gotham awards
Van Sant To Be Honored at Gotham Awards
The 18th annual Gotham Awards, to be held December 2nd at downtown Cipriani, will honor Gus Van Sant with a tribute, Variety reports. The director's forthcoming film Milk (which we're mildly obsessed with) opens November 26th. Spanish stunner Penelope Cruz will also be feted. More details after the jump: read more »
Penelope Cruz to Get Gotham Award Tribute
There's been lots of chatter lately over Penelope Cruz's steamy kiss with Scarlet Johansson in the new Woody Allen film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which opened in New York last Friday—enough chatter that we almost missed the following tidbit yesterday in The Hollywood Reporter: Ms. Cruz, who's also enjoying critical praise for her role in Elegy, Isabel Coixet's adaptation of an acclaimed Philip Roth novel, will receive a Gotham Award Tribute at the 18th Annual Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on Dec. 2.
"Penelope's body of work embodies what is exciting and vibrant about filmmaking today, in particular independent filmmaking," said Michelle Byrd, executive director of IFP, the national independent filmmakers organization that presents the awards, in a statement. read more »
Gotham Awards Give Hope to True Indies
Five of the films entered in this year's Gotham Awards don't have distribution. But "the most vital category," Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You, can save them from obscurity, according to The New York Sun. Nominees are selected by the editors of Filmmaker Magazine, who are fed titles by festival programmers from across the country.
"How many thousands of films are simply not released each year?" said Michelle Byrd, the executive director of the New York-based Independent Features Project, which facilitates the Gothams. "We wanted to create an award that really speaks to the kinds of filmmakers who would ideally be a member of IFP, who are out there making great works of art, but perhaps don't have the kind of corporate support, or the support of a classic division of a major studio, that you sometimes need to get your film out there."
Two years ago, Caveh Zahedi's "I Am a Sex Addict" was picked up by IFC Films after regaining momentum at the Gothams. Just last Friday, the second winner of the "Best Film Not Showing" award, Steve Barron's "Choking Man," opened for its premiere theatrical run at Cinema Village (it continues screening this week), backed by distributor International Film Circuit. And starting Friday, this year's five nominees will be screened for the public in a special four-day showcase at the Museum of Modern Art.
Sound, Into the Wild Top Gotham Award Noms
The IFP announced the 17th Annual Gotham Awards nominees today, spotlighting the breakthrough indie films of the year.
Great World of Sound, a comedy about a bumbling Southern duo who traverse the country to discover unsigned "talent" for a record label, garnered the most nominations for Best Feature, Breakthrough Director and Breakthrough Actor. In Craig Zobel's documentary-style debut, real performers auditioned without knowing it was actually a film shoot. With hidden cameras, the interaction was recorded between the lead actors and the unsuspecting musicians.
Into the Wild, Sean Penn's film adaptation of the Jon Krakauer book, was also nominated for Best Feature and a Breakthrough Actor nod for star Emile Hirsch.
Mr. Hirsch told Hillary Frey in the Observer:
“There were times when it was really, really, really hard,” he continued. “But there were times when Chris [McCandless] was on the road and it was really, really, really hard. I just knew that that was part of the commitment. I didn’t go into it thinking it was gonna be a ball. It’s amazing how you can go into it thinking it’s not really gonna be a ball, but you really don’t realize what that means until you’re doing it.”
“I think it’s important to be willing to suffer, if that’s what it takes,” said Mr. Penn of his expectations for his star.
The awards will be presented at Steiner Studios in New York on Tuesday, Nov. 27.
View the full list of nominees after the jump.
Ebert to Be Honored at Gotham Awards
Roger Ebert will be honored at the 17th annual Gotham Awards for a career of championing independent cinema, according to the AP.
The 65-year-old film critic will receive the honor at the Nov. 27 event at Brooklyn's Steiner Studios. The Gotham Awards celebrate independent movies and films set in New York. An official announcement of the Ebert tribute was planned for Monday.
"Through his columns, books and television show, Roger Ebert has almost single-handedly introduced independent film to American moviegoers," said Michelle Byrd, executive director of the International Film Project, which presents The Gotham Awards. "His championing of high-quality, undiscovered films has put countless films, filmmakers and actors on the map."
