencing first-hand the vast array of storytelling that defines independent film, and discovering many new talents whose films inspired us.”

Winners will be announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 25, 2012. The 27th annual awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on IFC. Winners of the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants will be highlighted during the awards ceremony and announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 277 submissions this year and applied the following guidelines in determining the nominations: uniqueness of vision, original and provocative subject matter, economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost & individual compensation), and percentage of financing from independent sources. The Spirit Awards Nominating Committee was comprised of the following committees:

The American Narrative Nominating Committee was chaired by producer Gail Mutrux and included: film critic/journalist Robert Abele; writer Dustin Lance Black; producers Stuart Cornfeld, Barry Mendel; actors Dale Dickey, André Royo, Souléymane Sy Savané; cinematographers Paula Huidobro, Stephen Goldblatt; writer/directors Courtney Hunt, Robert D. Siegel; writer/director/producer Malcolm D. Lee; director Floria Sigismondi; casting director Margery Simkin; and writer Dan Waters.

The Documentary Feature Nominating Committee was chaired by CEO Landmark Theatres Ted Mundorff and included: producer Lesley Chilcott; KCET’s Juan Devis; director Laura Gabbert; author/filmmaker Nelson George; filmmaker John Maringouin; San Francisco Film Society’s Director of Programming Rachel Rosen; and Los Angeles Times and NPR’s “Morning Edition” film critic Kenneth Turan.

The International Feature Nominating Committee was chaired by filmmaker Mary Sweeney and included: actors Shohreh Aghdashloo, Demián Bichir; Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Director of Digital Strategy Eugene Hernandez; director Leon Ichaso; writer/director Larry Karaszewski; producer/director Hossein Keshavarz; cinematographer Ellen Kuras; composer Cliff Martinez; and producer Frida Torresblanco.

The Piaget Producers Award Nominating Committee was chaired by producer Brian Udovich and included: producers Anish Savjani, Lynette Howell and Amy Kaufman.

The Someone to Watch Award Nominating Committee was chaired by producer Alison Dickey and included: filmmaker Jay Duplass; Dallas Film Society Artistic Director James Faust; Denver Post film critic Lisa Kennedy; and writer/director Daniel Stamm.

The Truer Than Fiction Award Nominating Committee was chaired by film critic Wesley Morris and included: filmmakers Ava DuVernay, Laura Poitras; filmmaker/cinematographer PJ Raval; and programmer Laura Thielen.

As the first event to exclusively honor independent film, the Film Independent Spirit Awards has made a name for itself as the premier awards show for the independent film community. Artists who have received industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel & Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Edward Burns, Aaron Eckhart, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Hilary Swank, Marc Forster, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan, Zach Braff, Amy Adams, Lena Dunham and many more.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards are sponsored by Premier Sponsors ELLE, Piaget and Jamesonâ Irish Whiskey. WireImage is the Official Photographer and PR Newswire is the Official Breaking News Service of Film Independent.

For more information on submission guidelines, voting, media and publicist credentials, and the history of the Spirit Awards, please visit SpiritAwards.com.

ABOUT THE FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS
Now in its 27th year, the Film Independent Spirit Awards is an annual celebration honoring artist-driven films made with an economy of means by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. The Spirit Awards recognizes the achievements of American independent filmmakers and promotes the finest independent films of the year to a wider audience.

For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

2012 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not listed)
50/50
Producers: Evan Goldberg, Ben Karlin, Seth Rogen
Beginners
Producers: Miranda de Pencier, Lars Knudsen, Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Jay Van Hoy
Drive
Producers: Michel Litvak, John Palermo, Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker, Adam Siegel
Take Shelter
Producers: Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin
The Artist
Producer: Thomas Langmann
The Descendants
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius
The Artist
Mike Mills
Beginners
Jeff Nichols
Take Shelter
Alexander Payne
The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn
Drive

BEST SCREENPLAY
Joseph Cedar
Footnote
Michel Hazanavicius
The Artist
Tom McCarthy
Win Win
Mike Mills
Beginners
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
The Descendants

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
Another Earth
Director: Mike Cahill
Producers: Mike Cahill, Hunter Gray, Brit Marling, Nicholas Shumaker
In the Family
Director: Patrick Wang
Producers: Robert Tonino, Andrew van den Houten, Patrick Wang
Margin Call
Director: J.C. Chandor
Producers: Robert Ogden Barnum, Michael Benaroya, Neal Dodson, Joe Jenckes, Corey Moosa, Zachary Quinto
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Director: Sean Durkin
Producers: Antonio Campos, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach, Josh Mond
Natural Selection
Director: Robbie Pickering
Producers: Brion Hambel, Paul Jensen

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Mike Cahill, Brit Marling
Another Earth
J.C. Chandor
Margin Call
Patrick deWitt
Terri
Phil Johnston
Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser
50/50

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000.  Award given to the writer, director, and producer.  Executive Producers are not listed
Bellflower
Writer/Director: Evan Glodell
Producers: Evan Glodell, Vincent Grashaw
Circumstance
Writer/Director: Maryam Keshavarz
Producers: Karin Chien, Maryam Keshavarz, Melissa M. Lee
Hello Lonesome
Writer/Director/Producer: Adam Reid

Pariah
Writer/Director: Dee Rees
Producer: Nekisa Cooper
The Dynamiter
Writer: Brad Inglesby
Director: Matthew Gordon
Producers: Kevin Abrams, Matthew Gordon, Merilee Holt, Art Jones, Mike Jones, Nate Tuck, Amile Wilson

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Lauren Ambrose
Think of Me
Rachael Harris
Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye
Pariah
Elizabeth Olsen
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams
My Week with Marilyn

BEST MALE LEAD
Demián Bichir
A Better Life
Jean Dujardin
The Artist
Ryan Gosling
Drive
Woody Harrelson
Rampart
Michael Shannon
Take Shelter

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Jessica Chastain
Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston
50/50
Janet McTeer
Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana
Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley
The Descendants
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Albert Brooks
Drive
John Hawkes
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer
Beginners
John C. Reilly
Cedar Rapids
Corey Stoll
Midnight in Paris
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Joel Hodge
Bellflower
Benjamin Kasulke
The Off Hours
Darius Khondji
Midnight in Paris
Guillaume Schiffman
The Artist
Jeffrey Waldron
The Dynamiter

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
An African Election
Director/Producer: Jarreth Merz
Bill Cunningham New York
Director: Richard Press
Producer: Philip Gefter
The Interrupters
Director/Producer: Steve James
Producer: Alex Kotlowitz
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
Director/Producers: Eric Strauss, Daniele Anastasion
We Were Here
Director/Producer: David Weissman

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
A Separation
(Iran)
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Melancholia
(Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany)
Director: Lars von Trier
Shame
(UK)
Director: Steve McQueen
The Kid With a Bike
(Belgium/France/Italy)
Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Tyrannosaur
(UK)
Director: Paddy Considine

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 15th annual Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Chad Burris
Mosquita y Mari
Sophia Lin
Take Shelter
Josh Mond
Martha Marcy May Marlene

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 18th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Simon Arthur
Silver Tongues
Mark Jackson
Without
Nicholas Ozeki
Mamitas

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 17th annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Heather Courtney
Where Soldiers Come From
Danfung Dennis
Hell and Back Again
Alma Har’el
Bombay Beach

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Margin Call
Director: J.C. Chandor

Casting Director: Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey

Ensemble Cast: Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci

BY DISTRIBUTOR

DISTRIBUTOR
FILM TITLE(S)
# OF NOMINATIONS
Fox Searchlight
Another Earth, Cedar Rapids, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Shame, The Descendants, Win Win
14
Sony Pictures Classics
A Separation, Footnote, Midnight in Paris, Take Shelter
9
Focus Features
Beginners, Pariah
6
The Weinstein Company
My Week with Marilyn, The Artist
6
FilmDistrict
Drive
4
Roadside Attractions
Albert Nobbs, Circumstance, Margin Call
4
Summit Entertainment
50/50, A Better Life
4
The Cinema Guild
Natural Selection, The Interrupters
3
Oscilloscope Laboratories
Bellflower
2
No Distributor
The Dynamiter
2
ATO Pictures
Terri
1
Bodega Studios
Hello Lonesome
1
Focus World
Bombay Beach
1
International Film Circuit
Where Soldiers Come From
1
Magnolia Pictures
Melancholia
1
Millenium Entertainment
Rampart
1
Motion Film Group
Gun Hill Road
1
New Video
Hell and Back Again
1
Red Flag Releasing
We Were Here
1
Strand Releasing
Tyrannosaur
1
Sundance Selects
The Kid With a Bike
1
Zeitgeist Films
Bill Cunningham New York
1
No Distributor
An African Election
1
No Distributor
In the Family
1
No Distributor
Mamitas
1
No Distributor
Mosquito y Mari
1
No Distributor
The Off Hours
1
No Distributor
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
1
No Distributor
Silver Tongues
1
No Distributor
Think of Me
1

44 FILMS NOMINATED

TOTALS PER FILM

FILM TITLE
# OF NOMINATIONS
Take Shelter
5
The Artist
5
Beginners
4
Drive
4
The Descendants
4
Martha Marcy May Marlene
4
50/50
3
Another Earth
2
Bellflower
2
Cedar Rapids
2
Margin Call
2
Midnight in Paris
2
Natural Selection
2
Pariah
2
The Dynamiter
2
A Better Life
1
A Separation
1
Albert Nobbs
1
An African Election
1
Bill Cunningham New York
1
Bombay Beach
1
Circumstance
1
Footnote
1
Gun Hill Road
1
Hell and Back Again
1
Hello Lonesome
1
In the Family
1
Mamitas
1
Melancholia
1
Mosquito y Mari
1
My Week with Marilyn
1
Rampart
1
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
1
Shame
1
Silver Tongues
1
Terri
1
The Interrupters
1
The Kid With a Bike
1
The Off Hours
1
Think of Me
1
Tyrannosaur
1
We Were Here
1
Where Soldiers Come From
1
Win Win
1

New York, NY (November 28, 2011) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, announced today the winners at the 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards ceremony in New York City’s Cipriani Wall Street.

Presented by IFP, the Gotham Independent Film AwardsTM 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 to a global audience at www.ifp.org.

A total of 29 films received nominations in seven competitive categories, including: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Audience Award and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You®.

For the second year, IFP will honor the recipient of the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You award with a theatrical release package so the winner WILL show at a Theater Near You. The package includes a one-week run at Cinema Village in New York City, advertising support in the New York Times, and a cash award of $15,000 from The Royal Bank of Canada.

New this year, IFP is proud present the inaugural euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumnus of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film.

In addition to the competitive awards, career tributes were given to actors Gary Oldman and Charlize Theron (Theron tribute sponsored by euphoria Calvin Klein), director David Cronenberg and Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairman and CEO, Tom Rothman.

. The 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film AwardTM Recipients:

Best Feature presented by Tilda Swinton A Tie between: BEGINNERS Directed by Mike Mills

Produced by Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Miranda de Pencier, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen Released by Focus Features

TREE OF LIFE Directed by Terrence Malick Produced by Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill Released by Fox Searchlight The Best Feature Jury included: Anne Carey, Jodie Foster, Nicole Kidman, Lee Percy, and Natalie Portman

Best Documentary presented by director Bennett Miller and documentarian Chris Hegedus. BETTER THIS WORLD Directed and produced by Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega

Produced by Mike Nicholson The Best Documentary Jury included: Jonathan Caouette, Keiko Deguchi, Rachel Grady, Chris Hegedus and Stanley Nelson

Breakthrough Director Award presented by Alexander Payne and Felicity Jones DEE REES Writer and director of Pariah Released by Focus Features

The Breakthrough Director Jury included: Ellen Kuras, Anthony Mackie, John Cameron Mitchell, Mike S. Ryan, Mira Sorvino

Breakthrough Actor Award presented by actors Stanley Tucci and Melissa Leo. FELICITY JONES Actor in Like Crazy Released by Paramount Vantage

The Breakthrough Actor Jury included: Chris Eyre, Melissa Leo, Anne Rosellini, Ira Sachs and Jeffrey Wright

Best Ensemble Performance Award presented by actor/director Vera Farmiga and actor Peter Facinelli Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos

in BEGINNERS Released by Focus Features The Best Ensemble Performance Jury included: Lena Dunham, Ryan Fleck, Peter Hedges, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Emily Watson.

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Award presented by actor Judy Greer and RBC CEO, Mark Standish SCENES OF A CRIME Blue Hadaegh & Grover Babcock, Directors and Producers

The recipient of The Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near YouTM award was determined by the editors of Filmmaker magazine, a publication of IFP, and a curator from The Museum of Modern Art.

Gotham Independent Film Audience Award sponsored by Heineken USA and presented by actors Sarah Paulson and Zachary Quinto. GIRLFRIEND Justin Lerner, Director

Produced by Jerad Anderson, Kristina Lauren Anderson, Justin Lerner, Shaun O’Banion The Audience Award was voted on line by filmgoers who love movies.

euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant

presented by Shailene Woodley. LUCY MULLOY for upcoming film UNA NOCHE The euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers’ ‘Live the Dream’ grant jury included: Zoe Cassavetes, Katherine Dieckmann, Judy Greer and Jon Kilik.

The Premier Sponsors of the Gotham Independent Film AwardsTM are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Partners: Heineken USA (sponsor of the Gotham Independent Film Audience Award); Russian Standard Vodka; charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street; Official Haircare Partner BaBylissPRO and Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is the nation’s oldest and largest not-for- profit advocacy organization for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Coen, Kevin Smith, and Todd Solondz. IFP continues to play a vital role in launching first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Debra Granik (“Down to the Bone”), Miranda July (“Me, You and Everyone We Know”), and Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (“Half Nelson”).

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world and fosters the development of 350 feature and documentary films each year. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships, and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology, and business of independent filmmaking. The year-round program includes Independent Film Week, Envision, The Cross-Media Forum, The Gotham Awards, and the Independent Filmmaker Labs. IFP’s programs promote diverse voices in independent film by working to include racial, ethnic,

religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings.

For more information: www.ifp.org

About the Gotham Independent Film AwardsTM

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.