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The frivolity of touchy-feely new age platitudes and a hooker with a heart of gold familiarities meet unevenly in “Bleeding Heart,” a feminist fantasy revenge picture in the style of “Thema & Louise” that cannot transcend its contrived plot conceits and dubious motivations. The sophomore directorial effort of Diane Bell (2010 Sundance entry “Obselidia”), “Bleeding Heart” centers on May (Jessica Biel), a 30-something yoga instructor with a burning little discovery she cannot wait to act on — a private investigator has found her long-lost younger biological sister, Shiva (Zosia Mamet from “Girls”), who we soon find out is a prostitute (“sex worker” being her choice descriptor) who the protective sibling will feel the need to rescue from her circumstances. May lives with her boyfriend (Edi Gathegi), another yoga instructor, and everyone’s chakras are outwardly balanced and in order. But upon meeting Shiva, May’s not-so-perfect world is suddenly turned inside out. As the title.

Continuing her recent preference for independent dramas, Jessica Biel‘s latest teams her with Girls star Zosia Mamet. Bleeding Heart, the sophomore effort from writer-director Diane Bell (Obselidia), follows Biel’s character coming across her biological sister (Mamet) for the first time as secrets bubble. Following a premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, it’ll now arrive in theaters in December and we have the first trailer.

We said in our Tribeca review, “Suffering from performances, direction and writing that each lack nuance, Bleeding Heart takes subject matter deserving of mature, thoughtful treatment and distorts reality into a series of soap opera clichés. Written and directed by Diane Bell, the drama stars Jessica Biel as May, a yoga instructor living with boyfriend Dex (Edi Gathegi). Together they operate a yoga studio funded by May’s mother Martha (Kate Burton). Martha, while providing the kind of disapproving support that only a mother could,...

Exclusive: Crime-drama, James Ellroy novel, TV series on slate of new La-based production outfit.

Producer Vincent Sieber (The Hive), former Archery Pictures development executive Kitty Kaletsky and editor John-Michael Powell (Obselidia) have launched La-based production outfit Midnight Road Entertainment.

First up for the joint-partners is The Killing Kind, an original drama written and to be directed by Powell, which is scheduled to shoot in Louisiana this summer.

Set in a sleepy southern town, casting is underway on the dark drama that follows a man trying to avoid a life of crime but whose morals are put to the test when a member of a rival family guns down his fiancée.

Sieber is MD of the C.S Lewis Company and is currently developing upcoming Narnia film The Silver Chair with the Mark Gordon Company.

Powell, editor of Sundance 2010 hit Obselidia, also worked on 2014 drama All the Wilderness, starring Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Kaletsky, a development...

Exclusive: International Film Trust heads to Cannes with sales rights to the recent Tribeca world premiere starring Jessica Biel.

Bleeding Heart also stars David Mamet’s daughter Zosia Mamet from HBO’s Girls and The Kids Are All Right. ICM Partners represents Us rights.

Ift president Christian de Gallegos and his team will commence international sales on the story of a yoga instructor who attempts to rescue her sister from an abusive relationship.

Diane Bell, whose credits include 2010 Sundance Sloan Prize winner Obselidia, wrote and directed the thriller.

Super Crispy Entertainment’s Jonathan Schwartz, Andrea Sperling and Greg Ammon of Fido Features produced. Audrey and Zygi Wilf and Dan Halsted served as executive producers.

“Bleeding Heart showcases the talents of Jessica and Zosia who are both utterly compelling in Diane’s bold, female performance-driven film, which will most certainly have international appeal,” said de Gallegos.

Kevin Hoiseth brokered the deal behalf of Ift with ICM Partners and attorney...

Variety has published its annual list of "10 Cinematographers to Watch." The list is heavily indie-focused, highlighting DPs who have earned kudos for their work on low-budget projects for indie breakouts such as Ryan Coogler, Damien Chazelle, Diane Bell, Eliza Hittman, David and Nathan Zellner, Thomas Vinterberg, J.C. Candor, Ava DuVernay and others. Read More: Bradford Young on How He Became One of the Busiest Cinematographers Working Today See the full list below (along with some of their most noteworthy credits) in the order listed by Variety: Jarin Blaschke (Robert Egger's "The Witch") Martin Ahlgren ("House of Cards") Zak Mulligan (Diane Bell's "Obselidia") Charlotte Bruus Christensen (Thomas Vinterberg's "The Hunt") Sharone Meir (Damien Chazelle's "Whiplash") Radium Cheung (Sean Baker's "Tangerine," J.C. Chandor's "All Is Lost") Rachel Morrison (Ryan Coogler's "Fruitvale...

The frivolity of touchy-feely new age platitudes and a hooker with a heart of gold familiarities meet unevenly in “Bleeding Heart,” a feminist fantasy revenge picture in the style of “Thema & Louise” that cannot transcend its contrived plot conceits and dubious motivations. The sophomore directorial effort of Diane Bell (2010 Sundance entry “Obselidia”), “Bleeding Heart” centers on May (Jessica Biel), a 30-something yoga instructor with a burning little discovery she cannot wait to act on— a private investigator has found her long-lost younger biological sister, Shiva (Zosia Mamet from “Girls”), who we soon find out is a prostitute (“sex worker” being her choice descriptor) who the protective sibling will feel the need to rescue from her circumstances. May lives with her boyfriend (Edi Gathegi), another yoga instructor, and everyone’s chakras are outwardly balanced and in order. But upon meeting Shiva, May’s not-so-perfect world is suddenly turned inside out. As the title.

Working from a deeply original aperture, you couldn’t ask for a better calling card with the iconoclastic look into the species. Diane Bell’s debut film was a double winner at Sundance (Alfred P. Sloan Prize and Excellence in Cinematography Award Dramatic) the year that Winter’s Bone won the Grand Jury Prize. While Obselidia garnered fanfare back in 2010, her sophomore film will likely receive more curious onlookers due to the titular pairing of Jessica Biel and Zosia Mamet who’ll be technically breaking out in film with this item. Re-teaming with dp Zak Mulligan, lensing began back in October of 2013 on Shiva and May and since it bypassed all film fests in 2014, there is no doubt that this Girls friendly item will have been among the most earliest submissions sent to the Park City folks.

Gist: Yoga teacher May (Jessica Biel) lives a peaceful, orderly life with her...

Shiva & May

Director: Diane Bell

Writer: Diane Bell

Producers: Super Crispy Films’ Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling, Manage-ment’s Dan Halsted, Greg Ammon

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Jessica Biel, Zosia Mamet

Diane Bell’s highly inventive, stylistically unique, microscopic Obselidia was among Sundance ’10 most oddest entities. If Diane Be”It’ll be curious if much of this DNA finds itslef in her sophomore film which magnetically caught the attention of name-talent in Jessica Biel and Zosia Mamet. Shiva & May will bring out the kink and thriller elements.

Gist: Biel stars as a peaceful yoga instructor who finds herself behaving in ways she never imagined in an effort to protect her newly discovered sister Shiva (Zosia Mamet), who is a sex worker, from a less-than-savory boyfriend (Joe Anderson).

Release Date: Shoring up for the production in the month of October, this will technically be well ready for the fall festival season,...

The Sundance Institute announced I Origins as the winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Lab Fellowship, which is presented through the Institute’s Feature Film Program.

These activities, as well as a panel at the Festival and the Alfred P. Sloan Commissioning Grant, are part of the Sundance Institute Science-in-Film Initiative, which is made possible by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The initiative supports the development and exhibition of new independent film projects that explore science and technology themes or that depict scientists, engineers and mathematicians in engaging and innovative ways.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Sundance Institute for the 11th year in a row and to recognize Mike Cahill’s original and compelling I Origins as the winner of this year’s Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “With Academy Award-nominated films like this year’s Gravity and Her, I Origins—as well as new scripts we are developing with Sundance Institute Labs such as The Buried Life and Prodigal Summer—demonstrates that not only are science and technology central to understanding, engaging with and dramatizing modern life, but they also make for cracking good films that draw large audiences.”

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Independent filmmakers offer unique perspectives on the role math, science and technology play in our world and culture. The Sundance Institute Science-in-Film Initiative, with critical support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, recognizes and encourages these projects as they make their way to audiences.”

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize

I Origins, directed and written by Mike Cahill, has been awarded the 2014 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and will receive a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The Prize is selected by a jury of film and science professionals and presented to outstanding feature films focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.

In I Origins, a molecular biologist and his lab partner uncover startling evidence that could fundamentally change society as we know it and cause them to question their once-certain beliefs in science and spirituality. The cast includes Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Steven Yeun, Archie Panjabi. The jury presented the award to the film for its “intelligent and nuanced portrayal of molecular biologists as central characters, and for dramatizing the power of the scientific process to explore fundamental questions about the human condition.”

Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Andrew Bujalski, Computer Chess (2013); Jake Schreier, Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank (2012); Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia (2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer (2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.

This year’s Alfred P. Sloan jury members are:

Dr. Kevin Hand Dr. Kevin Hand is deputy chief scientist for Solar System Exploration at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His research focuses on the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the solar system. His fieldwork involves exploring some of Earth’s most extreme environments from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, to the depths of the Earth’s oceans, to the glaciers of Kilimanjaro.

Flora Lichtman Flora Lichtman is a science journalist living in New York. She has worked as a video journalist for the New York Times and National Public Radio’s Science Friday and writes regularly for Popular Science magazine. She is the coauthor of Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us.

Max Mayer Max Mayer is a founder and producing director of New York Stage and Film and has directed over 50 new plays by writers such as John Patrick Shanley, Lee Blessing, and Eric Overmyer. In addition to writing and directing Better Living and Adam, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and won the Sloan Prize, Mayer has directed As Cool as I Am and episodes of The West Wing, Alias, and Family Law and written three produced plays.

Jon Spaihts Jon Spaihts is the screenwriter of The Darkest Hour, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, and the upcoming Passengers and The Mummy. The one-time physics student and science writer continues to specialize in science fiction.

Jill Tarter Astronomer Jill Tarter, the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for the Seti Institute, has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere. The lead for Project Phoenix, a decade-long Seti scrutiny of about 750 nearby star systems, she now leads Seti’s efforts to build and operate the Allen Telescope Array. A 2009 Ted prize recipient, she is also the real-life researcher upon whom the Jodie Foster character in Contact is largely based.

Sundance Institute / Alfred P. Sloan Lab Fellowship

The Buried Life (U.S.A.) Joan Stein Schimke and Averie Storck (co-writers/co-directors) An archaeologist risks her reputation for the dig of her career, but when her rock 'n' roll sister and overbearing father follow her to the excavation, she discovers her biggest challenge is facing what's above ground.

Joan Stein Schimke and Averie Storck have just attended the Institute’s January Screenwriters Lab with The Buried Life.

Joan Stein Schimke was nominated for an Academy Award® for her short film One Day Crossing, which won several other awards including the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Best Woman Student Filmmaker, Best Director, National Board of Review and the Student Academy Award® Gold Medal. Other directing credits include Law and Order and the short film Solidarity, which screened at over a dozen festivals including the New York Film Festival. Stein Schimke is an Mfa graduate of Columbia University’s Film Program and is currently an Associate Professor at Adelphi University in New York.

Averie Storck is an Mfa graduate of Columbia University’s Film Program. Her award-winning short films include Live at Five , which won the New Line Cinema Development Award and screened at more than 30 international film festivals. Prior to filmmaking, Storck worked for People and Vogue magazines, was a writer for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and studied improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC. She currently teaches and directs at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed in 2013, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.

• Salma Hayek (Frida) has joined the cast of the indie sex comedy How To Make Love Like An Englishman, about a hedonistic, romantic poetry professor at Cambridge (Pierce Brosnan) who questions his lifestyle after he meets the perfect woman (Hayek, of course). The only complicating factor is that he’s just impregnated her stepsister, a grad student played by Jessica Alba. Tom Vaughan (What Happens in Vegas, Starter for 10) is directing the comedy, which is slated to begin shooting this fall. [Deadline]

• Lake Bell (In a World…) is set to team up with Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan in The Coup,...

“Tracking Shot” is a monthly featurette here on Ioncinema.com that looks at a dozen or so projects that are moments away from lensing and this October we see a couple of items that we could certainly circle as potential Cannes 2014 bait. Thanks to our friends at Production Weekly for the helping hand in curating our list of future must see items.

Among the top foreign film productions, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover‘s Peter Greenaway is looking at a late October, possible November start to begin filming a fragment of the great Soviet master filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein’s bio timeline. Eisenstein In Guanajuato will cover the portion of the filmmaker’s post Battleship Potemkin career, with Eisenstein landing in Mexico after Hollywood studios balked at the idea of working with him and in its place finds romance. The Girl Who Played with Fire‘s Daniel Alfredson...

Climate Control: Deller’s Debut Features Compelling Lead Performance

For her feature film debut, writer/director Jenny Deller has made a solidly crafted film, Future Weather, which is grounded with an extremely likeable performance from its lead rising star. Using global warming as a motif that parallels and intermingles with the coming of age of a young woman from a dysfunctional family in rural Illinois, there’s a comfortable warmth to Deller’s scenario, along with a notable amount of character development, even with more peripheral figures.

While certainly expounding a ‘green’ message, (Deller was awarded a grant through Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which supports the representation of science in entertainment), the film, for the most part, manages to avoid being a mere mouth piece of passionate ideas, instead focusing on one teenager’s ambition to effect positive changes in a world that needs it, unable to control the own dire circumstances that surround her.

Members of the Sloan Jury at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, chosen by the Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, also participated in the Science in Film Forum Panel at the Festival. The members of the 2013 Sloan Jury were: Paula Apsell (Senior Executive Producer, Nova and Nova ScienceNow, Director, Wgbh Science Unit), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Fountain, Pi), Scott Burns (writer, Contagion, Pu-239, The Informant and producer, An Inconvenient Truth), Dr. André Fenton (Professor of Neural Science at the Center for Neural Science at New York University), Dr. Lisa Randall (Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science, Harvard University, author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World).

2013 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative, a collaboration between Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support the development and presentation of film projects that explore science and technology ideas, or depict scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in engaging new ways. Activities include the Science in Film Forum, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Sloan Commissioning Grant, and the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Scientists, engineers, mathematicians are – like filmmakers - some of the most imaginative and adventurous thinkers of our time, and the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative has fostered awareness of and engagement with these fascinating themes in independent film for the last 10 years.”

"We are thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary with Sundance, which has been such a great partner in our nationwide effort to encourage filmmakers to engage with science and technology themes and characters,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Anyone who looks at the incredible list of winning films, from Shane Carruth's Primer and Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man to Jake Scheirer’sRobot and Frank and Musa Syeed's Valley of Saints—or at the amazing screenplays that have been developed through the Sloan Fellowship at Sundance Institute Labs and the Sloan Commissioning Grant—will see that science and technology can reveal the human condition in ways previously unseen and undreamt of."

For more information about the Science in Film initiative, along with updated content, a complete list of supported filmmakers, trailers for completed films, and an interview with Jake Schreier (director, Robot and Frank, 2012 Sloan Prize Winner), visit www.sundance.org/science-in-film.

Feature Film Prize Jury

The Sloan Jury determines the recipient of the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival which is presented to an outstanding Festival feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character. The Prize includes a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Jake Schreier and Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank, and Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia(2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer(2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.

Science in Film Forum Panel

The Science in Film Forum Panel takes place at Sundance Film Festival on January 22 at 2:30 p.m. Mt at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. Sloan Jurors Aronofsky, Burns, Dr. Fenton and Dr. Randall will engage in conversation with moderator Paula Apsell.

Juror and Panelist Bios

Paula Apsell

As Director of the Wgbh Science Unit and Senior Executive Producer of the PBS science series Nova, Paula Apsell has overseen the production of hundreds of acclaimed science documentaries, including such distinguished miniseries as The Fabric of the Cosmos with Brian Greene, Origins with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Making Stuff with David Pogue and the magazine spin-off Nova scienceNOW. Nova is the nation’s most watched science series, a top site on pbs.org, and recipient of every major broadcasting honor, including the Emmy®, the Peabody®, and the duPont-Columbia Gold Baton. Paula has won numerous individual awards and has served on many boards including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. She was recently journalist in residence at Uc Santa Barbara’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Darren Aronofsky

Academy Award® Nominated Director Darren Aronofsky was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His most recent film, Black Swan, won Natalie Portman the Academy Award® for Best Actress and received four other nominations, including Best Picture. The film received scores of other accolades, appeared on over 200 critical Top Ten lists, and swept the 2011 Independent Spirit Award with wins for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Cinematography. Prior to Black Swan, Darren directed The Wrestler. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the esteemed Golden Lion making it only the third American film in history to win this grand prize. He also directed The Fountain, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and Requiem for a Dream, which was named to over 150 Top Ten lists. Darren’s first feature, π, won the Director’s Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. He is currently at work on Noah, based on the biblical story of Noah’s ark. Among his honors, the American Film Institute gave Darren the prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, the Stockholm Film Festival presented him the Golden Horse Visionary Award, and he has won three Independent Spirit Awards.

Scott Z. Burns

Scott Burns is screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote the original screenplay for Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Matt Damon, penned the screen adaptation of Soderbergh's The Informant! and co-wrote the Academy Award® winning Bourne Ultimatum, directed by Paul Greengrass. He was a producer on An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy Award® winning documentary, for which he received the Humanitas Prize and the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America. Scott recently completed production on Side Effects, a psychological thriller, slated for release in early 2013. It stars Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta Jones and Channing Tatum and is again directed by Steven Soderbergh with Scott writing and producing along with Greg Jacobs and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. Currently, Scott is writing The Library, a stage play based on the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School with Steven Soderbergh directing and Kennedy/Marshall producing. The play is under development at the Public Theater in New York City. Scott began his career in advertising and was part of the creative team responsible for the original "Got Milk?" campaign. His advertising work has been recognized by the Clio Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival.

Dr. André Fenton

Dr. André Fenton, is a neuroscientist, biomedical engineer and entrepreneur working on three related problems: how brains store information in memory; how brains coordinate knowledge to selectively activate relevant information and suppress irrelevant information; and how to record electrical activity from brain cells in freely-moving subjects. André and colleagues identified PKMzeta as the first memory storage molecule, a discovery identified by Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal, as one of the ten most important breakthroughs in all the science reported in 2006. Recordings of electrical brain activity in André’s lab are elucidating the physiology of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. It was recently discovered that preemptive cognitive training during adolescence changes the brain sufficiently to prevent the adult brain dysfunction and cognitive impairments that arises from brain damage during early life in a schizophrenia-related animal model. André is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University’s Center for Neural Science. He founded Bio-Signal Group Corp., which is developing an inexpensive, miniature wireless Eeg system for functional brain monitoring of patients in emergency medicine applications and other clinical scenarios.

Dr. Lisa Randall

Dr. Lisa Randall studies theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University where she is Frank J. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science. Her research connects theoretical insights addressing puzzles in our current understanding of the properties of matter, the universe, and space. Dr. Randall is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees. Professor Randall was included in Time Magazine's “100 Most Influential People” of 2007, was among Esquire Magazine's “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century," and was one of 40 people featured in “The Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary issue" in 2008. Dr. Randall's two books, Warped Passages (2005) and Knocking on Heaven’s Door (2011) were featured on the lists of New York Times 100 Most Influential Books. Her ebook, Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space, was published last summer.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed this year, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.

The Sundance Film Festival®

A program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julien, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival® sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Hp, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase Sapphire PreferredSM; Leadership Sponsors – Directv, Entertainment Weekly, Focus Forward, a partnership between Ge and Cinelan, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Adobe, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., CÎRoc Ultra Premium Vodka, FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Intel Corporation, L'Oréal Paris, Recycled Paper Greetings, Stella Artois® and Time Warner Inc. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute's year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival.

Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Thanks to a deal between New Video and Sundance Institute's Artist Services program, Sundance filmmakers may be able to rest easier this coming week.  It was announced that thirteen titles from the Sundance archive have signed deals with New Video to be available on digital distribution platforms on March 1, and some of the Sundance 2012 class may not be too far behind. A few weeks ago, the New York Times reported on a new distribution plan initiated by the Sundance Institute and digital distributor New Video.  The deal allows all past and present Sundance Festival titles and all film projects affiliated with the Insitute's labs, so long as they have not signed away thier digital distribution rights, to sign the deal with New Video. Amongst the titles included in the first batch are 2012 Oscar doc shortlist title "Semper Fi: Always Faithful," Diane Bell's Independent Spriit and Sloan-Award winning "Obselidia" (Sundance...

#21. Future Weather - Jenny Deller Knowing how Redford feels about the environment and films that promote responsibility of mother earth, Sundance programmers have probably been tracking this title for some time now. Multiple grant winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Jenny Deller's three generational tale/environmental drama has got some strong indie pedigree such as Lili Taylor among the cast and on the tech side, they've got dp Zak Mulligan who did some great work on Obselidia - a Park City entry back in 2010. Nominated for a new Gotham award this year, we think Future Weather is possibly a good fit for the U.S Dramatic Comp. Gist: Lauduree (Haney-Jardine) is a teenage loner passionate about nature and worried about global warming. Greta, her grandmother, is a caustic nurse jaded by alcohol and disappointment. They're thrust into each other's lives when Lauduree's mother flees to pursue her long-held...

Ballet drama "Black Swan" triumphed at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards and won for Best Feature, Best Director for Darren Aronofsky, Best Female Lead for Natalie Portman, and Best Cinematography for Matthew Libatique.

Oscar nominee Natalie Portman added this victory to her impressive collection of awards she took home this season, including a Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Award for Best Actress. Best Supporting Female went to Dale Dickey for "Winter's Bone."

15 Facts about Natalie Portman!

With all the "Black Swan" hoopla, am I the only one who thinks that the film, while well-made, is not deserving of all these hyper-crazed adulations? Portman was good, but I prefer Annette Bening's understated performance in "The Kids Are All Right." Or heck, Jennifer Lawrence's "Winter's Bone" performance could easily outdance Portman's delusional ballerina portrayal any day.

And "Winter's Bone," celebrating its true independent spirit, was virtually snubbed at last night's Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, the excellent supporting cast was honored with Dale Dickey winning Best Supporting Female and John Hawkes for Best Supporting Male, but the engaging and deeply haunting Debra Granik movie (with the most nominations totaling to seven nods) lost out to...you guessed it, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." (Check out my "Winter's Bone" movie review right here)

And yes, I do admire Aronofsky, I thought "The Wrestler" was one of his personal...

Well, every year the Independent Spirit Awards are handed out the night before the Oscars, and every year, it seems that they are honouring a completely different set of films, despite having a number of overlapping nominees. At this point, it almost seems like you don't want to win a Spirit Award because if you do, it means you won't end up winning the Oscar. Assuming history repeats itself, James Franco's chances of winning Best Actor for 127 Hours just got a little worse (not that he really had a shot in the first place), and Natalie Portman might not be the lock that everyone thinks she is. Black Swan also ended up taking home Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, while John Hawkes and Dale Dickey took home Supporting Actor and Actress awards for Winter's Bone. The Kids Are All Right ended up getting Best Screenplay, while Exit Through the Gift Shop...

The debate rages on as to whether the doomed Nina really did dance a "perfect" performance of "Swan Lake" in "Black Swan."

But the Independent Spirit Awards have certainly acknowledged that the movie itself came pretty close to perfection.

"Black Swan" swept the Spirit Awards with wins for Best Feature, Best Female Lead, Best Director and Best Cinematography. Darren Aronofsky's operatic tale of fear, loathing and madness at the New York City Ballet won in every category for which it was nominated.

While Natalie Portman may have beaten Jennifer Lawrence in the Best Female Lead category, "Winter's Bone" did take home awards for the performances of two of its supporting players, Dale Dickey and Jack Hawkes.

Meanwhile, the co-host of this year's Oscars, James Franco, won for his lead performance in "127 Hours." The newly PG-13-rated "The King's Speech" won Best Foreign Film and "Exit Through the Gift Shop" won Best Documentary,...

I went 10/13 with my predictions of the Indie Spirits today -- my misfires came in the Best Picture and Best Actress categories thinking that Winter's Bone had the edge over Black Swan. Not that Winter's Bone didn't have a good night (it won in the Best Supporting categories - I thought that Bill Murray had the edge over John Hawkes is where I flubbed as well) but it was indeed a Black Swan event -- with additional wins for Directing (Darren Aronofsky) and Cinematography (Matthew Libatique). You can find the winners in bold below. 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, Anne Rosellini, Winter's Bone Nicole Holofcener,...

The 2011 Independent Spirit Awards were handed out a few hours ago and Black Swan won in all four categories it was nominated in including Best Picture, Best Director (Darren Aronofsky), Best Actress (Natalie Portman) and Best Cinematography (Matthew Libatique). Winter's Bone earned the most nominations at seven and dominated the supporting categories with wins for both Dale Dickey and John Hawkes, of the two only Hawkes earned an Oscar nomination, but he'll be facing off against both Christian Bale and Geoffrey Rush tomorrow night so I'm not counting on two awards in two days, though his performance in that film is one to remember.

Elsewhere, James Franco won Best Actor for 127 Hours, though he wasn't facing the stiffest of competition when it comes to most talked about performances of the year as he is the only one of the five nominees to also be nominated for an Oscar. Exit Through the Gift Shop...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: The day before the annual Academy Awards ceremony belongs to the Spirit Awards, when Hollywood’s independent film community – which currently reflects the Oscar community thanks to double-dipping films like “Black Swan,” “Winter’s Bone” and “The Kids Are All Right” – takes to the sands in Santa Monica for what host Joel McHale calls “the coolest awards show, because it’s casual, in a tent on a beach, and people are drinking, and vomiting.”

Let’s hope there isn’t as much throw up as McHale predicts. We wouldn’t want 2011 Spirit Awards nominees Annette Bening, Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, James Franco, Ben Stiller or John C. Reilly slipping in someone else’s vomit on the way to the stage.

All kidding aside, the Spirit Awards are a laid-back affair, a lighter appetizer to the glamorous Oscars. The ceremony will be televised in IFC beginning at 10 p.

We're just about a day away from the Spirit Awards (airing on some channel whose name escapes me at 10 pm eastern and pacific). If you're watching the show and want to hear more about the individual nominees and the year and indie film in general, you should surf over to IFC.com's 2011 Spirit Awards Watch & Chat which I'll be hosting with my friend and film critic supreme James Rocchi. James and I will be debating this year's crop of Spirit Award nominees, who got overlooked and overpraised, and commenting on the show as well. Plus, we'll fighting to see who can predict more of the winners, a fight I am almost sure to lose because I am legendarily terrible at this sort of thing. Our chat runs the same time as the Spirit Awards 10pm - 1am eastern (no pacific, sorry, otherwise we'd have to talk for 6 hours straight).

Speaking of those predictions,...

Last week I completed my quest to see all 35 of the independent films nominated for this year’s Spirit Awards. This meant weeks upon weeks of trekking to Tribeca through snow drifts, slick ice and high winds, and sitting through some heartbreaking moments, some grotesque sequences, and some deeply pretentious drivel. But I also saw a lot of truly daring and enthralling cinema – much of it on its way to theaters near you this year!

So now that I’ve done the legwork it’s time to vote. Below I break down my thoughts on who will win, and who should win.

—–

Best Foreign Film

The King’s Speech, Mademoiselle Chambon, Kisses, Of Gods and Men, and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Unlike the Oscars, the Spirit Award’s foreign film eligibility is defined by place of origin — not language. So, English-language pictures are not disqualified from this category.

Last week I was rattled by a cringe-inducing double feature, so I was desperately hoping for some cheerier fare this week. Well, as the snow, sleet, slush and thunder continued to hammer the Northeast, I met a mix of features filled with true tales, ill-tempered heroes, and death. Hooray!

——-

Of Gods and Men ~ Directed by Xavier Beauvois

This docudrama unpacks the story of a band of monks who reside in an Algerian monastery, holding their ground even as terrorists take to murdering foreigners. This BAFTA-nominated feature is a painstakingly crafted meditation on faith and bravery, with a protagonist so grounded in his faith he is utterly without an arc. It hardly makes for gripping drama. But if you are a fan of even-tempered discussions, buddy this film is for you!

Nominations: Best Foreign Film

Snubbed? No.

Obselidia ~ Directed by Diane Bell

Writer/director Diane Bell’s debut feature is...

I first met Zak Mulligan through my Dp Sean Donnelly a few years back. After a bit of back and forth on the merits of Kickstarter, I helped him with a little production design on his first feature, and we became fast friends and supporters of each others work. Zak and his directing partner Rodrigo Lopresti were recent participants of Ifp’s Independent Filmmaker Labs with their first feature film I’m not me. Zak also won the Best Cinematography award at Sundance last year for his work on the film Obselidia. He’s here to talk a bit about the advantages of staying small.

Picture this: Two guys with a camera, a rental car, and an afternoon to kill. The duo take a drive out of New York City with no particular destination in mind, possessing only the vaguest of ideas and a desire to shoot something… Anything.

Best Documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" It's hard to know whether street artist Banksy's feature documentary is what it claims to be—a doc about an obsessive man who falls in love with the world of street art (where artists place their work in public, risking arrest for vandalism), fashioning himself as the most financially successful street artist in history—or is Banksy's best prank to date. The film follows the life of buffoonish French expatriate Thierry Guetta, a happy-go-lucky proprietor of an overpriced hipster-wear store in West Hollywood with the curious habit of videotaping everything that happens to him. Guetta persuades his cousin, a street artist known as Space Invader, to become the subject of a "documentary," which leads Guetta to other street artists like Obama icon-maker Shepard Fairey and ultimately to the white whale of street artists: the ultra-secretive Banksy (interviewed in silhouette, of course...

Best DirectorDarren Aronofsky'Black Swan'In many ways, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" is similar to his previous film, "The Wrestler." Both lead characters are dedicated artists struggling with inner demons. To express themselves, they have only their bodies. Their age, injuries, and mental stability threaten to undermine their art.However, in "Black Swan," Aronofsky masterfully adds another layer. He parallels the journey of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) with the tale of "Swan Lake," the tragic ballet in which she performs. The astute viewer will notice his use of black and white in the set pieces of almost every scene, alluding to the contrast between the white and black swans. He adds elements of horror, drama, and paranoia, all of which exist in "Swan Lake." He directs the actors in such a way that you aren't ever sure what is fantasy and what is reality. All of these elements add...

The Sundance Institute announced their 2011 January Screenwriters Lab participants and among the talents who come packing the dozen projects we find one of the best dps in the indie film biz, and an American New Wave 25 personality in Jody Lee Lipes (see pic), we have Diane Bell, the filmmaker who brought her feature debut Obselidia to the festival last year and Ian Olds - the director behind the doc film Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi. We have a Cannes resident and a couple of Filmmaker Magazine Top New Faces in the mix as well. Knowing all too well that these labs end up being integral part of the festival's annual output (especially in the Dramatic Comp categories) we love to keep tabs on the journey of these filmmkers as they go from Screenwriters to Directors lab and onwards towards production. One recent example is Sean Durkin's Martha Marcy May Marlene...

Every year, the Spirit Awards celebrate the best in independent film.

The nominees were announced for the 26th Annual Spirits, to be handed out on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 10pm Et/Pt, live on the Independent Film Channel (IFC).

After winning the top prize at the Gotham Awards, Winter’s Bone leads with seven nominations.

Winter’s Bone was nominated for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography.

The Best Film nominees also include 127 Hours, Greenberg, The Kids Are All Right and Black Swan.

The Kids Are All Right had five nominations while Black Swan, Greenberg and Rabbit Hole each landed four.

127 Hours, Jack Goes Boating and Tiny Furniture found three each.

Rabbit Hole received nominations for its performances from Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart playing grieving parents, as well as a director’s nod for John Cameron Mitchell, best known...

The nominations of 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced on Tuesday, November 30 in Los Angeles by Jeremy Renner and Eva Mendes. And some movies which have received Oscar buzz such as "127 Hours" and "Black Swan" are touted for Best Feature at the upcoming Spirit Awards.

For this title, the two movies will fight against "Greenberg", "The Kids Are All Right" and "Winter's Bone". The latest mentioned flick, which is fresh from grabbing two kudos at Gotham Independent Film Awards, has a chance to be a big winner at Spirits Awards since it takes the most nods.

The drama leads Debra Granik to be a contender for Best Director prize. She will face a tight competition with Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle in addition to Lisa Cholodenko and John Cameron Mitchell for this title.

The cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Dale Dickey and John Hawkes are additionally up for Best Female Lead,...

Natalie Portman is going to get a stiff competition from Jennifer Lawrence at 2011 Independent Spirit Awards. The nominees for the annual awards dedicated to independent filmmakers have been announced on Tuesday, November 30, and both actresses were unraveled to be among those up for Best Female Lead.

29-year-old Natalie received the nomination for her portrayal of a ballet dancer in "Black Swan", while 20-year-old Jennifer got her nod for her role as a teen on a desperate search to find her missing father in "Winter's Bone". Both of them were nominated along with Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams.

In addition to Natalie's acting nom, her psychological thriller "Black Swan" has nabbed three other nods. It is vying for Best Feature along with "Winter's Bone", "127 Hours", "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right". Additionally, it also collected nomination for its director Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique.

Jennifer's "Winter's Bone", in the meantime,...

The 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards nominees have been announced, and there are a lot of great films that are being recognized. Winter's Bone racked up seven nominations after it won Best Feature at the Gotham Awards. Other films on the list include, 127 Hours, Black Swan, Greenberg, and The Kids Are All Right.There's some great competition this year, 127 Hours, Black Swan, and Winter's Bone are three of the best movies I've seen this year, but I think Winter's Bone will take the win on this one.

These nominations are only given to films which were produced for under $20 million. The awards will be handed out on February 26 live on IFC with host Joel McHale.

Check out the nominee list below and let us know what you think! Who would you like to see win?

Best Feature (Award given to the Producer)

127 Hours

Black Swan

Greenberg

The Kids Are All Right...

Haven't seen a little indie called "Winter's Bone" yet? You might want to go ahead and add it to your Netflix queue... that is, if you're interested in seeing what will likely be a top contender for this year's Best Picture Oscar.

After taking home the prizes for best feature and best ensemble performance at last night's 20th Gotham Independent Film Awards, the film was thrown an even juicier awards-season bone this morning, when it received seven nods -- including best feature -- to dominate the Independent Spirit Awards nominations.

Debra Granik scored two nods for directing and co-writing (with Anne Rosellini) "Bone," while Jennifer Lawrence scored a best lead female nomination for her riveting, star-making turn as a woman searching for her father in backwoods Arkansas. Her "Winter's Bone" costars, John Hawkes and Dale Dickey, nabbed nominations for best supporting male and female, respectively. And Michael McDonough earned the film's seventh nod,...

The nominees for the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning from Los Angeles, once again honouring the year's best independent films shot on shoestring budgets (specifically under $20 million). Leading the pack was Debra Granik's Winter's Bone, which picked up seven nods including Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Male and Female Leads. Considering that the film also just won Best Feature at The Gotham Awards [1] this week, could it be gaining momentum as a possible Oscar contender? Other films with multiple nominations include Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right, John Cameron Mitchell's Rabbit Hole, and Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. It was also pretty cool to see The Last Exorcism picking up a few mentions, although Never Let Me Go seems to have been snubbed, getting just one nomination for Best Cinematography. Ouch. We won't find out who wins until Saturday, February 26th, 2011, with a...

Every year after the Gotham Awards choose their winners, the nominees for the Independent Spirit Awards are announced. Leading with nominations this year is Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan and Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone. All three may make my best of the year list and each and every year I wholeheartedly agree with their picks. It is by far my favorite awards show and while I sometimes disagree with the winners I am always excited to see the smaller productions receive recognition for their amazing work.

The nominations are only given to films which were produced for under $20 million and the awards will be handed out on February 26 live on IFC.

Missing in action:

Where is Gareth Edwards’ Monsters? It was his first feature and he produced it for under ten grand.

Honestly Rabbit Hole deserves the nomination for best picture more than The Kids Are Alright.

This morning, Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner presented the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations and last night's Gotham Awards big winner, Winter's Bone was this morning's leading nominee with a total of seven nominations including Best Feature, Best Director (Debra Granik), Best Screenplay (Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini), Best Female Lead (Jennifer Lawrence), Best Supporting Female (Dale Dickey), Best Supporting Male (John Hawkes) and Best Cinematography (Michael McDonough).

Coming in second on the nomination list was The Kids are All Right with five, followed by Black Swan, Greenberg and Rabbit Hole, all with four. The only nominee for Best Feature not to have at least four nominations was Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, which earned three noms.

A few things of note when quickly glancing through the list, Winter's Bone is not only making a hard push for a Best Picture nomination, which now appears to be a certainty just as...

The top nominations for this year’s Indie Spirit Awards are no surprise. Winter’s Bone continues its march through the woods to find its father and an Oscar with 7 nominations (which is almost all it was even eligible for). In a close second, The Kids Are All Right finds itself with 5 nominations. If you’re a fan of female directors, this year is celebrating a number of them in the top spots, but it’s also incredibly important to point out that Samuel L. Jackson and Bill Murray are finally up for the same award. The Indepdenent Spirit Awards make a good primer for the films that might make their way into the Academy Award nominee pool. In recent tradition, the winner of the Best Feature prize goes on to be an Oscar contender (and occasional winner). Examples of that include Precious, The Wrestler, Juno, and Brokeback Mountain. The full list of nominees continues below: Best...

I'm so glad that "Winter's Bone" has been receiving all the accolades. I love this film when it was shown in limited release last summer. The backwoods drama won big at the Gothams Awards winning Best Feature and Best Ensemble, and now, it dominated the Independent Spirit Awards with seven nominations including Best Feature, Director for Debra Granik, Screenplay for Granik and Anne Rosellini, Female Lead for Jennifer Lawrence, Supporting Female for Dale Dickey, Supporting Male for John Hawkes, and Cinematography for Michael McDonough. ("Winter's Bone" Movie Review)

"Winter's Bone" will compete against "127 Hours," "Black Swan," "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right" for best picture.

Related Links:

"127 Hours" interviews with James Franco, Danny Boyle, and Simon Beaufoy

"Greenberg" Movie Review and Interviews with Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, and Rhys Ifans

"The Kids Are All Right" Movie Review and Interviews with Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, and...

Historically the Spirit Awards tend to honor a few of the major Oscar players each year but a win at the Spirits can sometimesLe be the last hurrah, a consolation prize as some would say, if the work is too "edgy" for lack of a less exhaustively employed word. Last year's big winner was Precious (refresh your memory?) It took home Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay. There were only three crossover winners from Spirits to Oscars last year : Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Mo'Nique (Precious) and the screenplay for Precious. (The Hurt Locker was considered a 2008 film.)

So what fared well this year? Black Swan got four nods including Best Actress for "sweet girl" Natalie Portman. But it could peak at the right time. Full list after the jump with Winter's Bone (7) and The Kids Are All Right (5) leading the pack.

Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner announced the nominees.

After Winter's Bone won Best Feature at the first award ceremony of the season [1] Monday, it kept its momentum up Tuesday by getting seven nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards [2]. That's more nominations than any other film on the list, beating out fellow Best Feature nominees 127 Hours, Black Swan, Greenberg, and The Kids Are All Right. These nominations are only given to films which were produced for under $20 million, so other big award contenders like Inception, The Social Network and Toy Story 3 don't qualify. The awards will be handed out on February 26 live on IFC with host Joel McHale. Check out the full list of nominations after the jump. Here are all the nominees. Best Feature (Award given to the Producer) 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,...

The Spirit Awards, which celebrate the best in independent film, are handed out each year the night before the Oscars and are generally ignored by most. This year, they'll be hosted by Joel McHale, which means they'll still be largely ignored except for the McHale bits we all watch on YouTube the next day.

The nominations have been announced. They're pretty much what you'd expect, which is to say: If it's an indie film you've heard of in 2010, it's probably been nominated.

Best Film

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, Anne Rosellini, Winter's Bone

Nicole Holofcener, Please Give

David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole

Todd Solondz, Life During Wartime...

The announcements came at 11am Est (watch below). The full list of nominees follows underneath the video player (of note, Tanya Hamilton was nominated for Best First Feature for her directorial debut, Night Catches us, and Samuel L. Jackson in the Best Supporting Male category, for his performance in Mother and Child):

The list of nominations:

Best Feature (Award given to the Producer)

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 First Feature (Award given to the director and producer)

Everything Strange and New

Get Low

The Last Exorcism

Night Catches Us

Tiny Furniture

John Cassavetes Award

(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)

Daddy Longlegs

The Exploding Girl

Lbs.

Debra Granik's Winter's Bone tops the Indie Spirit Awards noms list with 7 (Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Female Lead, Best Supporting Male Lead and Best Cinematography), Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right places second with five nominations (Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male Lead). Four noms went to Black Swan (Best Feature, Best Director, Best Female Lead, Best Cinematography), Greenberg (Best Feature, Best Female Lead, Best Male Lead and Best Cinematography) and Rabbit Hole (Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Female Lead and Best Male Lead). Collecting three votes each we have Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture nabbing the Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay and her Dp Jodie Lee Lipes nabbing Best Cinematography while Danny Boyle gets a Best Feature, Director and James Franco Best Male Lead nod for 127 Hours. Worth noting is the Best...

The nominations for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced. Here’s a quick breakdown of some interesting facts about the nominees. After winning the top prize at the Gotham Awards last night, Winter’s Bone leads the pack with seven nominations. And if you need more proof that the Best Actress race this year is crazy, it was the only category with a six nominees.

It’s also a good year for women filmmakers as Lisa Cholodenok (The Kids Are All Right) and Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone) pick up nominations for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Nicole Holofcener also picked up a Best Screenplay nomination along with the Robert Altman Award for Please Give. Hit the jump for a full list of the nominees. The Film Independent Spirit Awards will be held on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 10pm Et/Pt on IFC.

Best Film

127 Hours Black Swan...

As award season draws nearer, theaters will be flooded with prestige-seeking dramas, stars will tout their recent turns as arrogant survivalists, stuttering monarchs, or grieving mothers, and audiences will clamor to catch up, seeking those films deemed the very best of 2010.

Are you ready? Because it has begun.

This morning in Hollywood, Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner announced the nominees for the Spirit Awards, which honors the best of independent cinema. Lots of love was shown to Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone, and Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right, which snagged seven and five nominations respectively, while Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan earned four nods, as did Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg and John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole.

Below is the full list of honorees, courtesy of IFC, which will air the awards ceremony on February 26th at 10Pm.

Best Feature

127 Hours

Black Swan

Greenberg

The Kids Are All Right...

Indie hits Winter's Bone and The Kids Are All Right dominated the Film Independent Spirit Award nominees this morning, as Winter’s Bone earned a phenomenal seven nominations and Kids scored five. Both films were named in the Best Feature category, which also includes 127 Hours, Black Swan, and Greenberg. The upcoming drama Rabbit Hole also did very well, earning four nods, including acting citations for Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart.

Particularly because these nominees were chosen by a small group of industry professionals, there were a few surprising omissions. Though Kids stars Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo received nods,...

The Gotham Awards gave their top prize to Debra Granik's Ozark noir "Winter's Bone" last night, and today the film leads the Spirit Award pack with seven nominations. Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner presented the full list of nominees in West Hollywood this morning, with Lisa Cholodenko's "The Kids Are All Right" pulling in five nominations, and "Black Swan," "Greenberg" and "Rabbit Hole" nabbing four each.

The Spirit Awards, an annual celebration of the best in indie film, will take place Saturday, February 26th and will be hosted by Joel McHale this year. IFC will be broadcasting the event that night at 10pm. You can find out more about the awards and how the nominations and voting process work here.

The nominees:

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,...

Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner announced the nominees for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards this morning (November 30, 2010) at The London West Hollywood Hotel. The Gotham Awards gave their top prize to Debra Granik’s Ozark noir “Winter’s Bone” last night, and today the film leads the Spirit Award pack with seven nominations. Lisa Cholodenko’s “The Kids Are All Right” saw five nominations, and “Black Swan,” “Greenberg” and “Rabbit Hole” grabbed four each. One thing to note: There are six best actress nominees this year, as there are usually only five in each category.

Here’s the list of nominees:

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,...

The "international indie" was on the topic at the Edinburgh International Film Festival yesterday, with Screen International's Mike Goodridge moderating a talk with two Edinburgh International Film Festival filmmakers, "Obselidia"'s Diane Bell and "Postale"'s Josh Hyde. The filmmakers discussed their work and the challenges that have come with both making the films, and getting them out there. It was a fitting discussion amidst a festival that has clearly made considerable strides ...