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MICKEY ROURKE, THE WRESTLER, MILK, FROZEN RIVER WIN @ INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

Mickey Rourke is continuing his inspirational run as the comeback kid with a win in the Best Actor category at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards. It looks like Mickey Rourke is the favorite to win the Oscar. Mickey has swept most major awards ceremonies for his role as burned out wrestler "Randy The Ram." Way to go Mickey!! The Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky took home the award for Best Feature. Congrats!!

Melissa Leo won the Independent Spirit Award for her Oscar nominated performance as a hard on her luck single mom who resorts to immigrant smuggling to earn extra cash. We recommend Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Man on Wire and Frozen River on DVD if you missed them in theaters. Frozen River won top juried awards at Sundance. Congrats to all of the 2009 Independent Spirit Award winners Penelope Cruz,James Franco, Dustin Lance Black,James Marsh, Laurent Cantet and Heather Rae. Click here for more pics from the award ceremony red carpet.

Mickey Rourke wins Best Actor BAFTA

Mickey Rourke gave an expletive riddled acceptance speech at the Independent Spirit Awards and a colorful speech at the BAFTAs. 

The Wrestler, the tale of a grappler trying for one last comeback, defeated all comers at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards, earning a win for Best Feature and garnering unlikely comeback kid Mickey Rourke the Best Male lead nod. "I didn't realize how many closet Mickey Rourke fans there were in this world," director Darren Aronofsky said backstage. "That's been the best part of this whole trip -- watching people come out of everywhere." Mickey Rourke, clearly making the most of his unexpected comeback after spending years in the acting wilderness, proved the clear crowd favorite, with a six-minute off-the-cuff acceptance speech, very little of which can be printed in a family newspaper. He started off by urging that producers find work for his buddy, actor Eric Roberts, whose career has gone decidedly cold. "Whatever he did 15 for 20 years ago, he deserves to be forgiven," Rourke said, to considerable laughter and an embarrassed shout-out from Roberts, who was in the audience. And he finished with a profane, though hilarious, litany of advice for down-on-their-luck actors. Still, no one took more delight in winning a Spirit than Melissa Leo, who bested fellow Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) to win for Female Lead. Near tears, she thanked just about everyone who had anything to do with the film, including her fellow cast members, director Courtney Hunt, the residents of Plattsburgh, N.Y. (where the film was shot), even the journalists and entertainment writers "who really gave Frozen River a chance." "Hooray independents," an emotional Leo shouted as she left the stage Other Spirit winners included Tom McCarthy, Best Director for The Visitor; Woody Allen, Best Screenplay, for Vicky Cristina Barcelona; and Penelope Cruz, Best Supporting Female, also for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. James Marsh's Man on Wire won for Best Documentary. Milk, Gus Van Sant's biopic of the murdered gay rights crusader and San Francisco assemblyman, took the day's first two awards, with James Franco winning for Best Supporting Male and Dustin Lance Black taking the Best First Screenplay prize. Both men sounded hopeful notes backstage, saying they hoped the film marked a new chapter in the country's acceptance of gays and lesbians. "I do believe that America loves gay and lesbian people," Black said. "They just may not have met us yet." Although the Spirits like to present themselves as Oscar's feistier cousin, the line between Oscar-worthy and Spirit-worthy films has been blurring steadily over the past several years. Among the most prominent names among this year's Spirit-nominated films were Milk, The Wrestler, Rachel Getting Married and Frozen River, all of which were nominated for multiple Oscars as well.

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Best Feature, The Wrestler (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin

Best Director, Todd McCarthy - The Visitor (Overture Films)

Best Screenplay, Woody Allen - Vicky Cristina Barcelona (The Weinstein Company)

Best First Feature, Synecdoche, New York (Sony Pictures Classics)
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel

Best First Screenplay , Dustin Black Lance - Milk (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

John Cassavetes Award (For the Best Feature made for under $500,000)
In Search of a Midnight Kiss (IFC Films)
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan, Scoot McNairy

Best Supporting Female:  Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona (The Weinstein Company)

Best Supporting Male, James Franco - Milk (Focus Features)

Best Female Lead, Melissa Leo - Frozen River (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Male Lead, Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Cinematography, Maryse Alberti - The Wrestler (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Foreign Film, The Class (Sony Pictures Classics)
Director: Laurent Cantet

Best Documentary, Man On Wire (Magnolia Pictures)
James Marsh

Robert Altman Award
Synecdoche, New York (Sony Pictures Classics)
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble cast members: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams.

Piaget Producers Award which honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films
Heather Rae, producer of Frozen River and Ibid

Acura Someone To Watch Award for a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition
Lynn Shelton, director of My Effortless Brilliance

LaCoste Truer Than Fiction Award, presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant attention
Margaret Brown, director of The Order of Myths

2009 FILM INDEPENDENT’S SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS BY DISTRIBUTOR
FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES 4
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS 3
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY 2
FOCUS FEATURES 1
IFC FILMS 1
MAGNOLIA PICTURES 1
OVERTURE FILMS 1

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INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS VOTING ENDS 2/11 LIVE BROADCAST ON IFC

The voting deadline for the Independent Spirit Awards which have been dubbed the Indie Oscars ends on February 11, 2009 at 5pm pst. Two time John Cassavetes Award nominee Sean Baker took to the internet to earn votes for his films "Take Out" and "The Prince of Broadway." We enjoyed attending screenings of all of this year's films which showcased great performances from actors like Sean Penn, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams,Melissa Leo and Mickey Rourke. Newcomers and non actors also shined giving truthful performances in verite type narrative films like Ballast, Gomorrah and The Class which won the Palme D'Or at Cannes. The Class is also nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and now playing at theaters in NY and LA.

The Independent Spirit awards will take place on February 21st, and will be broadcast live and uncut on IFC at 5pm ET/2pm PT. Here are the nominees:

Best Feature

"Ballast"
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh

"Frozen River"
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae

"Rachel Getting Married"
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt

"Wendy and Lucy"
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani

"The Wrestler"
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin

Best Director

Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"

Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"

Lance Hammer, "Ballast"

Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"

Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"

Best First Feature

"Afterschool"
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond

"Medicine for Melancholy"
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber

"Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell

"Sleep Dealer"
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman

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

John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)

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

"Prince of Broadway"
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean

"The Signal"
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh

"Take Out"
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou

"Turn the River"
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong

Best First Screenplay

Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"

Lance Hammer, "Ballast"

Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"

Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"

Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"

Best Screenplay

Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"

Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"

Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"

Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de Mi Sangre"

Best Female Lead

Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"

Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"

Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"

Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"

Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"

Best Male Lead

Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"

Sean Penn, "Milk"

Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"

Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Best Supporting Female

Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"

Rosie Perez, "The Take"

Misty Upham, "Frozen River"

Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"

Best Supporting Male

James Franco, "Milk"

Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"

Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"

JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"

Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"

Best Cinematography

Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"

Lol Crowley, "Ballast"

James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"

Harris Savides, "Milk"

Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"

Best Documentary

"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath

"Encounters at the End of the World"
Director: Werner Herzog

"Man on Wire"
Director: James Marsh

"The Order of Myths"
Director: Margaret Brown

"Up the Yangtze"
Director: Yang Chung

Best Foreign Film

"The Class" (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet

"Gomorrah" (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone

"Hunger" (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen

"Secret of the Grain" (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas

Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)

"Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams

Someone to Watch Award

Barry Jenkins, "Medicine for Melancholy"

Nina Paley, "Sita Sings the Blues"

Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance"

Truer Than Fiction Award

Margaret Brown, "The Order of Myths"

Sacha Gervasi, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"

Darius Marder, "Loot"

Producers Award

Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"

Jason Orans, "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"

Heather Rae, "Frozen River" and "Ibid"

JUNO BIG WINS AT INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS

Teen pregnancy comedy Juno won the Best Feature and had the most wins at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Ellen Page earned the Best Female Lead award and stripper turned screenwriter Diablo Cody won the Best First screenplay award. Diablo is also nominated for an Original Screenplay Oscar for the screenplay.

The low key ceremony dubbed "The Indie Oscars" had A list celebrities attending like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Eva Mendes and Jada Pinkett Smith. 

Cate Blanchett won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There" and dedicated her award to Heath Ledger. Julian Schnabel earned the Best Director award for The Diving Bell and The Butterfly.

Other winners were Phillip Seymour Hoffman who won Best Male Lead for the Savages and Chiwetel Ejiofor who won Best Supporting Male for his role in Talk to Me.   Congratulations!  We support independent film and the message of the Independent Spirit Awards. We were excited to cast our for votes the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards nominees.

The 2008 Spirit Awards took place under a cloudy and sometimes rainy Santa Monica sky on February 23rd. Here's a complete list of the winners:

Best Feature: "Juno," Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Mason Novick, Russell Smith (producers)

Best First Feature: "The Lookout," Scott Frank (director); Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Laurence Mark, Walter F. Parkes (producers)

Best Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly"

John Cassavetes Award: "August Evening," Chris Eska (writer/director); Connie Hill (I) (producer); Jason Wehling (producer)

Best Female: Ellen Page, "Juno"

Best Male: Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Savages"

Best Supporting Female: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"

Best Supporting Male: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Talk to Me"

Best Screenplay: Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"

Best First Screenplay: Diablo Cody, "Juno"

Best Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

Best Documentary: "Crazy Love," dir: Dan Klores

Best Foreign Film: "Once," dir: John Carney

Robert Altman Award: "I'm Not There," Todd Haynes (director); Laura Rosenthal (casting director); Cate Blanchett; Christian Bale; Richard Gere; Heath Ledger; Ben Whishaw; Marcus Carl Franklin; Charlotte Gainsbourg; Bruce Greenwood

Truer Than Fiction Award: "The Unforeseen," Laura Dunn

Producers Award: Neil Kopp, "Paranoid Park," "Old Joy"

Someone to Watch Award: Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"

'Juno' wins indie Spirit top honor