In what was a less than popular change of venue last year to a downtown Los Angeles location at L.A. Live, Film Independent’s 2011 Spirit Awards ceremony is once again returning to Santa Monica on Feb. 26 and will be setting up its familiar tents on the beach. Reverting back to its traditional afternoon awards luncheon format, the event is a fun, relaxed gathering of the film community to honor filmmakers who make their movies independent of studio financing, bringing their artistic vision to fruition, many times with great difficulty.
Now in its 26th year, this highly informal jeans-and-tees event was founded in 1984 and was originally called FINDIE Awards (“Friends of Independents”). It has steadily grown in popularity and is usually a barometer of the Academy Awards that are held the next day.
Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson put together a producing team including Audrey Morrissey of Live Animals as the new executive producer, joining Barry Adelman of Dick Clark Productions, who is returning for a second year as producer. She was quoted as saying, “I look forward to celebrating the afternoon with the nominees and our filmmaking community with a fun show that recognizes the bold work of these independent filmmakers.”
Red carpet arrivals begin at 11:30 a.m., with the ceremony scheduled to start at 2 p.m. The awards ceremony will air on IFC at 10 p.m. that evening. Fans who want to get a glimpse of some of their favorite movie stars are welcome, cameras in hand, as viewing barriers will be set up.
2011 NOMINEES(A Partial List)
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 and Anne Rosellini – Winter’s Bone
Nicole Holofcener – Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire – Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz – Life During Wartime
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Everything Strange and New
Get Low
Night Catches Us
The Last Exorcism
Tiny Furniture
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Diane Bell – Obselidia
Lena Dunham – Tiny Furniture
Nik Fackler – Lovely, Still
Bob Glaudini – Jack Goes Boating
Dana Adams, Adam Shapiro and Evan M. Wiener – Monogamy
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right
Greta Gerwig – Greenberg
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine
BEST MALE LEAD
Ronald Bronstein – Daddy Longlegs
Aaron Eckhart – Rabbit Hole
James Franco – 127 Hours
John C. Reilly – Cyrus
Ben Stiller – Greenberg
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Ashley Bell – The Last Exorcism
Dale Dickey – Winter’s Bone
Allison Janney – Life During Wartime
Daphne Rubin-Vega – Jack Goes Boating
Naomi Watts – Mother and Child
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
John Hawkes – Winter’s Bone
Samuel L. Jackson – Mother and Child
Bill Murray – Get Low
John Ortiz – Jack Goes Boating
Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right
BEST FOREIGN FILM
Kisses (Ireland)
Mademoiselle Chambon (France)
Of Gods and Men (France)
The King’s Speech (United Kingdom)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand)
