The Spirit Awards celebrates artist-driven filmmaking and recognizes the finest achievements of today’s independent filmmakers.                                     2012 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED - $115,000 in grants to be awarded to filmmakers - LOS ANGELES (Novembe...

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced nominations for the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards this morning. Anthony Mackie and Kate Beckinsale served as presenters. Nominees for Best Feature include 50/50, Beginners, Drive, Take Shelter, The Descendants and The Artist.Margin Call was selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ense...

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that J. EDGAR, directed by AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood, will have its world premiere as the Opening Night Gala of AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi. The film stars Academy Award nominee Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role, along with Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer and Oscar winner Judi Dench. It is produced by Academy Award winners Eastwood and Brian Grazer, and Oscar nom...

Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times and supported by L.A. LIVE, announced the jury and audience award winners for the 2011 Festival at the Awards Brunch, sponsored and hosted by CHAYA Downtown for the second year, and sponsored by Dove® Hair Care. Allison Janney and John C. Reilly were on hand to present the awards. The Los Angeles Film Festival ran from Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 26 in downtown Los Angeles. "David, Doug and the team continue to raise ...

  Woody Allen and Anthony Hopkins For you stargazers, here is a list of the films that feature top rank film directors and acting talents that are premiering this week at the Toronto International Film Festival (and the talent that is here): 127 HOURS (Danny Boyle, Director; James Franco, Actor) AMIGO (John Sayles, Director; Chris Cooper, Actor) ANOTHER YEAR (Mike Leigh, Director; Jim Broadbent, Actor) THE BANG BANG CLUB (Ryan Phillipe, Actor) BARNEY...

  Natalie Portman in BLACK SWAN  While film professionals are here at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to buy and sell films in a still soft market, for the Toronto public the big attraction are the movie stars who will be walking the red carpet in the coming 10 days. Toronto is a bit star-crazy, with all the local television stations highlighting their TIFF coverage and promising viewers up-close-and-personal access with the movie stars who are huddling here. Ever...

By Maria Esteves - March 14, 2010 The 82nd Annual Academy Awards 2010 New York Oscar Night Party commenced Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the GILT Restaurant, in the luxurious New York Palace Hotel. Academy members, past Oscar winners and nominees privately celebrated the evening with a cocktail reception, an elegant multi-course dinner, and live broadcast coverage of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, co-hosted by actors Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin at the Kodak Theatre, in Hollywood, California. T...

The Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East today announced nominations for outstanding achievement in television, radio, news, promotional writing, and graphic animation during the 2009 season to be honored at the upcoming 2010 Writers Guild Awards on February 20, 2010, in Los Angeles and New York. TELEVISION NOMINEES DRAMA SERIES Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, George Mastras, J. Roberts, John Shiban, Moira Walley-Be...

by Marla Lewin The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2009, AFI’s almanac that records the year’s most outstanding achievements in film and television, as well as significant moments in the world of the moving image. AFI AWARDS is the only recognition that honors the film and television creative ensembles as a whole—those both in front of and behind the camera—acknowledging the collaborative nature of film and television. Un...

by Marla Lewin The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2009, AFI’s almanac that records the year’s most outstanding achievements in film and television, as well as significant moments in the world of the moving image. AFI AWARDS is the only recognition that honors the film and television creative ensembles as a whole—those both in front of and behind the camera—acknowledging the collaborative nature of film and television. Un...

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 evening March 5 at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. The event will be held in a tent on the complexís panoramic event deck beginning at 8:00 p.m. Over the past 25 years, the event has been held at various locations in Los Angeles, including 385 North Restaurant, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Beverly Hills Hotel, R...

“Slumdog Millionaire” won the Oscar for best picture tonight at the 81 Academy Awards in Los Angeles, taking seven other trophies, including a best director prize for filmmaker Danny Boyle.Full list of Oscar winners revealed yesterday at the Kodak Theatre:Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”Supp. Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”Supp. Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cris...

Outfest, the Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and preserving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media, has announced the extraordinary line-up for Fusion 2009: The Sixth Annual Los Angeles LGBT People of Color Film Festival, presented by HBO. An impressive program of films, panels, workshops, and parties will be featured during the three-day event that takes place March 6 through 8. The screenings of features and short films will be held at the...

Having just attended the most historic event of a lifetime, the 56th Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, I can think of no better way to segue back into community than by attending The 24th Santa Barbara International Film Festival.My personal love affair with this festival started nine years ago and each year is no less exciting than the previous year or will be as exciting as the next.  With no shortage of global representation in film offered, my first inte...

By Maria Esteves - January 25, 2009 The 81st Academy Awards nominations was announced by President Sid Ganis of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and 2006 Oscar winner Forest Whitaker "The Last King of Scotland" on Thursday, January 22, 2009. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON picked up 13 Oscar nominations including best picture and best director. The next frontrunner with 10 Oscar nominations was SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE including best picture.  The 81st Academy ...

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” got the most nominations (13), including best picture, best actor, best screenplay, best direction, best make up of course...Performance by an actor in a leading roleRichard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films) Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features) Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight) Performance by...

SCREEN NOMINEESORIGINAL SCREENPLAYBurn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus FeaturesMilk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus FeaturesVicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein CompanyThe Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture FilmsThe Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight PicturesADAPTED SCREENPLAYThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Sco...

  Tuesday, December 2-------The Film Independent Spirit Awards, also referred to as the "indie Oscars" has announced its nomination list today, giving added fuel to the awards season. Top nominees include FROZEN RIVER (Courtney Hunt), BALLAST (Lance Hammer) and RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (Jonathan Demme). Other films competing for the Best Feature Award include THE WRESTLER (Darren Aronofsky) and WENDY AND LUCY (Kelly Reichardt).   FROZEN RIVER, which won the ...

The Film Independent Spirit Awards, also referred to as the "indie Oscars" has announced its nomination list today, giving added fuel to the awards season. Top nominees include FROZEN RIVER (Courtney Hunt), BALLAST (Lance Hammer) and RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (Jonathan Demme). Other films competing for the Best Feature Award include THE WRESTLER (Darren Aronofsky) and WENDY AND LUCY (Kelly Reichardt). FROZEN RIVER, which won the top prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, boasted six nomination...