(Nov. 7, 2006) SARAH SILVERMAN RETURNS AS MASTER OF CEREMONIES FOR 2007 SPIRIT AWARDS
Film Independent announced today that Sarah Silverman will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the 2007 Spirit Awards. This will serve as Silverman's second time hosting the event, which will take place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday, February 24, 2007.

The 2007 ceremony airs live on Saturday, February 24, beginning at 5:00 pm EST on IFC (Independent Film Channel). Live red carpet footage will precede the show starting at 4:30 pm EST on WE tv, and an edited re-broadcast of the ceremony will air later that evening on AMC at 10:00 pm EST/PST.

Nominations for the 2007 Film Independent's Spirit Awards will be announced on Tuesday, November 28, at 8:00 am PST at the Sofitel LA hotel. Diana Zahn-Storey returns to produce the event for the thirteenth consecutive year.

"Sarah embodies everything Film Independent stands for: she's original, provocative, unique, and very independent," said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent. "The Spirit Awards have their perfect host."

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to be amazing," added Silverman.

"Sarah left us all wanting more at last year's Spirit Awards," said Diana Zahn-Storey, Spirit Awards producer. "We are so excited to have her back. We can't wait to see what she comes up with this year."

Added Evan Shapiro, Executive Vice President and General Manager of IFC, "We look forward to working with Sarah Silverman again on this esteemed event. She embodies what IFC and independent film are all about: an open, unrestrained expression of thoughts, ideas and commentary. We are 'TV, Uncut,' and Sarah is very much 'Comedy, Uncut.'"

Rightly considered one of the most talented rising young performers, Silverman is well-known for last yea'’s feature length film version of her celebrated one-woman show Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic, as well as her appearance in the acclaimed 2005 documentary feature The Aristocrats, in which 100 of the industry's most prominent comedians tell a version of the same joke. In Spring 2007, Comedy Central will debut The Sarah Silverman Program, a half-hour narrative loosely based on her life, about a detached and eccentric woman with no discernible goals whose tale will be told through an array of comedic scenes and songs.

Silverman has also co-starred opposite Jack Black, Mike White, and Joan Cusack in Paramount Pictures' School of Rock, as well as other films including There's Something About Mary, The Way of The Gun, Ivan Reitman's Evolution, The Bachelor, and Say It Isn't So. She most recently appeared in School for Scoundrels, starring Billy Bob Thornton and John Heder, and the upcoming I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, starring Bonnie Hunt, Gina Gershon and Amy Sedaris.

On television, she co-starred on the FOX comedy Greg The Bunny opposite Eugene Levy, and has guest starred in a slew of acclaimed and notable shows, such as The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, and Mr. Show with Bob and David. Silverman also lent her voice to the hugely successful Comedy Central show Crank Yankers and more recently as a guest voice on Robot Chicken.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT'S SPIRIT AWARDS

This year's ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors IFC, Netflix, and Axium, as well as Principal Sponsors Acura and Pop Secret®. On 3 Productions will produce the Official 2007 Film Independent's Spirit Awards General Attendee Gift Bag and Presenter Gift Lounge. Casa Del Mar, The Viceroy, Sheraton Delfina, and Shutters on the Beach are the Official Host Hotels. WireImage 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, the largest non-profit membership organization for independent filmmakers, cultivates the careers of independent filmmakers, builds the audience for independent films, and increases diversity in the film industry. Film Independent provides its members with more than 250 annual events and screenings, along with professional advice, educational programs, affordable camera and equipment rentals, and discounts to hundreds of industry-related businesses.

Film Independent also offers Filmmaker Labs, giving filmmakers the opportunity to develop their projects, and Project:Involve, a mentorship and job placement program that pairs filmmakers from culturally diverse communities with film industry professionals. Film Independent produces the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema. For more information, visit FilmIndependent.org.