2009 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards Winners

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LOS ANGELES, CA (February 21, 2009) – The Wrestler, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Milk shared top category honors at the 2009 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards, making the highly anticipated annual event into a celebration of the diverse films that captured the public’s attention this year. The Visitor, Frozen River, In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Man on Wire, The Class and Synecdoche, New York also received awards at the event.

The 2009 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards were held Saturday, February 21, in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo. This annual event, which began as a small grassroots program, has grown into one of the most anticipated events of the film year.

This year’s major category winners were Fox Searchlight Pictures’ The Wrestler, which won Best Feature, Best Male Lead (Mickey Rourke), and Best Cinematography (Maryse Alberti); The Weinstein Company’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which won Best Screenplay (Woody Allen), and Best Supporting Female (Penélope Cruz); Overture Films’ The Visitor, which won Best Director (Tom McCarthy); Sony Pictures Classics’ Synecdoche, New York, which won Best First Feature and the Robert Altman Award, Frozen River, which won Best Female Lead (Melissa Leo); and The Class, which won Best Foreign Film; IFC Films’ In Search of a Midnight Kiss, which won the John Cassavetes Award for the Best Feature made for under $500,000; and Magnolia Pictures Man on Wire, which won Best Documentary.

Heather Rae, producer of Frozen River and Ibid, received the thirteenth annual Piaget Producers Award, which honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The winner of the Producers Award receives an unrestricted grant of $25,000 funded by Piaget Lynn Shelton, director of My Effortless Brilliance, won the sixteenth annual Acura Someone To Watch Award, a $25,000 unrestricted grant created to honor a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award is funded by Acura.

Margaret Brown, director of The Order of Myths, won the fifteenth annual LACOSTE Truer Than Fiction Award, presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant attention. The award is accompanied by a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LACOSTE.

Also given was the 2nd annual Robert Altman Award, given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast. Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut Synecdoche, New York received this award, along with casting director Jeanne McCarthy, and ensemble cast members Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams.

Film Independent’s Spirit Awards ceremony is sponsored by IFC, Netflix, ELLE, AMC, Piaget, and LACOSTE. Principal Sponsors are Acura, Heineken, Garnier, and Australia.com. The official spirits of the Spirit Awards were provided by G.H. Mumm Champagne and Jameson Irish Whiskey. Hotel Shangri-La, Casa Del Mar, and Shutters on the Beach are the Official Host Hotels. Wire Image is the Official Photographer of Film Independent. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner of Film Independent. ON 3 Productions is the Official Presenter Gift Lounge producer. FIJI Water is the official water of the Spirit Awards.

The ceremony aired live on IFC (Independent Film Channel), beginning at 2:00 pm PST. An edited re-broadcast will air later this evening on AMC at 10:00 pm EST/PST.

Actor Steve Coogan served as Master of Ceremonies. Alec Baldwin served as Honorary Chair. Diana Zahn-Storey executive produced the 2009 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards for the fifteenth year.

The following is a complete list of the winners:

Best Feature (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

The Wrestler Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin

Best Director (Overture Films)

Tom McCarthy The Visitor

Best Screenplay (The Weinstein Company)

Woody Allen Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best First Feature (Sony Pictures Classics)

Synecdoche, New York Director: Charlie Kaufman Producers:
Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze Charlie
Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel

Best First Screenplay (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Dustin Lance Black Milk

John Cassavetes Award (IFC Films)

In Search of a Midnight Kiss Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan, Scoot McNairy

Best Supporting Female (The Weinstein Company)

Penelope Cruz Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Supporting Male (Focus Features)

James Franco Milk

Best Female Lead (Sony Pictures Classics)

Melissa Leo Frozen River

Best Male Lead (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Mickey Rourke The Wrestler

Best Cinematography (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Maryse Alberti The Wrestler

Best Foreign Film (Sony Pictures Classics)

The Class Director: Laurent Cantet

Best Documentary (Magnolia Pictures)

Man on Wire James Marsh