(Feb. 1, 2007) MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL AND TERRENCE HOWARD NAMED HONORARY CO-CHAIRS FOR THE 2007 FILM INDEPENDENT’S SPIRIT AWARDS
Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, announced today that Maggie Gyllenhaal and Terrence Howard will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs for the 2007 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards. As Honorary Co-Chairs, Gyllenhaal and Howard will host the Nominee Reception on Thursday, February 22, as well as present at the Spirit Awards ceremony.

Both two-time nominees, Gyllenhaal received a 2006 Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female for her role in Happy Endings, as well as a 2003 nomination for Best Female Lead for her role in Secretary. Howard received a 2006 Spirit Award nomination for Best Male Lead for his role in Hustle & Flow, as well as a nomination in 2000 for Best Supporting Male for his role in The Best Man.

“Honorary Chairs for the Spirit Awards are selected for their outstanding achievements in film as well as their commitment to Film Independent’s overall mission to celebrate the wide spectrum of independent filmmaking,” said Hudson. “Maggie and Terrence are exceptional artists and we are honored to have them as this year’s Honorary Chairs.”
Past Honorary Chairs include Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Benicio Del Toro, Robert Duvall, Jodie Foster, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Nicole Kidman, Ang Lee, Julianne Moore, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Naomi Watts.

The 2007 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards will take place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday, February 24, 2007. As previously announced, Sarah Silverman will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the second year in a row. The show airs live beginning at 2:00 pm PST on IFC (Independent Film Channel). Live red carpet footage will precede the show starting at 1:30 pm PST on WE, with an edited re-broadcast of the ceremony airing later that evening on AMC at 10:00 pm EST/PST.

This year’s ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors IFC, Netflix, Axium International, and ELLE, as well as Principal Sponsors Acura and Pop Secret®. Casa Del Mar, The Viceroy, Sheraton Delfina, and Shutters on the Beach are the Official Host Hotels. Wire Image is the Official Photographer of Film Independent. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner of Film Independent.

One of the great young actresses of today, Maggie Gyllenhaal received outstanding reviews for her starring role in Secretary and later went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, a Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead, a National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance, and a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Performance.

Gyllenhaal garnered rave reviews for the 2006 Sundance hit Sherrybaby, in which she played a female convict struggling to overcome drug addiction and regain custody of her daughter. This role won her a 2007 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama.

In addition to her on-screen hits (Mona Lisa Smile, Adaptation, Donnie Darko, and Waterland), Gyllenhaal is an accomplished stage actress and has starred in Closer, Anthony and Cleopatra and Homebody/Kabul.

Hailed by Entertainment Weekly as the “Indie Film King,” Terrence Howard has received numerous nominations for his dynamic performances in the Academy Award-winning film Crash and John Singleton’s Hustle & Flow. In 2006 alone, Howard swept up nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Spirit Award, National Board of Review, Movieline and Gotham Awards. Earning status at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005 as their “newest golden boy” by New York Magazine, Howard went on to serve on the dramatic jury at the 2006 festival.

A self-taught musician and songwriter, Howard’s performance for the rap song in Hustle & Flow received a Critics Choice Award and was the first rap song ever to receive an Academy Award. Howard also showcased his talents in the 2004 Jamie Foxx hit Ray, for which they both received SAG nominations.

Howard will next star in Pride this March and recently finished filming The Brave One opposite Jodie Foster and The Hunting Party with Richard Gere and Jesse Eisenberg. In the spring, he’ll begin production on Iron Man opposite Robert Downey Jr.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT’S SPIRIT AWARDS

The 2007 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards is sponsored by Premier Sponsors IFC, Netflix, and Axium, as well as Principal Sponsors Acura and Pop Secret®. Casa Del Mar, The Viceroy, Sheraton Delfina, and Shutters on the Beach are the Official Host Hotels. Wire Image is the Official Photographer of Film Independent. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner of Film Independent.

Film Independent’s 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.

Spirit Awards winners are chosen by Film Independent members with voting privileges extended to IFP members. Voters attend nominee screenings and view nominated films through Netflix before selecting the Spirit Awards winners.

Eligible films must be at least 70 minutes long, and the cost of the completed film, including post-production, must be under $20 million. Films must have been shown in a commercial theater for at least one week between January 1 and December 31, 2006 or shown at one of the following festivals in 2006: Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, New York, Sundance, Telluride, or Toronto.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committee applies 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

Last year’s Spirit Award winners included Brokeback Mountain, which won Best Feature and Best Director (Ang Lee), Capote for Best Screenplay and Best Male Lead (Philip Seymour Hoffman); Crash for Best First Feature and Best Supporting Male (Matt Dillon); Transamerica for Best Female Lead (Felicity Huffman) and Best First Screenplay; and Junebug for Best Supporting Female (Amy Adams).

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent is a non-profit membership 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 the audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, film 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 also 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.
As Honorary Co-Chairs, Gyllenhaal and Howard will host the Nominee Reception on Thursday, February 22, as well as present at the Spirit Awards ceremony.