After 14 years, Variety's "10 Directors to Watch" will have a new home at the 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival. The event will take place on Sunday, January 9 on the Palm Court at the Parker Palm Springs, where Variety will present actor Mark Wahlberg with the Indie Impact Award, which celebrates a performer and filmmaker able to cross over to mainstream studio successes without losing that dynamic drive and vision which first brought the artist to the global film spotli...

  FILM INDEPENDENT'S 6TH ANNUAL FILMMAKER FORUM OCTOBER 29-31, 2010 Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced today the panelists for the sixth annual Filmmaker Forum, which will be held October 29-31 at the Directors Guild of America, Los Angeles.  The opening night film, keynote speaker, and additional panelists will be announced shortly, as well as the recipient of the 2010 Sloan Produce...

Actor in "The Last Picture Show", "The Fabulous Baker Boys", "The Big Lebowski", "Fisher King", "Tucker",  "Seabiscuit", and most recently, "Crazy Heart".                Q: "What point did you enter the project, 'Crazy Heart'?"  A: "Gee, I do my best to try to avoid going to work, because I know what it entails. If anything, it means I have to be away from home.  My wife, Sue, told me recently ...

Actor in "The Last Picture Show", "The Fabulous Baker Boys", "The Big Lebowski", "Fisher King", "Tucker", "Seabiscuit", and most recently, "Crazy Heart". Q: "What point did you enter the project, 'Crazy Heart'?" A: "Gee, I do my best to try to avoid going to work, because I know what it entails. If anything, it means I have to be away from home. My wife, Sue, told me recently that out of the last fourteen months, I've been gone eleven. Now that's tough. Another reason I don't like to engag...

by Marla Lewin   Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present four-time Academy Award nominee Jeff Bridges with the Desert Palm Achievement Award on Tuesday, January 5 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Jeff Bridges stars as Bad Blake a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. Bridges creates yet another richly comic, semi-tragic romant...

by Marla LewinFilm Independent announced nominations this morning for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards.  Nominees for Best Feature include (500) Days Of Summer, Amreeka, Precious, Sin Nombre and The Last Station.  Taraji P. Henson and Matt Dillon also announced finalists for the Acura Someone to Watch Award, the Truer Than Fiction Award, and the Piaget Producers Award. A Serious Man was selected for the Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film’s director, casting director and ...