ELLE, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Piaget, Acura, the AVEENO skin care and hair care brand, LG and Stella Artois to name a few became the sponsors of the 26th Film Independent Spirit Awards, which pays tribute to the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. ‘Black Swan,’ ‘Winter’s Bone,’ ‘127 Hours,’ ‘The Kids Are All Right,’ and ‘The King’s Speech’ among others received awards at the ceremony, held in Santa Monica, USA, on February 26.
Artists receiving industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards included Joel & Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Robert Rodriguez, Spike Jonze, Hilary Swank, Christopher Nolan, Amy Adams and many more.
This year’s major category winners were ‘Black Swan’ (Best Feature, Best Director, Best Female Lead, and Best Cinematography), ‘127 Hours’ (Best Male Lead), ‘Winter’s Bone’ (Best Supporting Female and Best Supporting Male); ‘Tiny Furniture’ (Best First Screenplay), ‘Daddy Longlegs’ (John Cassavetes Award), ‘The Kids Are All Right’ (Best Screenplay), ‘The King’s Speech’ (Best Foreign Film), ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ (which won Best Documentary), and ‘Get Low’ (Best First Feature).
There were also a few ‘branded’ awards handed to the filmmakers this year.
The 16th Annual AVEENO Truer Than Fiction Award was given to Jeff Malmberg, director of ‘Marwencol’ (this $25,000 unrestricted grant is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition). The film also got the inaugural Jameson FIND Your Audience Award, the $50,000 marketing and distribution grant, funded by Jameson Irish Whiskey this year to help make it possible for one Spirit Award-nominated film to find a broader audience.
The 17th Annual Acura Someone to Watch Award was given to Mike Ott, director of ‘LiTTLEROCK’ (the $25,000 unrestricted grant recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not received appropriate recognition). The 14th Annual Piaget Producers Award was given to Anish Savjani, producer of ‘Meek’s Cutoff’ (the $25,000 unrestricted grant is presented to an emerging producer who, despite highly limited resources demonstrates the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films).
LG Cinema 3D made a $100,000 contribution to Film Independent’s signature diversity program Project:Involve, which nurtures the careers of talented writers, directors and producers from under-represented communities. To read more about the grants and winners, visit the Film Independent Spirit Awards website.