The 2009 Spirit Awards Will Be Held March 5, 2010 & Broadcast On IFC, Noms Announced Dec. 1

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced today that the 2010 Spirit Awards will be held on Friday, March 5, 2010, and will air live and uncut at 8:00 p.m. PST/11:00 p.m. EST on IFC (Independent Film Channel). The nominations press conference will take place on Tuesday, December 1.

This year's celebration marks the 25th Anniversary of the Spirit Awards, which honors films made by filmmakers, who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo. To celebrate the milestone, Film Independent and IFC will be broadcasting the ceremony live in a special primetime event rather than the organization's signature Saturday event in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.

"The influence of independent filmmakers on the language of cinema and popular culture during the last 25 years has been phenomenal, and we have been proud to provide a platform for these talented artists at the Spirit Awards," said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson. "In planning this year's significant anniversary, we decided to venture away from our beloved day at the beach to a Friday evening where we hope an even broader audience discovers us as we kick-off the awards weekend."

Also announced, Film Independent will be accepting submissions beginning on Monday, August 10, with the early deadline of Monday, September 14 and the final deadline of Tuesday, October 6. Submission guidelines, applications, and more information can be found at SpiritAwards.com. Submissions should be sent to Film Independent, Attention: Spirit Awards Nominations, 9911 West Pico Blvd., 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90035.

As the first event to honor independent film exclusively, the Spirit Awards has made a name for itself as the premier awards show for the independent film community. Founded in 1984 as a small grassroots program, the Spirit Awards started out as the FINDIE ("Friends of Independents") Awards, and has now grown into one of the most anticipated film events of the year. Artists receiving industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel & Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Edward Burns, Aaron Eckhart, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Hilary Swank, Marc Forster, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan, Zach Braff, Amy Adams and many more.

In addition to celebrating the talented nominees and winners at the ceremony, the Spirit Awards is the primary fundraiser for Film Independent's yearround programs, which cultivates the careers of independent filmmakers and promotes diversity in the film industry. Year-round sponsors, Spirit Circle members and Industry Circle members receive the option to purchase tickets and tables to the gala beginning October 15. All details can be found at SpiritAwards.com

This year's ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors IFC, Piaget and Principal Sponsor Netflix. Wire Image is the Official Photographer of Film Independent.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo. Televised in millions of homes and covered internationally by the press, the Spirit Awards has become the vanguard event in independent film, recognizing the achievements of independent filmmakers and promoting independent film to a wider audience.

Selected from more than 250 submissions, awards are given in the following categories: Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, Best Director, Best Screenplay, John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for a budget under $500,000), Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male, Best Supporting Female, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Film, and Best Documentary.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees apply the following guidelines in making its selections:
1. Uniqueness of vision
2. Original, provocative subject matter
3. Economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost
and individual compensation)
4. Percentage of financing from independent sources

Eligible films must be at least 70 minutes long, and the cost of the completed film, including post-production, must be under $20 million (any variation is at the sole discretion of the nominating committee). Films must have been shown in a commercial theater for at least one week between January 1 and December 31, 2009 or shown at one of the following festivals in 2009: Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, New York, Sundance, Telluride, or Toronto.

After the committees select the nominees, the past Spirit Award nominees, members of Film Independent and IFP cast the final votes. Voters view nominated films before selecting the winners by attending nominee screenings and through mailed screeners.

Last year's Spirit Award winners included The Wrestler, which won Best Feature, Best Male Lead (Mickey Rourke), and Best Cinematography (Maryse Alberti), Milk, which won Best Supporting Male (James Franco) and Best First Screenplay (Dustin Lance Black), and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which won Best Supporting Female (Penelope Cruz) and Best Screenplay (Woody Allen). Additional winners included The Visitor for Best Director (Tom McCarthy), Frozen River for Best Female Lead (Melissa Leo), Synecdoche, New York for Best First Feature (Charlie Kaufman),The Class for Best Foreign Film and Man on Wire for Best Documentary. In Search of a Midnight Kiss received the John Cassavetes Award for the Best Feature made for under $500,000; Heater Rae, producer of Frozen River and Ibid, received the Piaget Producers Award; Lynn Shelton, director of My Effortless Brilliance, won the Acura Someone to Watch Award; and Margaret Brown, director of The Order of Myths, received the LACOSTE Truer Than Fiction Award.

Film Independent is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent's Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents, are comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry leader, or a film lover. With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent offers free Filmmaker Labs for selected writers, directors, and producers; provides cut-rate services for filmmakers; and presents year-round networking opportunities. Film Independent's mentorship and job placement program, Project:Involve, pairs emerging culturally diverse filmmakers with film industry professionals.

Film Independent produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema and the Spirit Awards, a celebration honoring films and filmmakers that embody independence and dare to challenge the status quo.

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

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