“It’s a job.” –Arthur Martinez I had two features as a cinematographer under my belt by late June of 2015, both close and comfortable collaborations with a single director: Joel Potrykus (Buzzard, The Alchemist Cookbook). It seems fitting that he made the phone call I received only a week and a half before Actor Martinez began principal photography. Joel eagerly informed me that two directors, Nathan Silver (Stinking Heaven, Uncertain Terms) and Mike Ott (Lake Los Angeles, Littlerock), had contacted him asking about my nearly immediate availability. I didn’t know them personally, but I certainly had been aware of their […]...
- 3/28/2017
- by Adam J. Minnick
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The major retrospective of the 2016 International Film Festival Rotterdam is dedicated to the Barcelona school of filmmaking in the 1960s and 1970s, with Catalonian master Pere Portabella’s body of work—and his new film—serving as a figurehead. Nearly completely unknown in the United States—where critic Jonathan Rosenbaum has been a beacon of support and revelation—insomuch as Portabella is known in the film community it is for his film Vampir-Cuadecuc, which hijacks the production of Christopher Lee and Jesús Franco’s Count Dracula (1970) for its own ends and exhilaratingly exposes this documentarian’s acute analysis of and play with the subject of his films. (I will note here that Mubi has shown a great deal of Portabella’s work in the past, including this 1970 horror film.) This is hardly a lone accomplishment; in 1961 he helped produce Luis Buñuel's masterpiece Viridiana, and the director has been a strident voice in documentary,...
- 2/1/2016
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
With the American Film Festival in Wrocław comes the Us in Progress co-production forum initiative. It also means that micro gems might trickle down from Europe in the unfinished form into Sundance and/or SXSW in early 2016. On the plate for October 22nd and 23rd, the six projects selected for the 2015 Us in Progress Wrocław include:
Actor Martinez by Mike Ott and Nathan Silver
Up until now, the project that teams Littlerock, Pearblossom Hwy and Lake Los Angeles helmer with Exit Elena, Soft in the head, Uncertain Terms and Stinking Heaven had no title. This
stars Bobby Black, Connor Long and Lindsay Burdge.
Alaska is a Drag by Shaz Bennett
Based on her 2012 short, if Rocky and Hedwig had a love child – that would best describe our hero Leo — an aspiring superstar – if he can just get out of Alaska. Everyone who works in a fish cannery – slicing fish for...
Actor Martinez by Mike Ott and Nathan Silver
Up until now, the project that teams Littlerock, Pearblossom Hwy and Lake Los Angeles helmer with Exit Elena, Soft in the head, Uncertain Terms and Stinking Heaven had no title. This
stars Bobby Black, Connor Long and Lindsay Burdge.
Alaska is a Drag by Shaz Bennett
Based on her 2012 short, if Rocky and Hedwig had a love child – that would best describe our hero Leo — an aspiring superstar – if he can just get out of Alaska. Everyone who works in a fish cannery – slicing fish for...
- 9/23/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes new details on Found Footage 3D and Mania, photos from Refuge and a poster from Fetish Factory, release dates announced for Skypemare, Soulmate, and The Inside, a trailer for When Black Birds Fly and Zombie Hood, and more:
New Details on Found Footage 3D: “…the producers of upcoming horror film Found Footage 3D announced the launch of their Indiegogo campaign to obtain additional funding for post-production and marketing expenses.
Produced by Kim Henkel, co-creator of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Found Footage 3D tells the story of a group of filmmakers who set out to make “the first 3D found-footage horror film,” but find themselves in a found-footage horror film when the evil entity from their movie escapes into their behind-the-scenes footage.
“What Scream did for slasher films,...
New Details on Found Footage 3D: “…the producers of upcoming horror film Found Footage 3D announced the launch of their Indiegogo campaign to obtain additional funding for post-production and marketing expenses.
Produced by Kim Henkel, co-creator of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Found Footage 3D tells the story of a group of filmmakers who set out to make “the first 3D found-footage horror film,” but find themselves in a found-footage horror film when the evil entity from their movie escapes into their behind-the-scenes footage.
“What Scream did for slasher films,...
- 10/19/2014
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
One of the most beautifully shot films at the Los Angeles Film Festival will have to be Mike Ott’s “Lake Los Angeles.”
Ott returns to the film festival circuit after “Littlerock” and “Pearblossom Hwy” to complete his highly visual trilogy.
In this film, it portrays a couple of immigrants in the lonesome part of the United States in pursuit of the American dream. It follows two separate immigrants in the Lake Los Angeles area. One is the middle-aged Cuban exile who works at a holding house for illegal immigrants from Mexcio. And the other is a young ten-year-old Mexican girl who crossed the border without her family. They both cross path and realize the reality of the American dream.
Latino-Review caught up with the cast and director at the red carpet event over the weekend for the world premiere of the film. We talked with Roberto Sanchez, Johanna Trujillo,...
Ott returns to the film festival circuit after “Littlerock” and “Pearblossom Hwy” to complete his highly visual trilogy.
In this film, it portrays a couple of immigrants in the lonesome part of the United States in pursuit of the American dream. It follows two separate immigrants in the Lake Los Angeles area. One is the middle-aged Cuban exile who works at a holding house for illegal immigrants from Mexcio. And the other is a young ten-year-old Mexican girl who crossed the border without her family. They both cross path and realize the reality of the American dream.
Latino-Review caught up with the cast and director at the red carpet event over the weekend for the world premiere of the film. We talked with Roberto Sanchez, Johanna Trujillo,...
- 6/18/2014
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Pierogis and paczkis aside, another thing we like about the Polish is the Wroclaw’s Us in Progress initiative, which is already at year three (fifth edition if you include the Paris) and reported by Screen Daily, have selected the lucky six projects (October 23rd-25th) where filmmaker/producing teams will take part in what is essentially: first looks of U.S. indie films for European buyers with a cash prize (post production coin) decided by a jury. Among the noteworthy names we have the likes of Littlerock‘s Mike Ott, Gabi on the Roof in July‘s Lawrence Levine and Onur Tukel (writer on Michael Tully’s Septien, director behind 2012′s Richard’s Wedding). Here is our researched look at the six (of which we can expect a couple of items to end up at Sundance next January).
Happy Baby
Director/Writer: Stephen Elliott
Producer: Jessica Caldwell (Electrick Children...
Happy Baby
Director/Writer: Stephen Elliott
Producer: Jessica Caldwell (Electrick Children...
- 9/27/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Held Thursday, May 2nd, in Hollywood, CA, the Dread Central co-sponsored private industry screening of Steven R. Monroe’s Monika was a resounding success. Read on for photos from the carpet and a few comments from star and co-executive producer Cerina Vincent.
In attendance at the event held at The Lot/Audio Head (in addition to the free-flowing wine from Sarzotti Vineyard) were Vincent (Cabin Fever) and writer/director/producer Monroe as well as MoniKa co-stars Jason Wiles ("Third Watch") and Daytime Emmy nominee and winner Jeff Branson ("Guiding Light," I Spit on Your Grave) and the film's executive producer Aaron Hofmann. Other industry appearances included Shaun Menzie (The Victorville Massacre), Bill Millsap (Jurassic Block), Barbara Nedeljakova (Hostel, Isle of Dogs), Carlee Baker (The Woman), Ryan Dillon (Littlerock) and producer Clinton H. Wallace (Blue Dream).
Prior to the screening and subsequent enthusiastic response to the stylized revenge/thriller (which is...
In attendance at the event held at The Lot/Audio Head (in addition to the free-flowing wine from Sarzotti Vineyard) were Vincent (Cabin Fever) and writer/director/producer Monroe as well as MoniKa co-stars Jason Wiles ("Third Watch") and Daytime Emmy nominee and winner Jeff Branson ("Guiding Light," I Spit on Your Grave) and the film's executive producer Aaron Hofmann. Other industry appearances included Shaun Menzie (The Victorville Massacre), Bill Millsap (Jurassic Block), Barbara Nedeljakova (Hostel, Isle of Dogs), Carlee Baker (The Woman), Ryan Dillon (Littlerock) and producer Clinton H. Wallace (Blue Dream).
Prior to the screening and subsequent enthusiastic response to the stylized revenge/thriller (which is...
- 5/6/2013
- by Sean Decker
- DreadCentral.com
Back in 2010, Mike Ott's second feature film, "Littlerock," made a considerable impression on the indie-film world. Beyond winning top awards at AFI Fest and Independent Film Festival of Boston, "Littlerock" won both the "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You" prize at the Gotham Awards and the "Someone to Watch" award at the Independent Spirits -- pretty much the holy duo of support for an emerging American indie filmmaker. Two years later, Ott has followed up the promise that came with those accolades with "Pearblossom Highway," which had its world premiere at the just-wrapped Vienna International Film Festival last week before heading to AFI Fest for its American debut this past weekend. The film, in large part, continues both the themes and approach of "Littlerock," a risky move that pays off quite nicely. Ott again collaborates with Atsuko Okatsuka (co-screenwriter and lead actress) and Cory Zacharia...
- 11/8/2012
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
Like Littlerock, writer-director Mike Ott's previous film, Pearblossum Hwy focuses on twentysomethings who are unwillingly stuck living in a secluded California desert town. Economic limitations weigh heavily upon their situations because without decent employment opportunities they cannot afford to move elsewhere. Besides, no matter how much they hate it, this is where their only family roots are grounded... Anna (Atsuko Okatsuka) lives with her aunt (Sumiko Muto) and uncle (Mio Takada). They are traditional Japanese adults who stress the importance of studying and working hard. Anna is preparing to take the U.S. citizen exam and she works at uncle's nursery, but her first priority is raising enough money to visit her ailing grandmother in Japan. We can only assume that the paychecks from the nursery are not enough to cover Anna's airfare to Japan, so it comes as no surprise when her other occupation is revealed. Anna hates...
- 11/5/2012
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
"Pearblossom Hwy," says director Mike Ott (whose 2010 feature "Littlerock" won the Audience Award at that year's edition of the festival), "has a mixture of fiction and nonfiction elements." A partial result, perhaps, of his self-described mild obsession with Mark Bochardt. "Pearblossom Hwy," tells the tale of "two friends who go on a road-trip to San Francisco (kind of)." The film's mysterious trailer, though, contains more Japanese than English, and seems to center on the relationship between a prostitute and her client. That, we are led to guess, might account for the "kind of." What were some of the toughest challenges you faced in bringing this project to fruition? "I think the most difficult part was shooting in San Francisco. Before we went out to the Bay Area, we were in the quaintness of the desert, where we had almost complete control over the environment. When shooting in the city, we suddenly.
- 10/26/2012
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
This will be the year that revenue from streaming passes revenue from DVD sales, according to a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter.
How do we feel about this? I ask as a movie-watcher who subscribes to Netflix, Hulu and Fandor, and also rents online from Amazon and Vudu. iTunes gets none of my business because the iTunes Store has been misbehaving on my computer. I average three streaming movies a week and three or four on DVD. I'm not an average consumer, because a lot of my viewing is for work. But often of an evening I'll stream for pleasure. All of my streaming happens through a Roku Player on HDTV.
Does anyone recall the time when HBO was first test-marketing Movies on Demand? There was much hilarity when it was learned that their Florida test market wasn't exactly a model of digital automation. Apparently actual employees were taking...
How do we feel about this? I ask as a movie-watcher who subscribes to Netflix, Hulu and Fandor, and also rents online from Amazon and Vudu. iTunes gets none of my business because the iTunes Store has been misbehaving on my computer. I average three streaming movies a week and three or four on DVD. I'm not an average consumer, because a lot of my viewing is for work. But often of an evening I'll stream for pleasure. All of my streaming happens through a Roku Player on HDTV.
Does anyone recall the time when HBO was first test-marketing Movies on Demand? There was much hilarity when it was learned that their Florida test market wasn't exactly a model of digital automation. Apparently actual employees were taking...
- 6/8/2012
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
This week on Blu-ray/DVD: An award-winning breakout from the 2010 festival circuit; a revealing portrait of the iconic Charlotte Rampling; one of the most controversial films to play at last year's Cannes Film Festival; the biopic that won Meryl Streep her third Oscar; and the latest from Werner Herzog. #1. Critic's Pick: "Littlerock" Mike Ott's sophomore feature "Littlerock" (he made his debut with "Analog Days") was a hit on the 2010 film festival circuit, culminating in wins at the Gothams and Independent Spirt Awards. The quietly engaging, bittersweet film follows two Japanese youth (Rintaro Sawamoto and co-screenwriter Atsuko Okatsuka) stuck in a dead-end California town, coping with insurmountable language barriers. "Romance happens. Hearts get broken," Eric Kohn wrote in his review. "With a light, endearing touch, Ott navigates between the perspectives of the Japanese characters and their...
- 4/10/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Berlin's festival of American independent film, Unknown Pleasures, runs from January 1 through 15 at the Babylon, and co-programmers Hannes Brühwiler and Andrew Grant have put together a lineup for this fourth edition that's a little more adventurous that the first three:
Dustin Guy Defa's Bad Fever Sean Durkin's Martha Marcy May Marlene Todd Haynes's Mildred Pierce Monty Hellman's Road to Nowhere Azazel Jacobs's Terri Aaron Katz's Cold Weather Laurel Nakadate's The Wolf Knife Mike Ott's Littlerock Tristan Patterson's Dragonslayer Matt Porterfield's Putty Hill Peter Bo Rappmund's Psychohydrography Lee Anne Schmitt's The Last Buffalo Hunt Joe Swanberg's Silver Bullets Sophia Takel's Green Frederick Wiseman's Boxing Gym Zach Weintraub's Bummer Summer
There are also two special programs, one highlighting Martin Scorsese's recent documentaries (George Harrison: Living in the Material World, A Letter to Elia and Public Speaking). And for the other,...
Dustin Guy Defa's Bad Fever Sean Durkin's Martha Marcy May Marlene Todd Haynes's Mildred Pierce Monty Hellman's Road to Nowhere Azazel Jacobs's Terri Aaron Katz's Cold Weather Laurel Nakadate's The Wolf Knife Mike Ott's Littlerock Tristan Patterson's Dragonslayer Matt Porterfield's Putty Hill Peter Bo Rappmund's Psychohydrography Lee Anne Schmitt's The Last Buffalo Hunt Joe Swanberg's Silver Bullets Sophia Takel's Green Frederick Wiseman's Boxing Gym Zach Weintraub's Bummer Summer
There are also two special programs, one highlighting Martin Scorsese's recent documentaries (George Harrison: Living in the Material World, A Letter to Elia and Public Speaking). And for the other,...
- 12/22/2011
- MUBI
Forum panelist Mike Ott
Film Independent Forum panelists span a broad spectrum of filmmaker categories, from major Hollywood screenwriters, independent producers, crowd-funding experts, studio execs, and the list goes on. They’re coming together the weekend of October 21 to engage in meaningful conversations regarding the state of the indusry, the challenges we are overcoming and to talk about what we all love: film. One of the panelists participating this year is Mike Ott, Spirit Award grant winner for his film LiTTLEROCK, the story of two Japanese siblings deserted in the small Californian town of Littlerock and the characters they come across. Mike is also a professor at USC, and writer/director of his latest film, Teenage Wasteland. I sat down with Mike to cover a range of topics, from his quirky and oft-used leading actor, filmmaking influences, and finding a community among his peers.
On LiTTLEROCK and Working with First...
Film Independent Forum panelists span a broad spectrum of filmmaker categories, from major Hollywood screenwriters, independent producers, crowd-funding experts, studio execs, and the list goes on. They’re coming together the weekend of October 21 to engage in meaningful conversations regarding the state of the indusry, the challenges we are overcoming and to talk about what we all love: film. One of the panelists participating this year is Mike Ott, Spirit Award grant winner for his film LiTTLEROCK, the story of two Japanese siblings deserted in the small Californian town of Littlerock and the characters they come across. Mike is also a professor at USC, and writer/director of his latest film, Teenage Wasteland. I sat down with Mike to cover a range of topics, from his quirky and oft-used leading actor, filmmaking influences, and finding a community among his peers.
On LiTTLEROCK and Working with First...
- 10/10/2011
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent
Drake Doremus‘ Sundance Grand Prize winner Like Crazy will be the opening night film for the 7th annual Film Independent Forum, according to the non-profit.
Taking place Oct. 21-23 at the Director Guild of America in L.A., Like Crazy (which Paramount Vantage opens on Oct. 28) will kick off the the three-day forum for emerging and established independent filmmakers that covers production, distribution, documentary and new media.
Speakers for the 2011 Film Independent Forum include:
Sara Bernstein, HBO Documentary Films
Laura Bickford, producer, Duplicity, Che
Josh Braun, Submarine
Lisa Callif, Donaldson & Callif, Llp
Juan Devis, Kcet Public Media
Arthur Dong, director, Hollywood Chinese
Jennifer Dubin, producer, The Perfect Family, Good Dick
Craig Emanuel, Loeb & Loeb
Christian Gaines, withoutabox.com and imdb.com
Matthew Greenfield, Fox Searchlight
Azazel Jacobs, director, Terri
Patty Jenkins, director, Monster, The Killing
Gina Kwon, producer, The Future
Greg Laemmle, Laemmle Theatres
Lisa Leeman, director, One Lucky Elephant
David Magdael,...
Taking place Oct. 21-23 at the Director Guild of America in L.A., Like Crazy (which Paramount Vantage opens on Oct. 28) will kick off the the three-day forum for emerging and established independent filmmakers that covers production, distribution, documentary and new media.
Speakers for the 2011 Film Independent Forum include:
Sara Bernstein, HBO Documentary Films
Laura Bickford, producer, Duplicity, Che
Josh Braun, Submarine
Lisa Callif, Donaldson & Callif, Llp
Juan Devis, Kcet Public Media
Arthur Dong, director, Hollywood Chinese
Jennifer Dubin, producer, The Perfect Family, Good Dick
Craig Emanuel, Loeb & Loeb
Christian Gaines, withoutabox.com and imdb.com
Matthew Greenfield, Fox Searchlight
Azazel Jacobs, director, Terri
Patty Jenkins, director, Monster, The Killing
Gina Kwon, producer, The Future
Greg Laemmle, Laemmle Theatres
Lisa Leeman, director, One Lucky Elephant
David Magdael,...
- 9/14/2011
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Title: Littlerock Writer-director: Mike Ott Starring: Atsuko Okatsuka, Cory Zacharia, Rintaro Sawamoto, Roberto Sanchez, Brett L. Tinnes, Ryan Dillon A nicely photographed and initially intriguing character study of a road trip gone awry, and a sibling pair of foreign travelers waylaid in a land foreign to them, “Littlerock” quickly fumbles away any sense of delicate engagement, and ends up a collection of posed and meandering down-tempo moments in search of an inciting incident or clarifying signifier. Pleased with itself more than it ought to be, the movie seems to believe or feel that dawdling for dawdling’s sake is in the end its own kind of precious artistic statement, a fact only underscored...
- 9/3/2011
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
You could say that I had an on-again, off-again relationship with Littlerock (trailer below). Impressive yet exasperating, Mike Ott’s film about two Japanese tourists stranded in a California hamlet seduces, cheats, and comes halfway back to reconciliation, which is just another way of saying love hurts. And love it I did, at least at first. The camerawork is sensual and assured, whether capturing the low glimmer of fairy lights at a backyard kegger or a field of crispy, amber grass at dusk. While it’s just a slip of a film, more impression than narrative, the impression smacks of nostalgia — it’s a sweet reminder of afternoons drinking beer from brown bags and throwing rocks in abandoned lots. The tourists, siblings named Atsuko and Rintaro (Atsuko ...
- 9/2/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? I'm interrupting this normally scheduled column so I can talk ever so briefly about a project I'm not only excited about but only discovered earlier this week.
- 8/20/2011
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
"The sleeper hit of the 2010 film-festival and indie-awards circuit, Mike Ott's moody micro-budget Littlerock patiently observes the California road trip of college-aged Japanese siblings Atsuko (Atsuko Okatsuka, also the film's co-writer) and Rintaro (Rintaro Sawamoto)." Karina Longworth in the Voice: "En route to Manzanar (the filmmakers leave viewers to draw on their own knowledge, if any, of what that destination portends until the film's very end), their car breaks down in the tiny desert town of Littlerock, where they soon fall in with a local crowd of young layabouts."
"Amid the keggers and daytime bike rides is plenty of drug use, an overdue loan, and a menacing alpha-male bigot (Ryan Dillon)," notes Bill Weber in Slant, "but Ott uses the threat of violence as a mere layer of mood, keeping his focus on the mutable, and often unspoken, themes of identity and the nature of attempts to explore and redefine it…...
"Amid the keggers and daytime bike rides is plenty of drug use, an overdue loan, and a menacing alpha-male bigot (Ryan Dillon)," notes Bill Weber in Slant, "but Ott uses the threat of violence as a mere layer of mood, keeping his focus on the mutable, and often unspoken, themes of identity and the nature of attempts to explore and redefine it…...
- 8/12/2011
- MUBI
Starting this Friday in New York, Mike Ott's "Littlerock" will finally find itself in theatrical release some six months after winning the Gotham Award for "best film not playing at a theater near you." After making the festival rounds since its debut at the San Francisco International Film Festival earlier this year, the film quickly found screenings at AFI, Vienna, Melbourne, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Thessaloniki, Vancouver, Denver, Rhode Island, Seattle ...
- 8/12/2011
- Indiewire
Starting this Friday in New York, Mike Ott's "Littlerock" will finally find itself in theatrical release some six months after winning the Gotham Award for "best film not playing at a theater near you." After making the festival rounds since its debut at the San Francisco International Film Festival earlier this year, the film quickly found screenings at AFI, Vienna, Melbourne, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Thessaloniki, Vancouver, Denver, Rhode Island, Seattle ...
- 8/12/2011
- indieWIRE - People
Tonight at the Hsbc offices in midtown was the Ifp’s Independent Film Week launch party. Attending were participating filmmakers, several of our 25 New Faces, and many folks from the New York production community. But flying in from L.A. were Mike Ott and Atsuko Okatsuka, whose Littlerock — winner of the Filmmaker-sponsored “Best Film at a Theater Playing Near You” Gotham Award — premieres today at Cinema Village. Read Ray Pride on the movie here, and then check out the film. It’s highly recommended.
- 8/12/2011
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Hitting theaters in New York this Friday and expanding in September, Variance Films has premiered the trailer for Mike Ott's "Littlerock," which last December won the Gotham Award for "best film not playing at a theater near you." That's about to change. The second feature film from Ott, this heavily improvised film follows a Japanese brother (Rintaro Sawamoto) and sister (Atsuko Okatsuka, who also co-wrote the script) who find themselves ...
- 8/10/2011
- Indiewire
It would be easy to call the Seattle Film Festival a "best of fest," a collection of the world's most impressive films culled from nearly every festival that happened since the 36th edition of the festival ended last June. In purely relative terms, Seattle doesn't boast a ton of world premieres amongst the 441 films they'll show during the next 25 days, though Siff definitely has more than most other festivals half their size. Instead, they bring the world to their doorstep with an unparalleled array of international and regional cinema that makes it a rare and precious event unto itself. Unfortunately, I have just a weekend in Pacific Northwest, where I'll be reporting from over the next week, but given the amount of films we've already seen at other festivals, we can certainly make some recommendations for the fest, which kicks off tonight with a premiere of the drama "The First...
- 5/20/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Mike Ott's "Littlerock" took home the Narrative Grand Jury Prize Wednesday at the 2011 Independent Film Festival of Boston, while "Last Days Here" by Don Argott and Demian Fenton won Best Dcoumentary at the event. Takashi Miike's "13 Assassin" received the Audience Award in the narrative category, while the doc audience nod went to Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan's "Raising Renee." IFFBoston closed out with a screening of Rodman Flender's ...
- 5/5/2011
- Indiewire
Variance Films has acquired U.S. theatrical rights to three film festival flicks: the Slamdance award-winning experimental documentary "General Orders No. 9," the Spirit award-winning "Littlerock," and the SXSW music documentary "The Weird World of Blowlfly." For more on "Littlerock" director Mike Ott, check out indieWIRE's Futures profile of the director. Below is the full press release: Variance Films announces acquisition of theatrical rights for festival favorites “General Orders No. 9,” ...
- 4/28/2011
- Indiewire
Littlerock gets it. An awful lot of writers treat the formative experiences of your teenage years (young love, self-discovery, all the rest of it) as life-changing moments that don't mean a thing in the long run. While that's grounded in truth - how many old girlfriends or college buddies are you still in touch with? - far too many of them turn this observation into something patronising. Don't worry, they say. I was young once. I thought I was something special. You'll get over it.Littlerock is different. Mike Ott's sophomore film tells the story of two Japanese teenagers, brother and sister Rintaro (Rintaro Sawamoto) and Atsuko (Atsuko Okatsuka). They've stopped off in the small town of the same name on their way to make a...
- 4/9/2011
- Screen Anarchy
With all the "Black Swan" hoopla, am I the only one who thinks that the film, while well-made, is not deserving of all these hyper-crazed adulations? Portman was good, but I prefer Annette Bening's understated performance in "The Kids Are All Right." Or heck, Jennifer Lawrence's "Winter's Bone" performance could easily outdance Portman's delusional ballerina portrayal any day.
And "Winter's Bone," celebrating its true independent spirit, was virtually snubbed at last night's Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, the excellent supporting cast was honored with Dale Dickey winning Best Supporting Female and John Hawkes for Best Supporting Male, but the engaging and deeply haunting Debra Granik movie (with the most nominations totaling to seven nods) lost out to...you guessed it, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." (Check out my "Winter's Bone" movie review right here)
And yes, I do admire Aronofsky, I thought "The Wrestler" was one of his personal...
And "Winter's Bone," celebrating its true independent spirit, was virtually snubbed at last night's Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, the excellent supporting cast was honored with Dale Dickey winning Best Supporting Female and John Hawkes for Best Supporting Male, but the engaging and deeply haunting Debra Granik movie (with the most nominations totaling to seven nods) lost out to...you guessed it, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." (Check out my "Winter's Bone" movie review right here)
And yes, I do admire Aronofsky, I thought "The Wrestler" was one of his personal...
- 2/27/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Well, every year the Independent Spirit Awards are handed out the night before the Oscars, and every year, it seems that they are honouring a completely different set of films, despite having a number of overlapping nominees. At this point, it almost seems like you don't want to win a Spirit Award because if you do, it means you won't end up winning the Oscar. Assuming history repeats itself, James Franco's chances of winning Best Actor for 127 Hours just got a little worse (not that he really had a shot in the first place), and Natalie Portman might not be the lock that everyone thinks she is. Black Swan also ended up taking home Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, while John Hawkes and Dale Dickey took home Supporting Actor and Actress awards for Winter's Bone. The Kids Are All Right ended up getting Best Screenplay, while Exit Through the Gift Shop...
- 2/27/2011
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
The Feb. 26 event ended up being a great preview of the Oscars as all five leading ladies nominated for an Academy Award were nominated for a Independent Spirit Award!
It was a dress rehearsal for the Academy Awards Feb. 26 as a majority of the Oscar nominees headed to the beach in Santa Monica for the Independent Spirit Awards. From a stunning Jennifer Lawrence in Dolce & Gabbana and Mia Wasikowska in a glam Rodarte for Opening Ceremony to Nicole Kidman in a riveting red L’Wren Scott and Natalie Portman in a canary colored Givenchy!
Take a look at the gallery above and let us know who you think was best dressed!
Here’s who won: Best Feature: Black Swan Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan Best Screenplay: Stuart Blumberg & Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right Best Male Lead: James Franco, 127 Hours Best Supporting Male: John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone Best Female Lead: Natalie Portman,...
It was a dress rehearsal for the Academy Awards Feb. 26 as a majority of the Oscar nominees headed to the beach in Santa Monica for the Independent Spirit Awards. From a stunning Jennifer Lawrence in Dolce & Gabbana and Mia Wasikowska in a glam Rodarte for Opening Ceremony to Nicole Kidman in a riveting red L’Wren Scott and Natalie Portman in a canary colored Givenchy!
Take a look at the gallery above and let us know who you think was best dressed!
Here’s who won: Best Feature: Black Swan Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan Best Screenplay: Stuart Blumberg & Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right Best Male Lead: James Franco, 127 Hours Best Supporting Male: John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone Best Female Lead: Natalie Portman,...
- 2/27/2011
- by cspargo
- HollywoodLife
Black Swan, James Franco, and the other winners of the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced. The 26th Annual Spirit Awards ceremony was held on February 26, 2011. “Black Swan dominated the evening by winning Best Feature, Best Director (Darren Aronofsky), Best Female Lead (Natalie Portman), and Best Cimenatography (Matthew Libatique). It won all four categories for which it was nominated.” The full listing of the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards is below.
Best Feature
Black Swan
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Best Screenplay
Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Best First Feature
Get Low
Best First Screenplay
Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
John Cassavetes Award
Daddy Longlegs
Best Female Lead
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Male Lead
James Franco, 127 Hours
Best Supporting Female
Dale Dickey, Winter’s Bone
Best Supporting Male
John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Best Cinematography
Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop...
Best Feature
Black Swan
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Best Screenplay
Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Best First Feature
Get Low
Best First Screenplay
Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
John Cassavetes Award
Daddy Longlegs
Best Female Lead
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Male Lead
James Franco, 127 Hours
Best Supporting Female
Dale Dickey, Winter’s Bone
Best Supporting Male
John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Best Cinematography
Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop...
- 2/27/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
Black Swan continued to dance all over its competition at Saturday's 26th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards after picking up four top honours.
Oscar favourite Natalie Portman, whose portrayal of a troubled and dedicated ballet dancer in the film has won her global acclaim, was named Best Actress, while Black Swan also picked up Best Feature, Best Director for Darren Aronofsky and Best Cinematography.
James Franco's performance in 127 Hours made him the surprise winner of the Best Actor prize, beating the seemingly unstoppable Colin Firth, who has swept the board for his role in The King's Speech throughout awards season.
Drama Winter's Bone, which led the nominations with seven nods, only managed to pick up two honours: Best Supporting Male for John Hawkes and Best Supporting Female for Dale Dickey.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Best Feature: Black Swan
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Best Male Lead: James Franco, 127 Hours
Best Female Lead: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Supporting Male: John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Best Supporting Female: Dale Dickey, Winter's Bone
Best First Feature: Get Low
Best Screenplay: Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Best First Screenplay: Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
Best Cinematography: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Robert Altman Award: Please Give
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Foreign Film: The King's Speech
John Cassavetes Award: Daddy Longlegs
Acura Someone to Watch Award: Mike Ott, Littlerock
Aveeno Truer Than Fiction Award: Jeff Malmberg, Marwencol
Piaget Producers Award: Anish Savjani, Meek's Cutoff.
Oscar favourite Natalie Portman, whose portrayal of a troubled and dedicated ballet dancer in the film has won her global acclaim, was named Best Actress, while Black Swan also picked up Best Feature, Best Director for Darren Aronofsky and Best Cinematography.
James Franco's performance in 127 Hours made him the surprise winner of the Best Actor prize, beating the seemingly unstoppable Colin Firth, who has swept the board for his role in The King's Speech throughout awards season.
Drama Winter's Bone, which led the nominations with seven nods, only managed to pick up two honours: Best Supporting Male for John Hawkes and Best Supporting Female for Dale Dickey.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Best Feature: Black Swan
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Best Male Lead: James Franco, 127 Hours
Best Female Lead: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Supporting Male: John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Best Supporting Female: Dale Dickey, Winter's Bone
Best First Feature: Get Low
Best Screenplay: Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Best First Screenplay: Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
Best Cinematography: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Robert Altman Award: Please Give
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Foreign Film: The King's Speech
John Cassavetes Award: Daddy Longlegs
Acura Someone to Watch Award: Mike Ott, Littlerock
Aveeno Truer Than Fiction Award: Jeff Malmberg, Marwencol
Piaget Producers Award: Anish Savjani, Meek's Cutoff.
- 2/27/2011
- WENN
The Academy Awards will be held tomorrow night but today the better award show, the Independent Spirit Awards were held, honouring the best in independent film from 2010. Black Swan was the big winner taking home four awards, including the ceremony’s most coveted prize, Best Feature. Darren Aronofsky walked away with Best Director, Natalie Portman won Best Actress and cinematographer
Matthew Libatique won for his work on the psychological ballet thriller. Meanwhile, Oscar nominee / host James Franco won Best Male Lead for his performance in the Danny Boyle drama 127 Hours, and Winter’s Bone swept the Best Supporting categories with Dale Dickey and John Hawkes taking home Best Supporting Actress and Actor, respectively. The Kids Are All Right picked up Best Screenplay, while Exit Through the Gift Shop won Best Documentary with Mr. Brainwash accepting the award. Also worth noting was Jeff Malmberg’s Marwencol winning the Truer Than Fiction Award.
Matthew Libatique won for his work on the psychological ballet thriller. Meanwhile, Oscar nominee / host James Franco won Best Male Lead for his performance in the Danny Boyle drama 127 Hours, and Winter’s Bone swept the Best Supporting categories with Dale Dickey and John Hawkes taking home Best Supporting Actress and Actor, respectively. The Kids Are All Right picked up Best Screenplay, while Exit Through the Gift Shop won Best Documentary with Mr. Brainwash accepting the award. Also worth noting was Jeff Malmberg’s Marwencol winning the Truer Than Fiction Award.
- 2/27/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
I went 10/13 with my predictions of the Indie Spirits today -- my misfires came in the Best Picture and Best Actress categories thinking that Winter's Bone had the edge over Black Swan. Not that Winter's Bone didn't have a good night (it won in the Best Supporting categories - I thought that Bill Murray had the edge over John Hawkes is where I flubbed as well) but it was indeed a Black Swan event -- with additional wins for Directing (Darren Aronofsky) and Cinematography (Matthew Libatique). You can find the winners in bold below. Best Feature 127 Hours Black Swan Greenberg The Kids Are All Right Winter's Bone Best Director Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan Danny Boyle, 127 Hours Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right Debra Granik, Winter's Bone John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole Best Screenplay Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Winter's Bone Nicole Holofcener,...
- 2/27/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
The Film Independent Spirit Awards just wrapped (see it on IFC tonight @ 10Et) and Darren Aronofsky‘s thriller Black Swan was the big winner taking home four awards, including Best Feature, Best Director for Aronofsky and Best Female Lead for Natalie Portman. Winter’s Bone won the supporting acting prizes with John Hawkes taking it for actor and Dale Dickey for actress while James Franco won Best Male Lead for 127 Hours, Banksy‘s Exit through the Gift Shop won Best Documentary and Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg won Best Screenplay for The Kids Are All Right.
Also, “25 New Face” alum Lena Dunham won the Best First Screenplay prize for Tiny Furniture and Mike Ott, who we awarded with our “Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You” award at this year’s Gotham Awards for his latest Littlerock, won the Someone to Watch award.
Read the full list of winners below.
Also, “25 New Face” alum Lena Dunham won the Best First Screenplay prize for Tiny Furniture and Mike Ott, who we awarded with our “Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You” award at this year’s Gotham Awards for his latest Littlerock, won the Someone to Watch award.
Read the full list of winners below.
- 2/27/2011
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Black Swan, lost in the media fray over what was supposed to have been a two-horse race to Oscar Night, is back, having just won four Film Independent Spirit Awards: Best Feature, Best Director for Darren Aronofsky, Best Female Lead for Natalie Portman and Best Cinematography for Matthew Libatique.
Debra Granik's Winter's Bone has fared relatively well, scoring Best Supporting Male and Best Supporting Female awards for John Hawkes and Dale Dickey, respectively. Best Male Lead goes to tomorrow night's Academy Awards co-host James Franco for 127 Hours.
The Kids Are All Right, co-written by Stuart Blumberg and director Lisa Cholodenko, wins Best Screenplay, while Lena Dunham is given the Best First Screenplay award for Tiny Furniture.
Best First Feature: Aaron Schneider's Get Low. Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop's scored Best Documentary, while the Truer Than Fiction Award goes to Jeff Malberg for Marwencol. Best Foreign Film,...
Debra Granik's Winter's Bone has fared relatively well, scoring Best Supporting Male and Best Supporting Female awards for John Hawkes and Dale Dickey, respectively. Best Male Lead goes to tomorrow night's Academy Awards co-host James Franco for 127 Hours.
The Kids Are All Right, co-written by Stuart Blumberg and director Lisa Cholodenko, wins Best Screenplay, while Lena Dunham is given the Best First Screenplay award for Tiny Furniture.
Best First Feature: Aaron Schneider's Get Low. Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop's scored Best Documentary, while the Truer Than Fiction Award goes to Jeff Malberg for Marwencol. Best Foreign Film,...
- 2/27/2011
- MUBI
Black Swan’s Natalie Portman and Oscar nominee (and host) James Franco walked away with the top acting honors at the 2011 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards. The Joel McHale-hosted indie film kudosfest — which took place this afternoon in Santa Monica, Calif. — will be broadcast tonight at 10 p.m. on IFC. Black Swan won all four of its nominations, including Best Feature, beating out Winter’s Bone, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours, and Greenberg. John Hawkes and Dale Dickey — both from Winter’s Bone — won the supporting male and female trophies, respectively. The full list of winners:
Best Feature:...
Best Feature:...
- 2/27/2011
- by Jeff Jensen
- EW - Inside Movies
Black Swan’s Natalie Portman and Oscar nominee (and host) James Franco walked away with the top acting honors at the 2011 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards. The Joel McHale-hosted indie film kudosfest — which took place this afternoon in Santa Monica, Calif. — will be broadcast tonight at 10 Pm on IFC. Black Swan won all four of its nominations, including Best Feature, beating out Winter’s Bone, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours and Greenberg. John Hawkes and Dale Dickey — both from Winter’s Bone — won the supporting male and female trophies, respectively. The full list of winners:
Best Feature: Black Swan
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky,...
Best Feature: Black Swan
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky,...
- 2/27/2011
- by Jeff Jensen
- EW - Inside Movies
Best Picture: Black Swan Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan Best Actor: James Franco, 127 Hours Best Supporting Actress: Dale Dickey, Winters Bone Best Supporting Male: John Hawkes,...
- 2/26/2011
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
With all the emerging talent on display at this year's Spirit Awards, it's easy to get caught up in what's new and next in terms of the films we'll be seeing in the future, but what's often overlooked is the surfeit of new places and experiences that has been on display in independent cinema over the course of the past year. Actors routinely take audiences into emotional terrain where they haven't been before, but in 2010, it was often the surroundings that shared the spotlight.
In "Winter's Bone," director Debra Granik showed off a side of America that's rarely seen onscreen with the poverty-stricken rural community that exists as its own insular world in the mountains of Missouri and Best First Feature nominee "Get Low" showed the majesty of Tennessee during the '30s. "The Kids Are All Right" and "Greenberg" reveled in both sides of Los Angeles, demonstrating the way...
In "Winter's Bone," director Debra Granik showed off a side of America that's rarely seen onscreen with the poverty-stricken rural community that exists as its own insular world in the mountains of Missouri and Best First Feature nominee "Get Low" showed the majesty of Tennessee during the '30s. "The Kids Are All Right" and "Greenberg" reveled in both sides of Los Angeles, demonstrating the way...
- 2/25/2011
- by IFC
- ifc.com
At a press conference at the National Media Museum yesterday, Artistic Director Tony Earnshaw announced the full programme details for the 17th Bradford International Film Festival (Biff). This year the Festival, which runs from 16th – 2th7 March will open with Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger starring Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Gemma Jones, Lucy Punch, Freida Pinto, Pauline Collins, Ewen Bremner and Anna Friel.
The Closing Night Gala will be the UK Premiere of Oren Moverman’s The Messenger starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton and Steve Buscemi. The Festival will showcase more than 100 features from countries all over the world including France, Romania, Australia, USA, Argentina, Portugal and Japan.
A selection of horror films will be featured in the new strand introduced this year titled Bradford After Dark, an all-day mini “fest within a fest” that focuses on some of...
The Closing Night Gala will be the UK Premiere of Oren Moverman’s The Messenger starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton and Steve Buscemi. The Festival will showcase more than 100 features from countries all over the world including France, Romania, Australia, USA, Argentina, Portugal and Japan.
A selection of horror films will be featured in the new strand introduced this year titled Bradford After Dark, an all-day mini “fest within a fest” that focuses on some of...
- 2/23/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
As a way of celebrating this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards in the weeks leading up to the ceremony, we reached out to as many as we could in an effort to better understand what went into their films, what they've gotten out of the experience, and where they've found their inspiration, both in regards to their work and other works of art that might've inspired them from the past year. Their answers will be published on a daily basis throughout February.
Honored already at the Gotham Awards as this awards cycle's "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You," Mike Ott's sophomore feature will no longer bear that title after its win guaranteed a theatrical run in New York at the Cinema Village sometime in the immediate future. And as it turns out, that was merely a precursor to its win as this year's recipient of...
Honored already at the Gotham Awards as this awards cycle's "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You," Mike Ott's sophomore feature will no longer bear that title after its win guaranteed a theatrical run in New York at the Cinema Village sometime in the immediate future. And as it turns out, that was merely a precursor to its win as this year's recipient of...
- 2/6/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Now up on the site are select stories from the Winter 2011 issue.
Michelle Williams talks about her upcoming film Meek’s Cutoff, as well as the challenges of trying to shake her Blue Valentine character to prepare. We chat with Apichatpong Weerasethakul about his Palme d’Or winner, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Dp Eric Lin (The Exploding Girl) talks shop with Monogamy cinematographer Doug Emmett. As well as interviews with Limitless director Neil Burger and Mike Ott‘s Gotham Awards’ Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You winner, Littlerock.
Lance Weiler also delves into his project, Pandemic, for his Culture Hacker column, which is at Sundance (see our video interview with Weiler); and we reveal a new column which will show up in the mag from time to time: Soapbox. Here Zachary Wigon writes about the cinema’s role in society.
Michelle Williams talks about her upcoming film Meek’s Cutoff, as well as the challenges of trying to shake her Blue Valentine character to prepare. We chat with Apichatpong Weerasethakul about his Palme d’Or winner, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Dp Eric Lin (The Exploding Girl) talks shop with Monogamy cinematographer Doug Emmett. As well as interviews with Limitless director Neil Burger and Mike Ott‘s Gotham Awards’ Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You winner, Littlerock.
Lance Weiler also delves into his project, Pandemic, for his Culture Hacker column, which is at Sundance (see our video interview with Weiler); and we reveal a new column which will show up in the mag from time to time: Soapbox. Here Zachary Wigon writes about the cinema’s role in society.
- 1/25/2011
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Best Documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" It's hard to know whether street artist Banksy's feature documentary is what it claims to be—a doc about an obsessive man who falls in love with the world of street art (where artists place their work in public, risking arrest for vandalism), fashioning himself as the most financially successful street artist in history—or is Banksy's best prank to date. The film follows the life of buffoonish French expatriate Thierry Guetta, a happy-go-lucky proprietor of an overpriced hipster-wear store in West Hollywood with the curious habit of videotaping everything that happens to him. Guetta persuades his cousin, a street artist known as Space Invader, to become the subject of a "documentary," which leads Guetta to other street artists like Obama icon-maker Shepard Fairey and ultimately to the white whale of street artists: the ultra-secretive Banksy (interviewed in silhouette, of course...
- 1/20/2011
- backstage.com
In honor of the two grant winners announced this weekend at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch, indieWIRE invites readers to check out past articles about honored directors Mike Ott ("Littlerock") and Jeff Malmberg ("Marwencol"). Malmberg received the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant, comprised of a $25,000 unrestricted grant courtesy of Aveeno and $50,000 marketing and distribution grant funded by Jameson Irish Whiskey. Last fall, he shared a scene ...
- 1/18/2011
- Indiewire
In honor of the two grant winners announced this weekend at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch, indieWIRE invites readers to check out past articles about honored directors Mike Ott ("Littlerock") and Jeff Malmberg ("Marwencol"). Malmberg received the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant, comprised of a $25,000 unrestricted grant courtesy of Aveeno and $50,000 marketing and distribution grant funded by Jameson Irish Whiskey. Last fall, he shared a scene ...
- 1/18/2011
- indieWIRE - People
hollywoodnews.com: Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced the winners of its four filmmaker grant awards at the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant and Nominee Brunch held at Boa Steakhouse in West Hollywood. Sandra Oh and Terrence Howard hosted the casual event and handed out the honors.
Winners for the additional categories will be revealed at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica beach on Saturday, February 26, 2011. The ceremony will air exclusively on IFC at 10:00 p.m. Et/Pt, and as previously announced, actor and comedian Joel McHale will serve as host.
“This is the 18th year we have given out these grant awards, and they have now helped 47 emerging artists share their work with a larger audience, pay bills for their film, or get them started on their next project,” said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson.
Winners for the additional categories will be revealed at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica beach on Saturday, February 26, 2011. The ceremony will air exclusively on IFC at 10:00 p.m. Et/Pt, and as previously announced, actor and comedian Joel McHale will serve as host.
“This is the 18th year we have given out these grant awards, and they have now helped 47 emerging artists share their work with a larger audience, pay bills for their film, or get them started on their next project,” said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson.
- 1/16/2011
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
Every year, the Spirit Awards celebrate the best in independent film.
The nominees were announced for the 26th Annual Spirits, to be handed out on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 10pm Et/Pt, live on the Independent Film Channel (IFC).
After winning the top prize at the Gotham Awards, Winter’s Bone leads with seven nominations.
Winter’s Bone was nominated for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography.
The Best Film nominees also include 127 Hours, Greenberg, The Kids Are All Right and Black Swan.
The Kids Are All Right had five nominations while Black Swan, Greenberg and Rabbit Hole each landed four.
127 Hours, Jack Goes Boating and Tiny Furniture found three each.
Rabbit Hole received nominations for its performances from Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart playing grieving parents, as well as a director’s nod for John Cameron Mitchell, best known...
The nominees were announced for the 26th Annual Spirits, to be handed out on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 10pm Et/Pt, live on the Independent Film Channel (IFC).
After winning the top prize at the Gotham Awards, Winter’s Bone leads with seven nominations.
Winter’s Bone was nominated for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography.
The Best Film nominees also include 127 Hours, Greenberg, The Kids Are All Right and Black Swan.
The Kids Are All Right had five nominations while Black Swan, Greenberg and Rabbit Hole each landed four.
127 Hours, Jack Goes Boating and Tiny Furniture found three each.
Rabbit Hole received nominations for its performances from Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart playing grieving parents, as well as a director’s nod for John Cameron Mitchell, best known...
- 12/2/2010
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
The nominations of 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced on Tuesday, November 30 in Los Angeles by Jeremy Renner and Eva Mendes. And some movies which have received Oscar buzz such as "127 Hours" and "Black Swan" are touted for Best Feature at the upcoming Spirit Awards.
For this title, the two movies will fight against "Greenberg", "The Kids Are All Right" and "Winter's Bone". The latest mentioned flick, which is fresh from grabbing two kudos at Gotham Independent Film Awards, has a chance to be a big winner at Spirits Awards since it takes the most nods.
The drama leads Debra Granik to be a contender for Best Director prize. She will face a tight competition with Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle in addition to Lisa Cholodenko and John Cameron Mitchell for this title.
The cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Dale Dickey and John Hawkes are additionally up for Best Female Lead,...
For this title, the two movies will fight against "Greenberg", "The Kids Are All Right" and "Winter's Bone". The latest mentioned flick, which is fresh from grabbing two kudos at Gotham Independent Film Awards, has a chance to be a big winner at Spirits Awards since it takes the most nods.
The drama leads Debra Granik to be a contender for Best Director prize. She will face a tight competition with Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle in addition to Lisa Cholodenko and John Cameron Mitchell for this title.
The cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Dale Dickey and John Hawkes are additionally up for Best Female Lead,...
- 12/1/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Natalie Portman is going to get a stiff competition from Jennifer Lawrence at 2011 Independent Spirit Awards. The nominees for the annual awards dedicated to independent filmmakers have been announced on Tuesday, November 30, and both actresses were unraveled to be among those up for Best Female Lead.
29-year-old Natalie received the nomination for her portrayal of a ballet dancer in "Black Swan", while 20-year-old Jennifer got her nod for her role as a teen on a desperate search to find her missing father in "Winter's Bone". Both of them were nominated along with Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams.
In addition to Natalie's acting nom, her psychological thriller "Black Swan" has nabbed three other nods. It is vying for Best Feature along with "Winter's Bone", "127 Hours", "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right". Additionally, it also collected nomination for its director Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique.
Jennifer's "Winter's Bone", in the meantime,...
29-year-old Natalie received the nomination for her portrayal of a ballet dancer in "Black Swan", while 20-year-old Jennifer got her nod for her role as a teen on a desperate search to find her missing father in "Winter's Bone". Both of them were nominated along with Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams.
In addition to Natalie's acting nom, her psychological thriller "Black Swan" has nabbed three other nods. It is vying for Best Feature along with "Winter's Bone", "127 Hours", "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right". Additionally, it also collected nomination for its director Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique.
Jennifer's "Winter's Bone", in the meantime,...
- 12/1/2010
- by celebrity-mania.com
- Celebrity Mania
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