- Winners to be unveiled at 25th Anniversary Ceremony on March 5, 2010 -

LOS ANGELES (November 11, 2009) - Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced today that Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson and two-time Spirit Award winner Matt Dillon will announce the nominees for the 2010 Spirit Awards on December 1, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. PST at the Sofitel LA Hotel.

In honor of the 25th Anniversary of the Spirit Awards, this year's winners will be unveiled at a late-night celebration on Friday, March 5, 2010, at LA Live's panoramic event deck in downtown Los Angeles. The ceremony will air live and uncut on Friday, March 5, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. PST/11:00 p.m. EST on IFC (Independent Film Channel).

Henson first came onto the independent film scene as Shug in Craig Brewer's gutsy drama Hustle & Flow, garnering Outstanding Supporting Actress at the 2005 Black Movie Awards and Best Actress at the 2006 BET Awards. She then went on to earn rave reviews for her role in Focus Feature's Talk to Me, opposite Don Cheadle, and received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination and Best Actress honors from the NAACP Image Awards and BET Awards in David Fincher's highly acclaimed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Henson has also starred in Tyler Perry's The Family That Prays and I Can Do Bad All By Myself, with the latter role earning her Best Actress at the 2009 Diversity Awards. She will next be seen in the indie films Once Fallen, co-starring Ed Harris and Brian Presley and Peep World, starring Rainn Wilson and Sarah Silverman. Henson is also starring in 20th Century Fox's Date Night, opposite Tina Fey and Steve Carrell and Sony's Fung Fu Kid, opposite Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.

Dillon's successful film career has spanned over 3 decades and has showcased his wide range of dramatic and comedic talents. He won his first Spirit Award in 1990 for his gritty performance in Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy, and went on to star in such films as Cameron Crowe's Singles, Van Sant's To Die For, Frank Oz's In & Out, and the Farrelly Brothers' There's Something About Mary. He made his directorial debut with the film "City of Ghosts." Dillon's role in Paul Haggis' critically acclaimed Crash earned him another Spirit Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics Choice Award and a BAFTA Award. Dillon will next be seen in Screen Gems' Armored.
This year's ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors IFC, ELLE, Piaget, Acura, Jameson Irish Whiskey and Principal Sponsor Netflix. Wire Image is the Official Photographer of Film Independent.

ABOUT THE FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS
The Film Independent Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. 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.

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.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT
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 originality.

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

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