17th Annual Gotham Awards Winners Announced
INTO THE WILD Named Best Feature;
SICKO Named Best Documentary;
JUNO’s Ellen Page named Breakthrough Actor
New York, NY (PRWEB) November 28, 2007 -- Kicking off the film awards season, IFP, the nation's largest membership organization of independent filmmakers, tonight announced the winners of the competitive awards at the 17th Annual Gotham Awards ceremony.
Established in 1991, the Gotham Awards are one of the leading awards for independent films and the first major honors of the film awards season.
By recognizing that the best films come from a place that is more firmly rooted in the grasp of filmmakers – rather than 'made by committee' – and are produced with an economy of means, the Gotham Awards provide a critical spotlight on worthy independent films such as last year's HALF NELSON, which went on to numerous awards and an Oscar® nomination for its star, Ryan Gosling.
Competitive juried awards were presented for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Cast, and the Gothams' trademark honor, Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You.
The awards took place for the first time at Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios, heart of New York City’s resurgent film industry.
Final award recipients were determined by separate juries of writers, directors, actors, producers and others directly involved in making films, with the exception of the recipient of The Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You award. That film was determined by the editors of Filmmaker magazine, a publication of IFP.
In addition to the juried awards, six Tributes were presented this evening - to actor Javier Bardem (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA), New York’s Honorable Mayor Michael Bloomberg, film critic Roger Ebert, production designer Mark Friedberg (ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, THE DARJEELING LIMITED), IFC Entertainment President Jonathan Sehring, and filmmaker Mira Nair (THE NAMESAKE, SALAAM BOMBAY!)
The ceremony was hosted by Sarah Jones, the Tony Award® winning playwright, actor, and poet whose multi-character solo show Bridge & Tunnel was originally produced Off-Broadway by Oscar winner Meryl Streep before moving to Broadway where it became a critically acclaimed, long running hit.
The Gothams will be broadcast locally on NYC TV (Channel 25) on December 4 at 9pm EST and aired nationally on satellite via the Doumentary Channel on December 8 at 8pm EST. In addition, IFP is producing a one-hour documentary entitled Zoom In: Independent Stories from the 2007 Gotham Awards, which will include red carpet coverage, but more importantly, profiles and interviews with many of the nominees and tribute recipients . Written and produced by Mario Diaz, the film will be available on demand beginning December 10 and at no additional cost to Netflix’s 7 million subscribers.
Winners of IFP's 17TH ANNUAL GOTHAM AWARDS
Best Feature presented by Kyra Sedgwick
INTO THE WILD
Sean Penn, director; Sean Penn, Art Linson, Bill Pohlad, producers (Paramount Vantage & River Road Entertainment)
The Best Feature Jury included actors Benjamin Bratt and Kerry Washington, filmmaker Ryan Fleck, composer Mark Mothersbaugh and producer Ron Yerxa.
Best Documentary presented by Kerry Washington and Emile Hirsch
SICKO
Michael Moore, director; Michael Moore, Meghan O'Hara, producers (The Weinstein Company)
The Best Documentary Jury included filmmakers Bob Drew, Rory Kennedy, Jennie Livingston, Morgan Spurlock, and Marco Williams.
Breakthrough Director Award presented by Keri Russell
Craig Zobel for GREAT WORLD OF SOUND (Magnolia Pictures)
The Breakthrough Director Jury included actor Vera Farmiga, director of photography Russell Fine, producer Mike Ryan, and filmmaker/actors John Cameron Mitchell and Mike White.
Breakthrough Actor Award presented by John Cameron Mitchell
Ellen Page in JUNO (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
The Breakthrough Actor Jury included actors Jeff Daniels and Peter Sarsgaard, filmmaker Michael Cuesta, and casting director Sheila Jaffe.
Best Ensemble Cast Award presented by Sarah Jones
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris, Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brian F. O'Byrne, Amy Ryan, Michael Shannon, Marisa Tomei (THINKFilm)
- and –
TALK TO ME
Cedric the Entertainer, Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mike Epps, Vondie Curtis Hall, Taraji P. Henson, Martin Sheen (Focus Features)
The Best Ensemble Cast Jury included actors Michael C. Hall and Parker Posey, filmmaker David Gordon Green, and casting director Ilene Starger.
Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Award presented by Marisa Tomei
FROWNLAND
Ronald Bronstein, director; Marc Raybin, producer
The editors of Filmmaker, a magazine published by IFP, selected the winner of the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Award.
Sponsors
Premiere Sponsors for the 2007 Gotham Awards are Axium, The New York Times, and Steiner Studios; Presenting Sponsors are Deluxe, NYC TV, Rainbow Media, and Variety. The awards were promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on Nov. 6.
About IFP
IFP's mission is to nurture and celebrate independent film and filmmakers, and to foster a vibrant and sustainable independent filmmaking community. IFP seeks to empower individuals with the language of film, and enrich the world of film with a diversity of voices. It passionately believes that creating opportunities for independent, original and often controversial films to be made and seen is an essential part of a free, open and intellectually curious society.
IFP's programs provide filmmakers with access to tools to develop and present their vision, and audiences with an opportunity to discover new work. Its signature programs include the Gotham Awards, the IFP Market, Filmmaker Magazine, IFP's Filmmaker Conference and IFP's Independent Film Labs. IFP was founded in 1979. It is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in New York City with 10,000 members throughout the world. More at www.ifp.org.
For information contact:
Patrick Kowalczyk (patrick@mkpr.com)
Victor Trevino (victor@mkpr.com)
MKPR, 212.627.8098
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