News from the Independent Spirit Awards
SALMA HAYEK AND QUENTIN TARANTINO TO SERVE AS HONORARY CO-CHAIRS FOR THE 20TH IFP INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS CELEBRITY PRESENTERS ALSO ANNOUNCED
LOS ANGELES, CA (February 8, 2005)—Salma Hayek and Quentin Tarantino will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs for the 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards. The announcement was made today by Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of IFP/Los Angeles.
"Honorary Chairs of the Independent Spirit Awards are chosen because of their 'outstanding artistic achievement in film,'" said Hudson "We're thrilled to celebrate the achievements of both Salma Hayek and Quentin Tarantino; both have rich histories in independent film and have contributed so much to this movement."
Hollywood history has its share of artistic rebels, and writer/director Quentin Tarantino has already established himself as one of the most unique and talented filmmakers of his generation. Tarantino most recent works include the critically acclaimed series, Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2. Tarantino also wrote and directed Jackie Brown, as well as Pulp Fiction, which won the prestigious Palme D'Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards for Best Screenplay, Best Feature, and Best Director, and a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. He was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director and received an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. The film made over $100 million in the U.S. box office alone. His first break came in the form of Reservoir Dogs, which received two Spirit Award nominations for Best Director and Best First Feature. Clamoring for more of Tarantino's material that reveals his harrowing vision of contemporary life, Hollywood bought up some of the properties Tarantino had written as an unknown: True Romance was made into a critically successful film by director Tony Scott, and Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Tarantino has recently been hard at work with frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez on the upcoming Sin City, for which Tarantino is directing a scene. The film, currently in production, is scheduled for release by Dimension Films in 2005. In addition to writing his next project to direct, he will produce Katrina Bronson's Daltry Calhoun, through Miramax.
Academy Award Nominee Salma Hayek has proven herself as a prolific actress, producer, and director, in both film and television. Hayek is currently in production on Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg's Bandidas opposite Penelope Cruz. The actress was most recently seen in Brett Ratner's After the Sunset with Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson, will next be seen in Robert Towne's Ask the Dust, co-starring Colin Farrell. Hayek received an Academy Award Nomination, a Golden Globe Award Nomination, a SAG Nomination, and a BAFTA Nomination for Best Actress for the title role in Julie Taymor's Frida. She won an Emmy for her directorial debut, The Maldonado Miracle which aired on Showtime and originally premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. In 2001, Hayek starred and co-produced Showtime's In the Time of the Butterflies, for which she was nominated for a Broadcast Film Critics Association's Award. She also produced the Mexican feature, No One Writes to the Colonel, which was selected for official competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. Other film credits include: Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico, a sequel to Desperado; Mike Figgis' Hotel and Timecode, Kevin Smith's Dogma, Barry Sonnenfeld's Wild Wild West, Fools Rush In, 54, From Dusk Till Dawn directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino, and Breaking Up.
Celebrity Presenters In addition, Diana Zahn-Storey, producer of the Spirit Awards, announced that this year's celebrity presenters will include: Javier Bardem, Gael García Bernal, Selma Blair, Benjamin Bratt, Patricia Clarkson, David Alan Grier, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Salma Hayek, Val Kilmer, Laura Linney, Jane Lynch, Ewan McGregor, Michael McKean, Bridget Moynahan, Megan Mullally, Annette O'Toole, Robin Wright Penn, Quentin Tarantino, Marisa Tomei, Robin Williams, and Elijah Wood. Samuel L. Jackson will be the Master of Ceremonies.
"We are delighted with this talented group of presenters. They are actors, writers, directors and producers who truly represent the face of independent film." said Diana Zahn-Storey, who returns to produce the event for the eleventh consecutive year.
The IFP Independent 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 Independent Spirit Awards program 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 190 submissions, the winners will be unveiled at the 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 26, 2005, in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The ceremony will air live on IFC (Independent Film Channel) at 5:00 pm EST, and is edited for rebroadcast on Bravo the same evening at 10:00 pm EST/PST, following an exclusive one-hour red carpet show at 9:00 pm EST/PST hosted by "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's" Carson Kressley.
This year's ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors: IFC, Entertainment Weekly, DIRECTV, Bravo, and Netflix; and by Principal Sponsors: Turning Leaf Vineyards, Hewlett-Packard, Acura, America Online, Inc., and American Express. On 3 Productions will produce the Official 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards General Attendee Gift Bag and Presenter Gift Lounge. The Viceroy and Sheraton Delfina are the Official Host Hotels and WireImage is the Official Photographer of the IFP Independent Spirit Awards. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner of IFP/Los Angeles.
The IFP Independent 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 Independent Spirit Awards program 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 Debut Performance, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Film, and Best Documentary.
Last year's IFP Independent Spirit Award winners included Lost in Translation, which won Best Feature, Best Director (Sofia Coppola), and Best Screenplay, as well as Best Male Lead (Bill Murray); Monster, which won Best First Feature and Best Female Lead (Charlize Theron); The Station Agent for the Best First Screenplay and the John Cassavetes Award; Declan Quinn for In America Best Cinematography; and Whale Rider for Best Foreign Film.
IFP/Los Angeles, the largest non-profit organization dedicated to supporting independent filmmakers and increasing the audience for independent film. The organization is a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and the independent spirit. IFP/LA provides its members with professional advice, educational programs, affordable camera and equipment rentals, and discounts to hundreds of industry-related businesses. IFP/LA 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. IFP/Los Angeles produces the IFP Independent Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international independent cinema. For more information, visit www.ifp.org.
LOS ANGELES, CA (February 8, 2005)—Salma Hayek and Quentin Tarantino will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs for the 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards. The announcement was made today by Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of IFP/Los Angeles.
"Honorary Chairs of the Independent Spirit Awards are chosen because of their 'outstanding artistic achievement in film,'" said Hudson "We're thrilled to celebrate the achievements of both Salma Hayek and Quentin Tarantino; both have rich histories in independent film and have contributed so much to this movement."
Hollywood history has its share of artistic rebels, and writer/director Quentin Tarantino has already established himself as one of the most unique and talented filmmakers of his generation. Tarantino most recent works include the critically acclaimed series, Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2. Tarantino also wrote and directed Jackie Brown, as well as Pulp Fiction, which won the prestigious Palme D'Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards for Best Screenplay, Best Feature, and Best Director, and a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. He was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director and received an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. The film made over $100 million in the U.S. box office alone. His first break came in the form of Reservoir Dogs, which received two Spirit Award nominations for Best Director and Best First Feature. Clamoring for more of Tarantino's material that reveals his harrowing vision of contemporary life, Hollywood bought up some of the properties Tarantino had written as an unknown: True Romance was made into a critically successful film by director Tony Scott, and Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Tarantino has recently been hard at work with frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez on the upcoming Sin City, for which Tarantino is directing a scene. The film, currently in production, is scheduled for release by Dimension Films in 2005. In addition to writing his next project to direct, he will produce Katrina Bronson's Daltry Calhoun, through Miramax.
Academy Award Nominee Salma Hayek has proven herself as a prolific actress, producer, and director, in both film and television. Hayek is currently in production on Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg's Bandidas opposite Penelope Cruz. The actress was most recently seen in Brett Ratner's After the Sunset with Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson, will next be seen in Robert Towne's Ask the Dust, co-starring Colin Farrell. Hayek received an Academy Award Nomination, a Golden Globe Award Nomination, a SAG Nomination, and a BAFTA Nomination for Best Actress for the title role in Julie Taymor's Frida. She won an Emmy for her directorial debut, The Maldonado Miracle which aired on Showtime and originally premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. In 2001, Hayek starred and co-produced Showtime's In the Time of the Butterflies, for which she was nominated for a Broadcast Film Critics Association's Award. She also produced the Mexican feature, No One Writes to the Colonel, which was selected for official competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. Other film credits include: Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico, a sequel to Desperado; Mike Figgis' Hotel and Timecode, Kevin Smith's Dogma, Barry Sonnenfeld's Wild Wild West, Fools Rush In, 54, From Dusk Till Dawn directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino, and Breaking Up.
Celebrity Presenters In addition, Diana Zahn-Storey, producer of the Spirit Awards, announced that this year's celebrity presenters will include: Javier Bardem, Gael García Bernal, Selma Blair, Benjamin Bratt, Patricia Clarkson, David Alan Grier, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Salma Hayek, Val Kilmer, Laura Linney, Jane Lynch, Ewan McGregor, Michael McKean, Bridget Moynahan, Megan Mullally, Annette O'Toole, Robin Wright Penn, Quentin Tarantino, Marisa Tomei, Robin Williams, and Elijah Wood. Samuel L. Jackson will be the Master of Ceremonies.
"We are delighted with this talented group of presenters. They are actors, writers, directors and producers who truly represent the face of independent film." said Diana Zahn-Storey, who returns to produce the event for the eleventh consecutive year.
The IFP Independent 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 Independent Spirit Awards program 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 190 submissions, the winners will be unveiled at the 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 26, 2005, in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The ceremony will air live on IFC (Independent Film Channel) at 5:00 pm EST, and is edited for rebroadcast on Bravo the same evening at 10:00 pm EST/PST, following an exclusive one-hour red carpet show at 9:00 pm EST/PST hosted by "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's" Carson Kressley.
This year's ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors: IFC, Entertainment Weekly, DIRECTV, Bravo, and Netflix; and by Principal Sponsors: Turning Leaf Vineyards, Hewlett-Packard, Acura, America Online, Inc., and American Express. On 3 Productions will produce the Official 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards General Attendee Gift Bag and Presenter Gift Lounge. The Viceroy and Sheraton Delfina are the Official Host Hotels and WireImage is the Official Photographer of the IFP Independent Spirit Awards. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner of IFP/Los Angeles.
The IFP Independent 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 Independent Spirit Awards program 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 Debut Performance, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Film, and Best Documentary.
Last year's IFP Independent Spirit Award winners included Lost in Translation, which won Best Feature, Best Director (Sofia Coppola), and Best Screenplay, as well as Best Male Lead (Bill Murray); Monster, which won Best First Feature and Best Female Lead (Charlize Theron); The Station Agent for the Best First Screenplay and the John Cassavetes Award; Declan Quinn for In America Best Cinematography; and Whale Rider for Best Foreign Film.
IFP/Los Angeles, the largest non-profit organization dedicated to supporting independent filmmakers and increasing the audience for independent film. The organization is a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and the independent spirit. IFP/LA provides its members with professional advice, educational programs, affordable camera and equipment rentals, and discounts to hundreds of industry-related businesses. IFP/LA 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. IFP/Los Angeles produces the IFP Independent Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international independent cinema. For more information, visit www.ifp.org.
