July 25, 2013 (New York, NY) –Today, IFP announced its 2013 slate of 163 new films in development selected for its esteemed Project Forum at Independent Film Week.

Just prior to the forthcoming opening of the Made in New York Media Center by IFP, Independent Film Week takes …]]> September 15-19, 2013

July 25, 2013 (New York, NY) –Today, IFP announced its 2013 slate of 163 new films in development selected for its esteemed Project Forum at Independent Film Week.

Just prior to the forthcoming opening of the Made in New York Media Center by IFP, Independent Film Week takes place September 15-19, 2013 at Lincoln Center. This one-of-a-kind event brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new projects and support the future of storytelling by nurturing the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers.  Through the Project Forum, creatives connect with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences.

“For 35 years, IFP has promoted and served the independent film community and we’re thrilled to be able to continue to do so with an outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects for this year’s Independent Film Week,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP.  “This year, we’re heavily focusing on innovative filmmakers and creators who are pushing the boundaries of our medium and making storytelling more accessible than ever.”

Featured works at the 2013 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experience. From Academy Award® winners Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) and Cynthia Wade (Freeheld) to web-series innovators such as Mesh Flinders (Lonelygirl 5) and Thom Woodley (The Burg), Independent Film Week is exploring bold new content from a wide variety of domestic and international artistic innovators.

Project Forum at Independent Film Week

IFP’s Project Forum has had a prolific history in the independent community supporting independent filmmakers at critical stages in their development processes. Formerly Independent Feature Film Market (IFFM), the program 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. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), Debra Granik (Down to the Bone), Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know), Dee Rees (Pariah), and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild ),

Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson & Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot, 163 U.S. and International projects have been selected for the 2013 Project Forum, evenly split between documentary and narrative features. Doc and feature projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, South America, and the Middle East.

For a full list of the 2013 selected projects, click here.

Narrative Features

Narrative features in RBC’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.

These slates include new feature scripts from directors Carlen Altman (star/co-writer of The Color Wheel), Rama Burshtein (Fill The Void), Zach Clark (White Reindeer), Matthew Porterfield, (I Used to be Darker), Pia Marias (Layla Fourie), Martha Stephens (Pilgrims Song), Sophia Takal (Green), The Zellner Brothers (Kid Thing), and Caveh Zahedi (I Am A Sex Addict). Internationally acclaimed short filmmakers Johannes Nyholm (Las Palmas), Ian Harnarine’s (Doubles With Slight Pepper), Christopher Radcliffe & Lauren Wolkstein (The Strange One), Andrew Renzi (Karaoke!), and Lucas Leyva and Jillian Mayer’s (#PostModem) are also are presenting new feature works.

This year’s slate also features several web series innovators who have found success in the digital realm and are now embarking on their first narrative features. Participating filmmakers include series creators Mesh Flinders (Lonelygirl15), Alex Jablonski (Sparrow Songs), Angela Tucker (Black Folks Don’t), and Thom Woodley (The Burg). And for the first time this year, an original web series, Awesome Asian Bad Guys, will participate, created by the National Film Society’s Patrick Epino and Stephen Dypiangco.

A number of top documentarians are also crossing over into the narrative world including Jennifer Fox (My Reincarnation), Andrew Rossi & Kate Novack (Page One: Inside the New York Times), Jeremiah Zagar (In a Dream), and Pete Ohs & Andrea Sisson (I Send You This Place).

Producers and Executive Producers of note attached to participating projects include Neda Armian (Rachel Getting Married), Josh Braun (A History of Violence), Soojin Chung (Escape From Tomorrow), Chip Hourihan (Frozen River), Garurav Dhingra (Peddlers), Johnathan Duffy (Pit Stop), Julian Farve (Arcadia), Morten Kjems Juhl (Teddy Bear), Sophia Lin (Take Shelter), Julie Lynn (Albert Nobbs), Brendan McFadden (Cold Weather), Christina Piovesan (Amreeka), Mike Ryan (Junebug), Ryan Silbert (Holy Rollers), Shrihari Sathe (It Felt Like Love), Kim Sherman (A Teacher), and Brock Williams (Awful Nice).

Spotlight on Documentaries

For the first time, feature documentaries in the Spotlight on Documentaries section highlight new work from international documentarians in addition to those from the U.S.

The documentary selection includes new work from acclaimed directors such as Academy Award® winners Louis Psihoyos (The Cove) and Cynthia Wade (Freeheld) and Academy Award® nominees Marshall Curry (If a Tree Falls), Carl Deal (Trouble the Water) and Rick Goldsmith (The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers); Ed Pincus and Lucia Small (The Axe in the Attic); Kristi Jacobson (A Place at the Table); Michel Negroponte (Jupiter’s Wife); Dawn Porter (Gideon’s Army); Jamie Meltzer (Informant); Kimberly Reed (Prodigal Sons); Jesse Moss (Full Battle Rattle); Mitch McCabe (Youth Knows No Pain); Jody Lee Lipes (NY Export: Opus Jazz); Lisanne Skyler (No Loans Today), Stephanie Wang-Breal (Wo Ai Ni Mommy); Pietra Bretkelly (The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins); Yael Hersonski (A Film Unfinished); Catherine Gund (Motherland Afghanistan); Judd Ehrlich (Magic Camp); Edward  Hall & James Lovelace [D.A.R.Y.L.] (Werewolves across America, Katy Perry: A Part of Me); and Andy Bicklbaum & Mike Bonanno (the Yes Men films).

While veterans comprise a significant part of the roster, a third of the documentary slate is from talented documentarians making their first features after notable short films, narrative work, or from other disciplines, including Iva Radivojevic (FILMMAKER 25 Faces 2013), Moby Longinotto (Smalltown Boy), photographer/authors Cyril Christo & Marie Wilkinson (Walking Thunder: In the Footsteps of the African Elephant); and the team of photojournalist/cinematographer Jessica Dimmock (Without) and photographer Christopher LaMarca (American Photography 28).

Sponsors

Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms, SAGIndie and Vimeo. Silver sponsors are Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa, Screen Australia and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.

About IFP

After debuting with a program in 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit IFP has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premiere 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 might not otherwise have been heard. IFP fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program.

First Time Directors Selected for Year-long Mentorship

New York, NY (June 10, 2013) – Coming off a successful year nurturing recent critical and festival successes – including recent/upcoming theatrical releases Concussion (TWC Radius), Blue Caprice (Sundance Selects), An Oversimplification of …]]> IFP ANNOUNCES 10 NARRATIVE PROJECTS FOR ITS ANNUAL INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER LABS

First Time Directors Selected for Year-long Mentorship

New York, NY (June 10, 2013) – Coming off a successful year nurturing recent critical and festival successes – including recent/upcoming theatrical releases Concussion (TWC Radius), Blue Caprice (Sundance Selects), An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (Variance Films), Pavilion (Factory 25), Welcome to Pine Hill (Oscilloscope Laboratories) and Una Noche (IFC) – Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today the ten narrative features selected for its 2013 Independent Filmmaker Labs.

Under the ongoing leadership of Head of Programming Amy Dotson and Senior Programmer Milton Tabbot, the Labs yearlong fellowship supports diverse participants from throughout the U.S. whose voices might not otherwise be heard.The key creative teams of the selected films, chosen from large national pool of submissions, will participate in the first session– the Time Warner Foundation Narrative Completion Lab – June 10-14 in New York City.

Concentrating exclusively on low-budget features (<$1million), this highly immersive, free, yearlong mentorship program focuses on completion, marketing and distribution of first feature films.Specifically, the Labs provide first-time feature filmmakers with projects in post-production the technical, creative and strategic tools necessary to launch their films and careers. And with its recent partnership with ReRun Theater in DUMBO, Brooklyn, IFP continues its commitment to supporting both self-distribution and traditional distribution for Lab Alumni. Seven Lab films to date have had successful theatrical runs at ReRun – including New York Times Critics Picks Nancy,Please (Factory 25), and Stranger Things – and received customized support, individualized outreach, and press, promotion, and audience engagement campaigns.

“We are a unique program that focuses not just on project completion, but on the creative sustainability of the teams involved.” says Joana Vicente, IFP Executive Director. “In addition to the supported films’ festival, distribution and audience engagement successes, IFP is particularly proud that our Lab alumni go on to make second features and have fruitful, multi-faceted careers in film, television and advertising.” These notably include supporting the early work of auteurs David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) andAndrew Dosunmu (Mother of George), MTV’s 16 And Pregnant series producer DiaSokol Savage, as well as director/actorAmy Seimetz(Sun Don’t Shine, actress The Killing) and Alex Karpovsky (Red Flag, actor Girls).

In addition to workshops, case studies and hands-on training, the Labs provide multiple levels of mentorship throughout the process.  Fellows receive continual support from IFP staff and experienced producers (Lab Leaders). One-to-one mentors and Completion Lab Workshop Leaders offer strategic advice and act as sounding boards to the teams throughout the process as well. 2013 Leaders and mentors include:

2013 Narrative Lab Leaders

• Scott Macaulay, Producer (Raising Victor Vargas), Editor-in-Chief, FILMMAKER Magazine)
• Jon Reiss,Director and Author (Bomb It!; Think Outside the Box Office).
  • Susan Stover, Producer (High Art)

2013 Narrative Lab One-to-One Mentors:

• Jay Duplass , Director (Cyrus)
• Larry Fessenden,Director (Wendigo)
• Mary Harron, Director (American Psycho)
• James Ponsoldt,Director(Smashed)
• Mary Jane Skalski,Producer (The Station Agent)
• Susan Stover,Producer (High Art)
• Rose Troche, Director(Go Fish)
• Mike Tully, Director (Septien)
• David & Nathan Zellner, Directors (Kid Thing)
• Craig Zobel, Director (Compliance)

2013 Completion Lab Workshop Leaders (select)

• Josh Braun, Sales (Submarine Entertainment)
• Mike Knowlton, Creative Technologist &Transmedia Strategist (Murmur)
• Marian Koltai- Levine, Publicity, (PMK*BNC)
• Craig McKay, Editor (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints)
• Peter Nashel,Composer (Win, Win)
• Caspar Newbolt,Graphic Designer(clients include: Daft Punk, Louis CK, and Richard Branson)
• Lee Percy, Editor (Boys Don’t Cry)
• Aaron Yanes, Editor (Sangre de mi Sangre)

The selected projects for the 2013 Narrative Lab and Lab Fellows are:

AWOL

Weeks before her deployment to Afghanistan, Joey, 19, returns home to rural, post-industrial Pennsylvania on a short assignment: hometown recruitment in the local mall. Infatuated with her older lover, Rayna, 27, a sassy, sexy, married mother of two, Joey navigates her way through a palpable hierarchy of class as she plots to flee the Army in the name of love. Fellows: Deb Shoval (Director), Jessica Caldwell (Producer). New York, NY

Below Dreams

Including the New Orleans music scene as its backdrop and verite style visuals, this neorealist hybrid speaks to the vulnerability of three individuals who are pitted against their blood lines and whose self-worth and personal faith are tested at seemingly uneven lengths. Fellows: Garrett Bradley (Writer, Director, Executive Producer, Editor), Carlos Marques-Marcet (Editor). New Orleans, LA

Beneath the Harvest Sky

Beneath the Harvest Sky tells the story of Dominic, a headstrong teen working his final potato harvest to earn enough money to escape the pitfalls and boredom of his dying northern Maine town, while he fights to save his best friend Casper, who is drawn into smuggling illegal prescription drugs across the Canadian border with his outlaw father. Fellows: Aron Gaudet(Director, Writer, Producer, Editor); Gita Pullapilly (Director, Writer, Producer). Bar Harbor, ME

Dig Two Graves

Dig Two Graves is a decade spanning gothic thriller that dramatizes the cycle of violence that perpetuates itself over generations in a small backwoods town. The story centers on a 14-year-old girl who is forced to wrestle with a morally uncertain proposition to save her broken family. Fellows: Hunter Adams (Director, Writer, Producer), PJ Fishwick (Producer), Claire Connelly (Producer), Scott Hanson (Editor). Los Angeles, CA

Dukhtar

Dukhtar (Daughter) is a thriller set in Pakistan. The story follows a mother on the run with her ten-year-old daughter on the eve of the child’s forced marriage to a tribal leader. They are relentlessly hunted for bringing dishonour to their families. As the chase intensifies, the mother meets a truck driver whose destiny entwines with hers kindling a forbidden attraction. The trio embarks on an epic journey through the stunning landscape of Pakistan where the quest for freedom comes with a price. Fellows: Afia Nathaniel (Director, Writer, Producer), Armughan Hassan (DP, Editor). Brooklyn, NY

Gabriel

Gabriel is convinced that finding his childhood girlfriend will solve all of his problems. But as he obsessively searches for her, reality shatters his idealized perception of the world and a psychological dam bursts open. He escapes from his family to head out on a final frantic quest for love that threatens the lives of everyone around him. Fellows: Lou Howe (Director, Writer), Jane Rizzo (Editor). West Hollywood, CA

Homemakers

After jeopardizing her young career with an onstage tantrum, rootless and reckless Austin musician Irene McCabey arrives in Pittsburgh to claim her inheritance: her grandfather’s crumbling, three-story row house on the city’s East End. With help from an estranged cousin, Irene must finally overcome her destructive impulses to transform the forgotten family house into a home worth taking care of. Fellows: Colin Healey (Director, Writer, Producer), Dave Schachter (Producer, Editor), Ella Hatamian (Producer).  Pittsburgh, PA

Kick Me

Setting out to purchase a bunny for his daughter, well-meaning guidance counselor Santiago Vasquez veers into scruffy Kansas City, Kansas to help a troubled student, Luther. Entangled in Luther’s schemes, Santiago triggers bloody betrayals and comic comeuppances that send him racing to retrieve his rabbit, reunite with his family, uncover Luther’s secret – and get the hell out of KCK. Fellows: Gary Huggins (Director, Writer, Producer, Editor), Betsy Gran (Co-Producer). Kansas City, MO

Something, Anything

When her new marriage starts to disintegrate, a would-be suburban mom sets out on her own. But after receiving a postcard from a monk, her life turns upside down spiritually and romantically. Austere and tender, Something, Anything is a film about the pressures we feel to consume and conform, and the search for something bigger than ourselves. Fellows: Paul Harrill (Director, Writer), Ashley Maynor (Producer), KunitaroOhi (DP). Knoxville, TN

Stay Then Go

Based on the writer/director’s personal experiences as a mother of a child with autism, Stay Then Go is an authentic and nuanced portrayal of a woman whose life takes a series of surprising turns as she adapts to her son’s disability. Fellows: Shelli Ainsworth (Director, Writer), Geoffrey Sass (Producer), Christine Walker (Producer), Alan Canant (Editor). Minneapolis, MN

ABOUT THE LABS:

Since 2005, 148 documentaries and narrative features have participated in the Labs, with 82% of the projects completed and premiered at major US and international festivals, with 60% having distribution on a variety of platforms beyond festivals.  For more information: http://www.ifp.org/programs/labs/past-participants/

As part of IFP’s ongoing commitment to diversity, the Independent Filmmaker Labs also seek to ensure that at least 50% of the participating projects have an inclusive range of races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities and physical abilities in key creative positions. The program is supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Ford Foundation, Heineman Foundation, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild and Time Warner Foundation. Lab partners include The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, BMI, Rooftop Films, and 92YTribeca.

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 fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program. 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 has fostered early work by leading filmmakers including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.� www.ifp.org.

###

For more information on IFP, please contact:

Amy Dotson, Head of Programming &Deputy Director, IFP� (212) 465-8200 x203

Milton Tabbot, Senior Director, Programming, IFP 465-8200 x207

First Time Directors Selected for Highly Successful Year-long Mentorship

New York, NY  (May 13, 2013) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today the ten documentaries selected for the 2013 Independent Filmmaker Labs, IFP’s  annual year-long fellowship for first-time feature …]]> IFP ANNOUNCES DOCUMENTARY LINE-UP FOR ITS ANNUAL INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER LABS

First Time Directors Selected for Highly Successful Year-long Mentorship

New York, NY  (May 13, 2013) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today the ten documentaries selected for the 2013 Independent Filmmaker Labs, IFP’s  annual year-long fellowship for first-time feature directors.  The key creative teams of the selected films, chosen from a national pool of 200 submissions, will participate in three week-long sessions over the course of 2013, with the first – the Time Warner Foundation Documentary Completion Lab – taking place May 13-17 in New York City.

“Now more than ever, it’s essential that independent filmmakers have the knowledge and tools to define and reach their audience through multiple platforms, as well as the time and space to make their work the best that it can be,” says Joana Vicente, IFP Executive Director. “With more than 80% of our previous Lab projects debuted in festivals and being released worldwide, the impact of this program has been significant for its participants. We are also thrilled that our longtime supporter Time Warner Foundation has significantly expanded its support of the program, allowing us to provide increased support and crucial mentorship to filmmakers working in the ever-changing landscape of filmmaking, marketing and distribution.”

Two former Lab documentaries will soon premiere on the upcoming season of PBS’ P.O.V. (Herman’s House and High Tech, Low Life), with other alums having recently premiered in 2013 at top festivals – SXSW (12 O’Clock Boys; Big Joy; These Birds Walk), New Directors/New Films (Our Nixon); Tribeca (Alias Ruby Blade; Big Joy), and Hot Docs (12 O’Clock Boys, American Commune, Lucky; Northern Light; Our Nixon; These Birds Walk).  Of these, 12 O’Clock Boys and These Birds Walk have been acquired for distribution by Oscillocope Laboratories and Our Nixon by Cinedigm and CNN Films.

Lucky director Laura Checkoway says “As a first-time filmmaker, making my documentary has been an isolating process, and it was wonderful to be surrounded by a community of filmmakers and experts as obsessed with their work as I am with mine. The support and encouragement was overwhelming. I’m so thankful to IFP for believing in my film and offering the push I needed on the steep climb to completion.”

The Independent Filmmaker Labs are a highly immersive, free mentorship program supporting first-time feature directors with projects in post-production as they complete, market and distribute their films. Focusing exclusively on low-budget features (<$1million), the Labs provide filmmakers with the technical, creative and strategic tools necessary to launch their films. Twenty projects (10 documentaries and 10 narratives) are selected for the Lab fellowship. Narrative Lab selections will be announced in June.

The labs provide multiple levels of mentorship throughout the process. The supervising 2013 Documentary Lab leaders are producer Lori Cheatle (112 Weddings, 51 Birch Street, The Edge of Dreaming); producer and author Maureen Ryan (The Gates ; co-producer Man on Wire and Project Nim; Producer to Producer), and Jon Reiss, director and author (Bomb It!; Think Outside the Box Office).  Individual workshop leaders include, amongst others: editors Penelope Falk (Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work; Maidentrip), Jonathan Oppenheim (The Oath; Paris Is Burning); Mary Manhardt (American Promise, Street Fight), Jean Tsien (A Place at the Table; Please Vote for Me), and Adam Zucker (Carol Channing: Larger Than Life), composer T. Griffin (Dragonslayer; Informant ), music  supervisor Barry Cole (Marley), and experts on web presence, audience building, outreach, and distribution: Sara Kiener and Merrill Sterritt of Film Presence, Caitlin Boyle of Film Sprout, Erin Owens of Long Shot Factory, Erick Opeka of Cinedigm, and Diana Holtzberg of Films Transit. Additional individual mentors include filmmakers Doug Block (The Kids Grow Up), Heather Courtney (Where Soldiers Come From), Kirby Dick (The Invisible War), Marcia Jarmel (Speaking in Tongues), Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water), and Marlo Poras (The Mosuo Sisters; Run Granny Run).

Since 2005, 148 documentaries and narrative features have participated in the Labs, with 82% of the projects completed and premiered at major US and international festivals, with 60% having distribution on a variety of platforms beyond festivals. As part of IFP’s ongoing commitment to diversity, the Independent Filmmaker Labs also seek to ensure that at least 50% of the participating projects have an inclusive range of races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities and physical abilities in key creative positions.

The Independent Filmmaker Lab program is supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Ford Foundation, Heineman Foundation, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild and Time Warner Foundation. Lab partners include The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, BMI, Rooftop Films, and 92YTribeca.

The selected projects for the 2013 Documentary Lab and Lab Fellows are:

Approaching the Elephant

Given uncommon freedom and individual rights, a group of young children enroll in a newly opened ‘free school,’ where rules are created democratically – students and teachers have an equal vote – and classes are voluntary. Fellows: Amanda Wilder (Director/DP), Jay Craven (Producer). Brooklyn, NY

Bringing Tibet Home

Tibetan artist Tenzing Rigdol sets out on a mission to bring Tibet closer to Tibetan exiles through an unprecedented art project, inspired by his late father’s unfulfilled wish to breathe his last breath in his homeland. Losing his father made Tenzing realize that wishing to return home is common among all Tibetan exiles.  Thus an art project was born to make this common dream a reality as the artist struggles to bring 20,000 kilos of native soil from Tibet to Tibetan exiles in India. Fellows: Tenzin Tsetan Choklay (Director/ Producer /Writer/DP/Editor); Milica Zec (Editor). Queens, NY

Do I Sound Gay?

Determined to overcome his shame about “sounding gay,” director David Thorpe embarks on a hilarious, poignant, taboo-shattering exploration of the phenomenon of the “gay voice.” With Margaret Cho, Tim Gunn, Dan Savage, David Sedaris and George Takei. Fellows: David Thorpe (Director/Writer); Howard Gertler (Producer). Brooklyn, NY.

Evolution of a Criminal

Deep in the heart of Texas, what begins as an innocent tale of family, sacrifice, and financial hardship quickly escalates into a true-crime thriller. Fusing together compelling interviews, striking re-enactments, and home video, we are forced to ask ourselves how a 16 year-old honor roll student evolved into a bank robber. Darius Clark Monroe (Director); Jen Gatien (Producer); Doug Lenox (Editor). Brooklyn, NY.

Farmer Veteran

Watching a chicken hatch makes combat veteran Alex Sutton smile, so he decides to become a farmer. The sense of purpose he once felt as a soldier returns, but his crippling PTSD remains. Along with his wife, Jessica, he toils through four seasons on a different kind of battlefield and wonders if, for him, the war will ever end.

Fellows:  D.L. Anderson (Director/Producer/Editor); Alix Blair (Director/DP); Mikel Barton (Editor). Durham, NC.

In Country

War is hell. Why would anyone want to spend their weekends there? “In Country” is a cinematic feature documentary following a “platoon” of historical reenactors who are recreating the Vietnam War in the woods of Oregon.  Not just a film about the aftermath of the Vietnam War or the fantasies of grown men; it’s a meditation on how the drums of war continue to draw men to battle despite devastating consequences. Fellows: Meghan O’Hara (Director/Producer); Mike Attie ((Director/Producer/DP); Lindsay Utz (Editor).  San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA.

Kasamayaki (Made in Kasama)

Shaken by the tsunami and nuclear disasters, a grown daughter returns to her rural Japanese artist community to reconnect with her estranged parents and hometown. Meditative moments at the pottery wheel punctuated by tense family conversations, sudden earthquakes and radiation level readings, Kasamayaki exposes the fragility of life and the imperfect nature of human relationships. Fellow: Yuki Kokubo (Director/ Producer/DP/Editor). Brooklyn, NY

The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest

Mark DeFriest is an American prison legend, an escape artist who has spent 32 years behind bars, most of it in long-term isolation, with little light, hope, or human contact. When the doctor whose diagnosis originally condemned DeFriest to prison admits he was wrong, a new chance for freedom is borne. But is it too late for redemption?  Fellows:  Gabriel London (Director/Writer/DP); Daniel Chalfen (Producer); Nick Clark (Editor). New York, NY

Mateo

Mateo follows L.A.’s most notorious troubadour, Matthew Stoneman, as he fulfills his most recent obsession, “Una Historia de Cuba,” a record of original compositions recorded over the course of six years piece meal style in Havana, Cuba. Ultimately, “Mateo” is a study of barriers — cultural, geographic, and moral — and a man who doesn’t believe in any of them. Fellows: Aaron Naar (Director/Writer/Producer/DP/Editor); Nicole Vaskell (Editor). Los Angeles, CA

Roots and Webs

If you lose your family, you must build it anew. Amid the desolate Oregon wilderness, the lives of two former soldiers intersect. Roger, a former US Army sniper in Vietnam, and Kouy, a platoon leader with the Khmer Freedom Fighters who fought against Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge, come together each autumn for the matsutake mushroom hunt. The two each wrestle with wounds from Southeast Asian wars, attempting to find the high-priced mushroom before snowfall. An odyssey into the woods, into the memory of war and survival, we tell a story of family from this enigmatic woodland realm. Fellows: Sara Dosa (Director); Josh Penn (Producer). Berkeley, CA.

About 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 fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program. 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 has fostered early work by leading filmmakers including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith. www.ifp.org.

IFP releases Code of the West on iTunes via Sundance #ArtistServices

 IFP is thrilled to announce the digital release of Rebecca Richman Cohen’s marijuana policy doc Code Of The West. Called “eye opening and gripping” by The Nation and “a must-see for anyone interested in …]]>

IFP releases Code of the West on iTunes via Sundance #ArtistServices

 IFP is thrilled to announce the digital release of Rebecca Richman Cohen’s marijuana policy doc Code Of The West. Called “eye opening and gripping” by The Nation and “a must-see for anyone interested in drug reform” by The Austin Chronicle, the film will be available for download on iTunes beginning Tuesday, April 16, 2013, with additional platforms to follow throughout the spring & summer. The film is being released by Sundance Institute’s #ArtistServices program, and is a curated selection of IFP and Cinereach.

As previously announced, IFP is partnering with Sundance Institute Artist Services to release five IFP program alumni films which will receive best-in-class digital distribution arrangements across a variety of streaming and on-demand platforms. Code of the West is the first of these IFP titles to be released.

Set against the sweeping vistas of the Rockies, the steamy lamplight of marijuana grow houses, and the bustling halls of the State Capitol, Code Of The West follows the political process of marijuana policy reform – and the recent federal crackdown on medical marijuana growers across the country. At a time when the world is rethinking its drug policies large and small, one state rises to the forefront. Once a pioneer in legalizing medical marijuana, the state of Montana may now become the first to repeal its medical marijuana law. This is the story of what happens when politics fail, emotions run high and communities pay the price.

Code of the West is written, directed & produced by Rebecca Richman Cohen, written, edited & produced by Francisco Bello, with consulting producers Jim Butterworth and Daniel J. Chalfen, and executive producer David Menschel. The film is an alumnus of IFP’s Independent Film Week Spotlight on Documentaries program. To see the film, and for more information, visit www.codeofthewestfilm.com

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and Sundance Institute will again collaborate to promote and support American independent films and filmmakers as part of the European Film Market (EFM) at the Berlin International Film Festival (February 7-17, 2013).

The jointly …]]> Initiative Highlights American work to international buyers and festival programmers

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and Sundance Institute will again collaborate to promote and support American independent films and filmmakers as part of the European Film Market (EFM) at the Berlin International Film Festival (February 7-17, 2013).

The jointly sponsored “American Independents in Berlin,” presented in partnership with the EFM, will showcase 45 films through combined “IFP Selects” and “Sundance at EFM” Market Screenings, with the objective of highlighting new American work to international buyers, distributors, and festival programmers. In addition, the American Independents stand in the EFM’s Martin-Gropius-Bau serves as a community hub and provides support services to attending American filmmakers, companies and organizations.

“IFP is excited to launch our second year of this initiative with the help of our partners at the EFM and Sundance Institute,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP. “We are proud to support our talented filmmakers and showcase their work to international audiences, giving them sales and distribution opportunities as well as a homebase at the EFM.”

“We are delighted to offer our filmmakers, fresh from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, access to international sales opportunities in Berlin as well as a place to land at the EFM,” said John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival.

HIGHLIGHTING NEW AMERICAN WORK

The Market Screenings strand of “American Independents in Berlin” includes films by filmmakers coming directly from the Sundance Film Festival and IFP program-supported films which have recently premiered at Sundance Film Festival or other international festivals. Seven of the films in the initiative are also screening in one of the official Berlinale sections.  The films are represented either by the individual producers or sales agents; participation goals include additional international sales opportunities, as well as developing exhibition and festival relationships.

BOOTH #200 MGB: AN INFORMATION AND NETWORKIG HUB FOR U.S. FILMMAKERS AND INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY

“American Independents in Berlin”—Booth #200 in the Martin-Gropius-Bau—serves as a “home-base” for select U.S. filmmakers, sales agents, and distributors.  Open to all international distributors, acquisitions executives, producers, and financiers already attending the EFM, it is a place for networking and discovery.

Events at the stand include two “American Independents” conversations:�

*Saturday, February 9, 4:30 pm – Leading U.S. festival programmers discuss the landscape of US festivals, and what they look for when programming for their audiences. Panellists include Doug Jones (Los Angeles Film Festival), Carl Spence (Seattle International Film Festival), Kim Yutani (Sundance Film Festival), Jacqueline Lyanga (AFI Fest), and Genna Terranova (Tribeca International Film Festival). Moderated by Milton Tabbot, IFP Senior Director of Programming,

*Tuesday, February 12, 4:30 pm – Case studies of Stacie Passion’s Concussion and Matt Porterfield’s I Used to Be Darker will explore the US independent film journey — from early development and production to world premieres at Sundance and on to the Berlinale. Panelists include Stacie Passon and Rose Troche (CONCUSSION), and Matthew Porterfield and Ryan Zacarias (I USED TO BE DARKER). Moderated by Kim Yutani, Programmer, Sundance Film Festival.

In addition, “American Independents in Berlin” will co-present with neighboring stand “Meet the Docs,” an EFM initiative in collaboration with European Documentary Network (EDN), four conversations comparing key aspects of documentaries in the U.S. and EU – pitching, documentary funds, production, and distribution. All of the afternoon conversations from February 9–12, will be followed by networking receptions generously supported by the EFM.

MORE INFORMATION:

For more information about the “American Independents in Berlin” program or participating films, please contact:  Andrew Houchens, IFP, ahouchens@ifp.org

Attending from IFP and Sundance are:

• IFP Executive Director, Joana Vicente
• IFP Senior Director of Programming, Milton Tabbot
• IFP Special Projects Coordinator, Andrew Houchens
• Sundance Film Festival Programmer, Kim Yutani
• Sundance Feature Film Program, International Manager, Matthew Takata

APPENDIX

2013 “AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS IN BERLIN” EFM SCREENINGS

IFP SELECTS

• Alexander Meillier’s ALIAS RUBY BLADE
• Rola Nashef’s DETROIT UNLEADED
• Justin Schwarz’ THE DISCOVERERS
• Jenny Deller’s FUTURE WEATHER
• Daniel Patrick Carbone’s HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES
• Visra Vichit-Vadakan’s KARAOKE GIRL
• Penny Lane’s OUR NIXON

SUNDANCE AT THE EFM / IFP SELECTS

• Stacie Passon’s CONCUSSION
• Zachary Heinzerling’s CUTIE AND THE BOXER
• Matt Porterfield’s I USED TO BE DARKER

SUNDANCE AT THE EFM �

• Chris Nelson’s ASS BACKWARDS
• Richard Linklater’s BEFORE MIDNIGHT
• Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s BLACKFISH
• Robert Berger and Karlyn Michelson’s CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO
• Carl Deal & Tia Lessin’s CITIZEN KOCH
• Randy Moore’s ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW
• Rama Burshtein’s FILL THE VOID
• Dror Moreh’s THE GATEKEEPERS
• Sebastian Hofmann’s HALLEY
• Bastian Günther’s HOUSTON
• Joshua Michael Stern’s jOBS
• Alicia Scherson’s IL FUTURO
• Jeremy Lovering’s IN FEAR
• George Tillman, Jr.’s THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE
• Eliza Hittman’s IT FELT LIKE LOVE
• Muel O’s JISEUL
• John Krokidas’ KILL YOUR DARLINGS
• Jacek Borcuch’s LASTING
• Liz W. Garcia’s THE LIFEGUARD
• Michael Winterbottom’s THE LOOK OF LOVE
• Greg Barker’s MANHUNT
• Francois Delisle’s THE METEOR
• Sean Ellis’ METRO MANILA
• Andy Heathcote’s THE MOO MAN
• Pablo Larrain’s NO
• Mike Lerner & Maxim Pozdorovkin’s PUSSY RIOT – A PUNK PRAYER
• Calvin Lee Reeder’s THE RAMBLER
• Barbara Kopple’s RUNNING FROM CRAZY
• Mark Albiston & Louis Sutherland’ SHOPPING
• Daniel Hoesl’s SOLDATE JEANNETTE
• David Grohl’s SOUND CITY
• James Ponsoldt’s THE SPECTACULAR NOW
• Jehane Noujaim’s THE SQUARE (AL MIDAN)
• Logan Miller & Noah Miller’s SWEETWATER
• Simon Barrett, Jason Eisener, Gregg Hale, Gareth Huw Evans, Edúardo Sanchez , Timo Tjahjanto & Adam Wingard’s S-VHS
• Hannah Fidell’s A TEACHER
• Giorgio Diritti’s THERE WILL COME A DAY
• Anne Fontaine’s TWO MOTHERS
• Barmak Akram’s WAJMA, AN AFGHAN LOVE STORY
• Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s THE WAY, WAY BACK
• Jim Mickle’s WE ARE WHAT WE ARE
• Sebastian Junger’s WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON

Expands Self-Distribution Opportunities

to Filmmakers Supported by Six Additional Organizations

 The Bertha Foundation │ BRITDOC │ Cinereach │ Film Independent

Independent Filmmaker Project │ San Francisco Film Society

 Artist Services Announces Collaboration with REELHOUSE, VHX, VIMEO and TUGG,

Offering Filmmakers Additional Platforms and Tools

 Los …]]> Sundance Institute Artist Services Program

Expands Self-Distribution Opportunities

to Filmmakers Supported by Six Additional Organizations

� The Bertha Foundation │ BRITDOC │ Cinereach │ Film Independent

Independent Filmmaker Project │ San Francisco Film Society

� Artist Services Announces Collaboration with REELHOUSE, VHX, VIMEO and TUGG,

Offering Filmmakers Additional Platforms and Tools

� Los Angeles, CA— Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, today announced that the Institute’s Artist Services program – which provides Institute artists with exclusive opportunities for creative self-distribution, marketing and financing solutions for their work –has expanded to include selected films supported by one foundation and fivenonprofit organizations.Additionally, these organizations will join with Sundance Institute in continuing to shape the program and the services it offers.

The Bertha Foundation,BRITDOC, Cinereach, Film Independent, the Independent Filmmaker Project and the San Francisco Film Society will each selectfilms that they have supported to receive access to best-in-class digital distribution arrangements that have beennegotiatedby SundanceInstitute Artist Services.These services are targeted for filmmakers who intend to pursue an independent release plan.In support of these filmmakers, the Institute will curate submitted films and work closely each organization, the filmmakers, and exclusive aggregation partner Cinedigm –New Video to develop independent distribution strategies.Furthermore, each organization will work with the Institute to expand educational opportunities to their alumni building on the model of the Artist Services Workshop that takes place each year during the Sundance Film Festival.

“Now more than ever filmmakers need to be creative and entrepreneurial in order to get their stories to audiences.Sundance Institute embraces cross-organizational collaboration in an effort to increase the collective impact on the field; it is in this spiritthat we welcome the input of our colleagues to further help us shape theArtist Services program, “ said Putnam.”Our hope is that it contributes to the long-term sustainability of independent film careers and a greater diversity of films reaching audiences each year.”

With the addition of new partners Tugg, Reelhouse, VHX, and Vimeo,Sundance Institute is expanding its suite of digital platforms and tools offered by Artist Services.Current partners include ten digital retailers as well as Kickstarter , GoWatchIt, and Topspin Media.Tugg is a web-platform that allows filmmakers and fans to create screening events at their local theater.Direct-to-fan platforms Reelhouse, VHX and Vimeo,like longtime Artist Services collaborator Topspin Media, will work with Sundance Institute and its interested supported filmmakers to develop opportunities to sell their films and merchandise directly to end users.All four new partners will participate in the annual Artist Services Workshop on Monday, January 21, at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Since the Artist Services program launched in January 2011, more than $3.2 million has been raised for nearly 100 Institute artists’ projects via Kickstarter and more than 40 films are now accessible by the public on a variety of platforms and storefronts.

The exclusive aggregation partner for distribution participating in the Artist Services program is Cinedigm – NewVideo. The Artist Services initiative is made possible by The Bertha Foundation. These deals were brokered via pro bono legal services generously provided by law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP, which has built the legal framework for the Artist Services program and participating filmmakers since its inception.

 Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theatre, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform, and inspire, regardless of geopolitical, social, religious, or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights, and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born Into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza, and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

QUOTES FROM COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS

The Bertha Foundation

“The Bertha Foundation has been a proud supporter of the Artist Services initiative since it began,” said Rebecca Lichtenfeld of Bertha Philanthropies.“It not only gives films the much-deserved opportunity to reach broader audiences but it also offer resources for the filmmaker and producers that assist with their distribution strategies.We are looking forward to this next phase of the initiative and the support it will provide Bertha Foundation film grantees among others.”http://www.berthafoundation.org/

 BritDocs

“Wow.Thank you, Sundance Institute.”remarked Jess Search, CEO Britdoc Foundation, “BRITDOC is delighted to be joining Artist Services and to be able to get some films we love to audiences who will love them also.Artist Services is just the kind of smart distribution intervention that independent filmmakers, independent organizations like ours and independent audiences need.Kudos to Sundance Institute for having put it together and we look forward to being part of the innovations to come.”http://britdoc.org/

Cinereach

Philipp Engelhorn, Founder & Executive Director, Cinereach, stated,”Artist Services is a tremendous resource for producers who are committed to releasing their films with the same independent spirit it took to create them.We’re thrilled that Sundance Institute has opened this door for filmmakers, and look forward to being part of the dedicated family of organizations coming together to offer collective support.”

Film Independent

Josh Welsh, Co-President Film Independent, commented, “At a time when the biggest challenge isn’t so much making your film as it is getting it out into the world in a meaningful way, the Artist Services program provides a great opportunity for us to continue supporting the filmmakers we work with in our Labs and at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and to help them fully reach their audiences.”http://www.filmindependent.org/

Independent Filmmaker Project

Executive Director, IFP, Joana Vicente said, “It’s been exciting to see how Artist Services has flourished in the past year, and to see how many projects are reaping its benefits. IFP is thrilled to be collaborating with Sundance Institute on this initiative, as Artist Services is the perfect platform for what we have been doing for years: supporting filmmakers’ marketing and distribution efforts, ensuring that great independent work reaches and connects with audiences.”http://www.ifp.org/

San Francisco Film Society,

Ted Hope, Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society, said, “The Sundance Institute Artist Services program is the most robust set of options for any filmmaker recognizing the full responsibility of independence. It’s an incredible privilege for SFFS to be invited to help guide filmmakers and their work into this new era.” www.sffs.org/

BOILERPLATES FOR COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS

Tugg, Inc.

Tugg, Inc. (“Tugg”) is a web-platform that enables people to choose the films that play in their local theaters. Through Tugg, individuals and organizations are empowered to select a film, screening time, and nearby theater, and then spread the word to their immediate and online community. Once a necessary amount of people commit to attending, the event will be confirmed, and Tugg will reserve the theater, manage ticketing and ensure delivery of the film; allowing the audience to sit back and enjoy the show. Tugg is currently working with exhibitors Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, AMC Theatres, Bow Tie Cinemas, Cinemark Theatres, Goodrich Quality Cinemas, Rave Cinemas and Regal Cinemas, as well as additional regional and independently-owned theaters across the country. These exhibitors provide theatrical venues for individually curated events showcasing Tugg’s growing library of hundreds of studio and independent films.

About Reelhouse

Founded in 2011, Reelhouse is an open video sharing community that offers film and video creators a rich toolset to self-distribute their content directly to their viewers via any Internet- connected device. Creators can chose between a series of monetization models while also leveraging customization, marketing, merchandising and media features that provide an engaging experience for their audience, all within a community specifically for quality entertainment content. Co-founded by former Electronic Arts producer Bill Mainguy and executive producer Bill Harrison, Reelhouse is advised by company executive board member and former Electronic Arts Canada General Manager Rory Armes, Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes and former Warner Bros. Records CEO Todd Moscowitz, among others. For more information, please visit http://www.reelhouse.org.

VHX

VHX, founded by Casey Pugh and Jamie Wilkinson, is a platform that allows filmmakers and artists to sell their work directly to fans via their own websites.Recent titles include the live special THE INVISIBLE MADE VISIBLE from This American Life, INDIE GAME: THE MOVIE directed by James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, Aziz Ansari’s DANGEROUSLY DELICIOUS, BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING directed by Neil Berkeley, WE ARE LEGION directed by Brian Knappenberger, Drafthouse Films MIAMI CONNECTION, and SOUND CITY directed by Dave Grohl. http://www.vhx.tv

Vimeo

Vimeo® is the home for high-quality videos and the people who love them. Vimeo’s mission is to empower and inspire people around the world to create, share and discover videos. As one of the world’s largest creative networks, Vimeo has over 14M registered members and reaches a global audience of more than 85M each month. Founded in 2004 and based in New York City, Vimeo, LLC is a subsidiary of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI)

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Director Benh Zeitlin Receives Two Awards

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (November 26, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, …]]> Top Awards go to MOONRISE KINGDOM and HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE as Best Feature and Best Documentary

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Director Benh Zeitlin Receives Two Awards

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (November 26, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, announced the winners of the 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at the awards ceremony held at the Cipriani Wall Street, in New York City.

Presented by IFP, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ is one of the leading awards for independent film and the first major honors of the film awards season. The ceremony was streamed live to a global audience at www.ifp.org.

Winners were chosen from a total of 30films that received nominations in seven competitive categories: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Ensemble Performance, Breakthrough Actor, Breakthrough Director, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You® and the Audience Award, powered by Festival Genius. In addition to the competitive awards, career tributes were given during the ceremony to actors Matt Damon and Marion Cotillard, director David O. Russell and philanthropist Jeff Skoll of Participant Media.

For the third year, IFP will honored the recipient of the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You award with a theatrical release package including 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.

For the second consecutive year, IFP presented the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna 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.

New to the Gotham Awards this year is the Bingham Ray Award, an award bestowed upon an emerging filmmaker whose work exemplifies a distinctive creative vision and stylistic adventurousness that stands apart from the mainstream and warrants championing. The goal is to bring additional attention to new artists whose work could be seen as conceivably joining the ranks of filmmakers championed by industry veteran Bingham Ray, who passed away in January.

With the award comes a camera package from Panavision valued at $60,000 and a cash prize of $10,000.

The 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Award™ Recipients are:

For Best Feature, presented by Willem Dafoe:

MOONRISE KINGDOM

Directed by Wes Anderson

Produced by Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson

Released by Focus Features

The Best Feature jury included: Willem Dafoe, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Jesse Peretz, Jay Rabinowitz and Meg Ryan

For Best Documentary, presented by producer Ira Glass and documentarian Marshall Curry:

HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE

Directed and produced by David France

Produced by Howard Gertler

Released by IFC Films

The Best Documentary jury included: Marshall Curry, Rob Epstein, Laura Poitras, Lori Silverbush and Jean Tsien

For Best Ensemble Performance (awardsponsored by euphoria Calvin Klein), presented by actors Ethan Hawke and Juliet Rylance:

Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass in YOUR SISTER’S SISTER

Released by IFC Films

The Best Ensemble Performance jury included: Sacha Gervasi, David Gordon Green, George Tillman, Christine Vachon and Shailene Woodley

For Breakthrough Actor, presented by actors Jack Black and Emily Blunt:

EMAYATZY CORINEALDI in MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Released by AFFRM and Participant Media

The Breakthrough Actor Jury included: JC Chandor, Neil LaBute, Emily Mortimer and Juliet Rylance

For Breakthrough Director, presented by Mark Standish, CEO of The Royal Bank of Canada (the presenting sponsor of the award) and director JC Chandor:

BENH ZEITLIN for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures

The Breakthrough Director Jury included: Oscar Isaac, Oren Moverman, Ruba Nadda, John Slattery and Susan Stover

For Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You™,presented by actors Mark Duplass and Rosemarie DeWitt:

AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY

Directed and produced by Terence Nance

Produced by Andrew Corkin and James Bartlett

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

For the Gotham Independent Film Audience Award powered by Festival Genius, presented by actorsAlex Karpovsky and Melanie Lynskey:

ARTIFACT

Directed by Bartholomew Cubbins

Produced by Jared Leto and Emma Ludbrook

The Audience Award was voted for on-line by filmgoers worldwide.

For the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant, presented by actor/director Famke Janssen and actor Mickey Sumner:

STACIE PASSONfor the upcoming film, CONCUSSION

The euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers’ ‘Live the Dream’ grant jury included:Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Debra Granik, Mary Jane Skalski and Mickey Sumner.

For The Bingham Ray Award, presented by actor and friend of Bingham Ray, Oliver Platt:

BENH ZEITLIN, director of BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

The recipient of this award was chosen by a close group of Bingham’s friends and colleagues.

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Water: FIJI Water, Official Spirit: Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner: Mionetto Prosecco, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations 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 has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents 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. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote 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 Awards™

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.

Concussion is currently …]]> New York, NY (November 21, 2012) – The Adrienne Shelly Foundation announced yesterday evening that its 6^th Annual IFP Labs Director’s Grant is awarded to Stacie Passon for her film Concussion. The Grant was awarded at the Foundation’s 2^nd Annual “Woman of Vision Salute”, honoring filmmaker Lena Dunham.

Concussion is currently participating in IFP’s 2012 Narrative Independent Filmmaker Labs and is in post-production, looking towards an early 2013 festival premiere.

Concussion follows Abby, a disengaged wealthy lesbian housewife stuck in the suburbs. After a concussion-inducing hit to the face, something inside her ignites; she craves more than her boring, saturated existence. She buys a loft in the city to fix up and sell. Then, she sees a prostitute, and then another, and is drawn into the life herself. Stacie Passon is the writer and director of Concussion; the film is produced by Rose Troche, and executive produced by Anthony Cupo and Cliff Chenfeld. www.concussionmovie.com

Given in memory of actor and filmmaker Adrienne Shelly, the IFP Labs Director’s Grant is a competitive award that grants a female director $5,000 in finishing funds to their Labs project or as seed money towards a new project.  IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs are a unique year-long mentorship program supporting first-time feature directors when they need it most:  through the completion, marketing and distribution of their films.  Focusing exclusively on low-budget features (under $1million), this highly immersive program provides filmmakers with the technical, creative and strategic tools necessary to launch their films – and their careers. (www.ifp.org/programs/labs)

Andy Ostroy, widower of Adrienne Shelly and Founder/Executive Director of the foundation which bears her name, said of Concussion, “It’s an important film that tackles adult relationship themes in a very unique manner, forsaking the traditional clichés and presenting them with an honesty and realism with which many couples will surely identify.”

The jury for the IFP Labs Director’s Grant consists of board members of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation: producers Adam Brightman (Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist) and Jen Small (The Toe Tactic), as well as Andy Ostroy.

The other finalists for the Director’s Grant are Kat Candler, writer/director of Hellion and Kimberly Levin, writer/director of Cantuckee.

The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated in loving memory to the uniquely gifted actor and filmmaker Adrienne Shelly, whose highly accomplished life was tragically cut short November 1, 2006. ASF supports the artistic achievements of female actors, writers and directors through a series of scholarships and grants, providing recipients with financial support and consultative access to the Foundation’s advisory board of actors, directors, producers, composers, law, publicity, academic and trade professionals. Reflecting Adrienne’s spirit, generosity, courage and whimsy, its goal is to recognize the tremendous passion and commitment of women artists in creating their own work, and provide them with support and guidance particularly during periods of transition and struggle. More information: www.adrienneshellyfoundation.org

“For the second consecutive year, we are thrilled to be partnered with charitybuzz.com for our silent, on-line charity …]]> Beginning today, the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), in association with online partner� charitybuzz.com, has gone live with its 2^nd annual silent auction. The auction will be live from today, Tuesday, November 13 to Tuesday, December 4, 2012.

“For the second consecutive year, we are thrilled to be partnered with� charitybuzz.com for our silent, on-line charity auction.  We are incredibly grateful for the generosity from those in and outside of our community who have contributed so many phenomenal, unique and invaluable experiences in support of independent film.” said Joana Vicente, IFP Executive Director of the IFP.

The partnership between IFP and� charitybuzz.com will raise funds for the IFP in support of its ongoing programs to support independent filmmakers. These auction items are one-of-a-kind experiences extended by key supporters and celebrities in the independent film world.  Auction items include:

Two tickets to Attend Entertainment Weekly’s Comic-Con Party, Lunch July 2013

Two Exclusive Tickets to Entertainment Weekly’s Pre-Emmy Party in LA September 2013

Set visit to HBO’s� Boardwalk Empire

Set visit to of John Turturro’s� Fading Gigolo in NYC Starring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara

Premiere Tickets and Red Carpet Access to� Playing for Keeps on December in NYC, starring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara

Two Film Badges to the 2013 South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival

Two tickets packages to the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT

Consultations with Industry luminaries: Sheila Nevins (HBO/Cinemax), producer Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte (Antidote Films), Dylan Leiner (Sony Pictures Classics), Jonathan King (Participant Productions), Avy Kaufman (Avy Kaufman Casting), Cindy Tolan (Cindy Tolan Casting)

A Private Suite for 18 at a Philadelphia 76ers Game

Internships at the Made in NY Media Center, Big Beach Productions, The Weinstein Co., Filmmaker Magazine

Go to� charitybuzz.com/Gotham to bid on these and many other auction items.

As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. Previous winners for Best Feature and Best Documentary include BEGINNERS (2011), THE TREE OF LIFE (2011), BETTER THIS WORLD (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010), THE OATH (2010), THE HURT LOCKER (2009), and FOOD, INC. (2009). The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention, including recent winners and ultimate Oscar® contenders:  feature winners BEGINNERS (2011), TREE OF LIFE (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010) and THE HURT LOCKER (2009); Breakthrough Actors  Melissa Leo (2008), Ellen Page (2007), Rinko Kikuchi (2006) and Amy Adams (2005).

Previously announced were the nominees for six competitive awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You™. In addition to the competitive awards, Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, David O. Russell and Jeff Skoll will each be presented with a career tribute.  For the second consecutive year, IFP is also proud to present the� euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna 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. This year’s  nominees are Leah Meyerhoff for I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS, Stacie Passon for CONCUSSION, and Visra Vichit Vadakan for KARAOKE GIRL.

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Water FIJI Water, Official Spirit Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations 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 has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents 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. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote 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 Awards™

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 information on attending:� http://gotham.ifp.org

# # #

PRESS CONTACTS:

FRANK PR |� 646.861.0843

Clare Anne Darragh |� clareanne@frankpublicity.com

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IFP, in partnership with the …]]> New York, NY (October 22, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization for independent filmmakers, announced today a new partnership with DUMBO, Brooklyn’s reRun Theater, which has been called “one of eight nationwide theaters redefining the moviegoing experience” (Entertainment Weekly).

IFP, in partnership with the editorial staff of its in-house publication Filmmaker Magazine, will program and mentor feature films to play at the reRun, allowing for filmmakers in the process of self-distribution to garner theatrical runs in New York City. The first three titles to receive week runs as part of this deal will be Jacob Krupnick’s Girl Walk // All Day, Sara Blecher’s Otelo Burning, and Susan Youssef’s Habibi.

“In the reRun Theater, IFP has found a partner equally dedicated to our core belief in nurturing diverse voices on the independent scene,” said IFP Executive Director Joana Vicente. “In today’s climate, there are more ways than ever for filmmakers to get their work out into the world. But it’s the reRun’s emphasis on the communal moviegoing experience, and their drive to open New York City’s highly competitive theatrical market to a new community of artists and storytellers, that sets the theater apart.”

Filmmakers will be able to submit their films for consideration via an online form set to launch on www.ifp.org later this month. Alumni of IFP’s core programs are strongly encouraged to apply, as are films that have been covered by Filmmaker Magazine.

All selected films will be provided with marketing and distribution support, as well as a portion of the theater’s weekly ticket sales. IFP will assist with press outreach, and Filmmaker Magazine will cover each film preceding release.

“Our mission is to celebrate daring, vibrant works,” said Vicente. “Our first three weeks of theatrical premieres represent a dedication to this ideal, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with these emerging young talents.”

Opening November 2^nd, Jacob Krupnick’s Girl Walk // All Day is a feature-length dance music video set to the latest album by mash-up artist Girl Talk. The film, which played at SXSW this past March, follows three dancers on a journey across New York City, as they turn the city’s sidewalks, parks, and architecture into an evolving stage.

Opening November 9th for a week of “Buzz Screenings,” Otelo Burning tells the story of a group of South African township kids in 1989 who discover the joy of surfing against the backdrop of brewing political conflict. An alumnus of IFP’s Narrative Filmmaker Labs, the film had its US premiere at this year’s Seattle Film Festival and is being released by The Turner Group and Autonomous Entertainment.

Opening November 16th, Susan Youssef’s Habibi follows two students in the West Bank who are forced to return home to Gaza, where their forbidden love defies tradition. An alumnus of IFP’s Narrative Filmmaker Labs, the film was also an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival, the Venice International Film Festival, and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Further details, as well as tickets to all screenings, will be available via the reRun Theater website at http://reruntheater.com. To celebrate their new partnership, IFP and reRun will also throw a kickoff party on October 30^th at 6PM at the theater (147 Front St) that is open to the public.

About reRun Theater

The reRun Theater, located at 147 Front St. in Dumbo, Brooklyn, provides a fully immersive theatrical and social experience, featuring an all-digital 1080p HD projector, a JBL 7.1 surround pro-audio sound system, a fully-stocked bar, and a gourmet snack menu. Open for operation since 2010, the theater has been named one of “eight nationwide theaters redefining the moviegoing experience” (Entertainment Weekly), a “DIY trailblazer” (Time Out New York), and one of “The World’s Coolest Movie Theaters,” (Travel and Leisure).

For more information, visit http://reruntheater.com.

About IFP

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations 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 has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents 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. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings. The IFP fosters the development of 300 feature and documentary films each year. Recently, the organization licensed the popular Festival Genius software platform through which IFP now reaches over 200,000 film fans worldwide.

For more information: www.ifp.org

Beasts of the Southern Wild, Bernie, Middle of Nowhere, and Moonrise Kingdom Receive Two Nominations Each

New York, NY (October 18, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent …]]> Monday, November 26^th at Cipriani Wall Street

http://gotham.ifp.org

Nominations Honor 26 Films

Beasts of the Southern Wild, Bernie, Middle of Nowhere, and Moonrise Kingdom Receive Two Nominations Each

New York, NY (October 18, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers announced today the nominees for the Gotham Independent Film Awards™.  Signaling the kick-off to the film awards season, IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards™ nominations were given to a total of 26 films across six competitive categories for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near YouÒ.

The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 26th at Cipriani Wall Street.  In addition to the competitive awards, actors Marion Cotillard and Matt Damon, director David O. Russell, and Participant Media founder Jeff Skoll will each be presented with a career tribute.

As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. Previous winners for Best Feature and Best Documentary include BEGINNERS (2011), THE TREE OF LIFE (2011), BETTER THIS WORLD (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010), THE OATH (2010), THE HURT LOCKER (2009), and FOOD, INC. (2009). The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention, including recent winners and ultimate Oscar® contenders:  feature winners BEGINNERS (2011), TREE OF LIFE (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010) and THE HURT LOCKER (2009); Breakthrough Actors  Melissa Leo (2008), Ellen Page (2007), Rinko Kikuchi (2006) and Amy Adams (2005).

Primary criteria for nomination consideration includes that the works be independently distributed American feature-length films (US-based or US-born directors and producers) made with a point of view. For a complete list of criteria, see http://gotham.ifp.org.

Since 2004, when IFP increased the number of the Gotham Award categories, expanded the criteria to include filmmakers beyond New York, and moved the awards ceremony to “awards season,” nominees have been selected by groups of distinguished film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. Separate juries of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors and others directly involved in making films will determine the final Gotham Award recipients.

This year 21 such writers and programmers participated in the nomination process, considering 211 eligible submissions. The Nominating Committees for the 2012 Gotham Independent Film Awards were:

Nominating Committee for Best Feature and Breakthrough Director:

Scott Foundas, Associate Program Director, Film Society of Lincoln Center; Contributing Editor, Film Comment

Ann Hornaday, Film Critic, The Washington Post

Glenn Kenny, Chief Film Critic, MSN Movies

Karina Longworth, Film Writer, LA Weekly & Village Voice

Wesley Morris, Film Critic, The Boston Globe

Nominating Committee for Best Ensemble Performance and Breakthrough Actor:

Peter Debruge, Senior Film Critic/Associate Features Editor, Variety

Ed Gonzales, Film Editor and Co-Founder, Slant Magazine

Eric Kohn, Lead Film Critic, Indiewire

Leah Rozen, Movie Critic, The Wrap.com and freelance writer

Elizabeth Weitzman, Film Critic, New York Daily News

Nominating Committee for Best Documentary:

Cynthia Fuchs, Film-TV Editor, PopMatters

Tom Hall, Artistic Director, Sarasota Film Festival

Rachel Rosen, Artistic Director, San Francisco Film Society

Ronnie Scheib, Film Critic, Variety

Sky Sitney, Festival Director, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival

Nominating Committee for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You:

Joshua Siegel, Associate Curator, Department of Film, Museum of Modern Art;

and members of the editorial staff of Filmmaker Magazine: Scott Macaulay (Editor-in-Chief), Nick Dawson, Brandon Harris, Ray Pride, Alicia Van Couvering

“From master film artists to richly talented newcomers, this year’s nominees comprise a diverse group of filmmakers and actors that defines the spectrum of independent film today” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP. “In addition to celebrating the work and the community, we also hope that the Gotham Award attention will encourage more audiences to explore the range of vibrant, entertaining, challenging, and innovative films represented here.”

The nominations for the 2012 Gotham Independent Film Awards are:

Best Feature

Bernie

Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Ginger Sledge, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer, Matt Williams, David McFadzean, Judd Payne, Dete Meserve, producers (Millennium Entertainment)

The Loneliest Planet

Julia Loktev, director; Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Helge Albers, Marie Therese Guirgis, producers (Sundance Selects)

The Master

Paul Thomas Anderson, director; Joanne Sellar, Daniel Lupi, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, producers (The Weinstein Company)

Middle of Nowhere

Ava DuVernay, director; Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, producers (AFFRM and Participant Media)

Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson, director; Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson, producers (Focus Features)

Best Documentary

Detropia

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, directors; Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Craig Atkinson, producers (Loki Films)

How to Survive a Plague

David France, director; Howard Gertler, David France, producers (Sundance Selects)

Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present

Matthew Akers, director; Jeff Dupre, Maro Chermayeff, producers (HBO Documentary Films and Music Box Films)

Room 237

Rodney Ascher, director; Tim Kirk, producer (IFC Midnight)

The Waiting Room

Peter Nicks, director; Peter Nicks, Linda Davis, William B. Hirsch, producers (International Film Circuit)

Best Ensemble Performance

Bernie

Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey (Millennium Entertainment)

Moonrise Kingdom

Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban (Focus Features)

Safety Not Guaranteed

Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni, Jenica Bergere, Kristen Bell, Jeff Garlin, Mary Lynn Rajskub (Film District)

Silver Linings Playbook

Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, John Ortiz, Julia Stiles, Shea Wigham, Paulie Herman (The Weinstein Company)

Your Sister’s Sister

Emily Blunt, Rosemarie Dewitt, Mark Duplass (IFC Films)

Breakthrough Director

Zal Batmanglij for Sound of My Voice (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky for Francine (Factory 25 and The Film Sales Company)

Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin for Now, Forager (Argot Pictures)

Antonio Méndez Esparza for Aquí y Allá (Here and There) (Torch Films)

Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Breakthrough Actor

Mike Birbiglia in Sleepwalk with Me (IFC Films)

Emayatzy Corinealdi in Middle of Nowhere (AFFRM and Participant Media)

Thure Lindhardt in Keep the Lights On (Music Box Films)

Melanie Lynskey in Hello, I Must Be Going (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Kid-Thing

David Zellner, director; Nathan Zellner, Producer

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty

Terence Nance, director; Terence Nance, Andrew Corkin, James Bartlett, producers

Red Flag

Alex Karpovsky, director; Alex Karpovsky, Michael Bowes, producers

Sun Don’t Shine

Amy Seimetz, director; Kim Sherman, Amy Seimetz, producers

Tiger Tail in Blue

Frank V. Ross, director; Adam Donaghey, Drew Durepos, producers

—————

For the second consecutive year, IFP is proud present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna 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.

The nominees are:

Leah Meyerhoff, director, I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS

Stacie Passon, director, CONCUSSION

Visra Vichit Vadakan, KARAOKE GIRL

The 3^rd Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Award will be voted on again by the independent film community, 230,000 film fans worldwide.  To be eligible, a U.S. film must have won an audience award at one of the top 50 U.S. or Canadian film festivals from November 2011 through October 2012.  Voting begins today at http://gotham.ifp.org/audience_award for the 31 films on the eligibility list.  The nominees will be announced November 5^th, and the winner will be revealed at the Gotham Awards ceremony.

The recipient of the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near YouÒ award is determined by the editorial staff of Filmmaker Magazine, a publication of IFP, and a curator from The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). All of these nominees will also be screened for the public at MoMA from November 16-19, 2012.

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Water FIJI Water, Official Spirit Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

2012 Gotham Independent Film Awards™ – Alphabetical List of Nominated Films

Aquí y Allá (Here and There) Breakthrough Director

Beasts of the Southern Wild Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor

Bernie Best Feature, Best Ensemble Performance

Detropia Best Documentary

Francine Breakthrough Director

Hello, I Must Be Going Breakthrough Actor

How to Survive a Plague Best Documentary

Keep the Lights On Breakthrough Actor

Kid-Thing Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

The Loneliest Planet Best Feature

Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present Best Documentary

The Master Best Feature

Middle of Nowhere Best Feature, Breakthrough Actor

Moonrise Kingdom Best Feature, Best Ensemble Performance

Now, Forager Breakthrough Director

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Red Flag Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Room 237 Best Documentary

Safety Not Guaranteed Best Ensemble Performance

Silver Linings Playbook Best Ensemble Performance

Sleepwalk with Me Breakthrough Actor

Sound of My Voice Breakthrough Director

Sun Don’t Shine Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Tiger Tail in Blue Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

The Waiting Room Best Documentary

Your Sister’s Sister Best Ensemble Performance

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations 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 has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents 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. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote 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 Awards™

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 information on attending: http://gotham.ifp.org

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (October 5, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization for independent filmmakers, announced today that Oscar Award™ winning Actor, Marion Cotillard will be honored with a career tribute at the 22nd Annual Gotham Independent …]]> Monday, November 26^th at Cipriani Wall Street

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (October 5, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization for independent filmmakers, announced today that Oscar Award™ winning Actor, Marion Cotillard will be honored with a career tribute at the 22^nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards™ on Monday, November 26th at Cipriani Wall Street, in New York City.

Signaling the official kick-off for the film awards season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ is one of the leading awards for independent film. Along with these three tributes, seven competitive awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You and Audience Award will be announced.

Cotillard is a critically acclaimed actor, who has built up an enviable filmography, working with some of the industry’s most renowned directors, domestically and abroad. The French actress joins previously announced Tributes Actor, Matt Damon; Director, David O. Russell and Philanthropist and Social Entrepreneur, Jeff Skoll being honored at the 2012 Gothams.

“Marion Cotillard is not only a delight to watch, she is one of the most talented women working in cinema around the world today,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP. “Her acting choices are always challenging and rewarding, and her performances show that she is a truly skilled artist, totally dedicated to her craft.  We are so honored to present this Tribute to a woman of her magnitude.”

This November, Cotillard will be seen starring in Jacques Audiard’s “Rust and Bone,” alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Bouli Lanners and Céline Sallette. The film was co-written by Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain and adapted from the acclaimed book of short stories by Craig Davidson. The film will be released by Sony Pictures Classics on November 23, 2012 and premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Cotillard recently wrapped production on director and co-writer James Gray’s “Nightingale,” starring opposite Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner.  Additionally, she also completed production on Guillaume Canet’s “Blood Ties” opposite Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis and Zoe Saldana.

In 2008, Cotillard became the second French actress to ever win an Oscar®, and the first to win an acting award for a performance in the French language. The world-wide critical acclaim came for her riveting portrayal of legendary French chanteuse, Edith Piaf, in the film “La Vie En Rose.”

Cotillard’s credits include the successful French “Taxi” film series, written by Luc Besson; Yann Samuell’s “Love Me If You Dare;” and Tim Burton’s “Big Fish.” She garnered her first Cesar Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her performance in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “A Very Long Engagement.” Following that, she went on to star in Ridley Scott’s “A Good Year;” Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” and Rob Marshall’s “Nine,” the screen adaptation of the hit musical. Her performance in the film brought her Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations, and she also shared in a SAG Award® nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast Performance. Additional credits include Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” and Guillaume Canet’s “Little White Lies.”

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street, Official Spirit Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations 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 has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents 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. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings. The IFP fosters the development of 300 feature and documentary films each year. Recently, the organization licensed the popular Festival Genius software platform through which IFP now reaches over 200,000 film fans worldwide.

For more information: www.ifp.org

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards™

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 information on attending: http://gotham.ifp.org

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