(Feb. 24, 2007) “LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE” PULLS UP TO TAKE THE CROWN AT 2007 FILM INDEPENDENT’S SPIRIT AWARDS
The hit independent film Little Miss Sunshine won the top prize for Best Feature at the 2007 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards. The winner for Best First Feature went to Sweet Land, which marks the first time in the history of the Spirit Awards that a film without a distributor has won this prize. (Note: Through a unique partnership with the online movie rental service Netflix, Film Independent members are provided access to participating Spirit Award-nominated films.)

The 2007 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards were held Saturday, February 24, in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo. This annual event, which began as a small grassroots program, has grown into one of the most anticipated events of the film year.

This year’s major category winners were Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Little Miss Sunshine, which won Best Feature, Best Directors (Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris), Best Supporting Male (Alan Arkin), and Best First Screenplay (Michael Arndt), and Thank You For Smoking for Best Screenplay (Jason Reitman); ThinkFilm’s Half Nelson, which won Best Male Lead (Ryan Gosling), and Best Female Lead (Shareeka Epps); Sony Pictures Classics’ Quinceañera which won the John Cassavetes Award, and Friends With Money which won Best Supporting Female (Frances McDormand).

Howard Gertler and Tim Perell, producers of Shortbus and Pizza, received the tenth annual Axium Producers Award, which honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The winner of the Producers Award receives an unrestricted grant of $50,000 funded by Axium International.

Julia Loktev, director of Day Night Day Night, won the thirteenth annual IFC/Acura Someone To Watch Award, a $50,000 unrestricted grant created to honor a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award is funded by IFC and Acura.

Adele Horne, director of The Tailenders, won the eleventh annual Axium Truer Than Fiction Award, presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant attention. The award is accompanied by a $50,000 unrestricted grant funded by Axium International.

David Lynch and Laura Dern received a Special Distinction Award for their collaborative work. The late director Robert Altman received an Honorary Spirit Award for his lifelong commitment to independent filmmaking.

As previously announced, a new Spirit Award – The Robert Altman Award – was created in the director’s name, to be given out for the first time at the 2008 Spirit Awards to one film’s director and ensemble cast.

This year's ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors IFC, Netflix, Axium International, ELLE; and by Principal Sponsors Acura, and Pop Secret. On 3 Productions produced the Official 2007 Spirit Awards General Attendee Gift Bag and Presenter Gift Lounge. Casa Del Mar, Sheraton Delfina, Shutters on the Beach, and Viceroy, are the Official Host Hotels; and WireImage is the Official Photographer of the Film Independent Spirit Awards. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner of Film Independent.

The ceremony aired live on IFC (Independent Film Channel), beginning at 2:00 pm PST, and was preceded by an exclusive half-hour red carpet show on WE: Women’s Entertainment at 1:30 pm PST. An edited re-broadcast will air later this evening on AMC at 10:00 pm EST/PST.

Actor/Comedian Sarah Silverman served as Master of Ceremonies. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Terrence Howard served as Honorary Co-Chairs. Music was by The Crystal Method. Diana Zahn-Storey produced the 2007 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards for the thirteenth year.

The following is a complete list of the winners:

Best Feature
Little Miss Sunshine Producers: Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger & Ron Yerxa
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Best Director
Jonathon Dayton & Valerie Faris Little Miss Sunshine
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Best Screenplay
Jason Reitman, Thank You For Smoking
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Best First Feature
Sweet Land
Director: Ali Selim
Producers: Alan Cumming, James Bigham, Ali Selim
No Distributor

Best First Screenplay
Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine
Fox Searchlight Pictures

John Cassavetes Award (For the Best Feature made for under $500,000)
Writer/Directors: Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland Quinceañera
Producer: Anne Clements
Sony Pictures Classics

Best Supporting Female
Frances McDormand, Friends with Money
Sony Pictures Classics

Best Supporting Male
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Best Female Lead
Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson
THINKFilm

Best Male Lead
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
THINKFilm

Best Cinematography
Guillermo Navarro, Pan’s Labyrinth
Picturehouse

Best Foreign Film
The Lives of Others
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Sony Pictures Classics

Best Documentary
The Road to Guantanamo
Directors: Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross
Roadside Attractions


2007 FILM INDEPENDENT’S SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS BY DISTRIBUTOR

FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES 5
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS 3
THINKFILM 2
PICTUREHOUSE 1
ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS 1
NO DISTRIBUTOR 1

This year’s nominees for Best Feature were American Gun, The Dead Girl, Half Nelson, Little Miss Sunshine, and Pan’s Labyrinth. Best First Feature nominees were Day Night Day Night, Man Push Cart, The Motel, Sweet Land, and Wristcutters: A Love Story.

ATTENDEES

Joining host Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, were Master of Ceremonies Sarah Silverman, Honorary Co-Chairs Maggie Gyllenhaal and Terrence Howard, and music by The Crystal Method.

Presenters included: Amy Adams; Rachel Bilson; Zach Braff; Rosario Dawson; Loretta Devine; Matt Dillon; Taylor Dayne; Robert Downey, Jr.; Minnie Driver; Illeana Douglas; America Ferrera; James Franco; Cuba Gooding, Jr.; Elliott Gould; Christopher Guest; Marcia Gay Harden; Neil Patrick Harris; Josh Hartnett; Dennis Hopper; Djimon Hounsou; Felicity Huffman; Anjelica Huston; Sally Kellerman; Shia LeBouf; Lucy Liu; Tobey Maguire; Andie MacDowell; John C. Reilly; Jeremy Renner; Giovanni Ribisi; Christina Ricci; Winona Ryder; Peter Sarsgaard; Sharon Stone; Lily Tomlin; Kerry Washington; and John Waters.

Celebrity Guests and Nominees included: Shohreh Aghdashloo; Alan Arkin; Raymond Barry; Ned Beatty; Selma Blair; Alan Cumming; Naomi Campbell; Neve Campbell; Linda Cardellini; Alfonso Cuaron; Bill Condon; Daniel Craig; Carson Daly; Guillermo del Toro; Melonie Diaz; Aaron Eckhart; Shareeka Epps; Giancarlo Esposito; Vondie Curtis Hall; Marcia Gay Harden; Nicole Holofcener; Mary Beth Hurt; Greg Kinnear; Ricki Lake; Debi Mazar; Kyle MacLachlan; Rachel McAdams; Radha Mitchell; Catherine O’Hara; Joey Pantoliano; Robin Wright Penn; Sean Penn; Michael Rappaport; Elizabeth Reaser; Andre Royo; Amber Tamblyn; Channing Tatum; Aisha Tyler; Mike White; Michelle Williams; and many, many more...

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.
Winners announced at ceremony on Santa Monica beach