Film independent spirit awards

Get ready for what looks to be a really funny Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony, which will keep us in stiches for some time. The show, which will not be live from the Santa Monica Beach this year due to Covid, has tapped SNL’s Melissa Villaseñor to host this year’s 2021 edition. Villaseñor, who cut her teeth on the stand-up circuit here in Los Angeles, and was further propelled by being a semifinalist on the 2011 edition of America’s Got Talent before landing on the SNL cast, is famed for her impersonations of such celebrities as Owen Wilson, Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and more. This year’s show will be airing on Thursday, April 22, on IFC and AMC+ at 10PM ET, breaking tradition as the Spirits typically take place on the Saturday afternoon before Sunday’s Oscars. Related Story 'Saturday Night Live' Ratings Rise In 18-49 Demo With Host Dan Levy Said Blake Callaway, Executive Director, IFC … [Read more...] about ‘SNL’s Melissa Villaseñor To Host Film Independent Spirit Awards; Org To Feature Directors Close-Up Series

BREAKING: The Film Independent Spirit Awards will also move after AMPAS selected Sunday April 25 as the new 2021 ceremony date for the Oscars. The annual event which lauds independent movies always takes place the day before the Oscars on Saturday afternoon at the beaches near the Santa Monica Pier. “The Film Independent Spirit Awards will take place on Saturday, April 24, 2021,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent in a statement this afternoon. “Additionally, we will recognize films that were released between January 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021 in acknowledgement of the unique challenges the world of cinema, and the world as a whole, is currently experiencing.” Similar to the Oscars, pics released during that 14-month span are eligible at the Independent Spirits. Last year, motion pictures made for under $22.5M were eligible. Female directors came up big at this year’s ceremony held back in February with Lulu Wang’s The Farewell winning best feature, … [Read more...] about Film Independent Spirit Awards To Take Place On April 24 After Oscars Shift

It was a bit of a wait, thanks to the pandemic, but the Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations for the 2020-21 season finally were announced today, with A24’s First Cow , Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, A24’s Minari , Focus Features’ Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Searchlight’s Nomadland taking the five slots in the Best Feature category. Among movies, Never Rarely Sometimes Always led all Spirit nominees with seven, followed by Minari (six), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Nomadland (five each) and Miss Juneteenth (four). This year’s Spirits includes five new TV categories : Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series, Best New Scripted Series, Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series, Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series and Best Ensemble Cast in a Scripted Series. Leading the TV section were Apple TV+ dramedy Little America and Netflix’s drama Unorthodox (three each) and HBO’s I May Destroy You (two). Related … [Read more...] about Spirit Awards Nominations: ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’, ‘Minari’, ‘Nomadland’ & ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ Lead Field

Film Independent has selected 30 filmmakers for Project Involve 2021. This year marks the 28th iteration of Project Involve. The free nine-month program is for writers, directors, producers, editors, cinematographers, animators, programmers and entertainment executives from diverse backgrounds. During the program, participants meet one-on-one with film industry mentors, create short films, attend master workshops taught by top film professionals and industry networking events. “Having triumphantly navigated this past year, the Project Involve team is prepared, very pleased and extremely excited to welcome the 2021 Project Involve Fellows into the Film Independent family” said Francisco Velasquez, Associate Director, Project Involve. Related Story Independent Spirit Awards Breaks Tradition During Pandemic, Will Take Place Thursday Before Oscars Project Involve alumni include Lulu Wang ( The Farewell ), Linda Yvette Chávez, Marvin Lemus and Aaliyah Williams ( … [Read more...] about Film Independent Unveils Filmmakers For Project Involve 2021

EXCLUSIVE: Tilane Jones , President of inclusive film collective ARRAY , was honored with the Slamdance Founders Award on Saturday during a virtual presentation. The award is Slamdance’s highest accolade and Jones is the fifth recipient to receive the award. Previous winners include Chris Nolan, The Russo brothers and Steven Soderbergh. The Founders Award is given to an individual that supports the filmmaker community of Slamdance well into their careers. “Tilane has helped our community of artists grow through recognizing talent, launching and sustaining careers,” said Peter Baxter, President and co-founder of Slamdance. “We recognize she has worked tirelessly, with great dedication to nurture emerging artists who become the next generation of filmmakers. We want to thank Tilane and her company ARRAY for her ongoing support of these artists, inspiration and being part of Slamdance’s community. For these reasons, we are honored to present Tilane Jones with Slamdance’s … [Read more...] about ARRAY President Tilane Jones Honored With Slamdance’s 2021 Founders Award