Nominations Announced for 2003 Independent Spirit Awards

Nominations for the 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Awards wereannounced this morning including nominations for Best Feature, whichare Far From Heaven, The Good Girl, Lovely &Amazing, Secretary, and Tully. Anthony La Paglia,Carrie-Anne Moss, Mena Suvari, and Isaiah Washington served asnomination presenters at the event.

"There was an astonishing range of excellent work this year, with aparticular emphasis on exploring complicated, deeply flawed characters.It made the committee's job even harder than usual," says committeechair Bill Condon. Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of IFP/Los Angelesadds, "You can see the evolution of the independent film world in thesenominations: more films written or directed by women, more films madewith digital technology, more outstanding films made on micro-budgets;and, this year, unfortunately, more excellent films with little or nodistribution. The nominations represent an amazing spectrum of talent;we are proud to put the spotlight on all of them."

Selected from more than 190 submissions, the winners will beunveiled at the IFP Independent Spirit Awards ceremony on Saturday,March 22, 2003. Director John Waters returns for a third consecutiveyear as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which is held in a tent onthe beach in Santa Monica. Honorary chairs and presenters will beannounced shortly.

Diana Zahn-Storey returns to produce the event for the ninthconsecutive year. The ceremony premieres live on The Independent FilmChannel (IFC) at 2:00 pm PST on Saturday, March 22, 2003 and isre-broadcast the same day on Bravo at 7:00 pm PST.

This year's ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors IFC, Motorola,Express, and DIRECTV; and by Principal Sponsors Entertainment Weekly,Turning Leaf Coastal Reserve Vineyards, Audi of America, Inc.,Starbucks Coffee Company, In Style, and Morgan Stanley.

This year's Nominating Committee was chaired by writer/director BillCondon (Chicago, Gods & Monsters). The 14-personcommittee included cinematographer John Bailey, documentarian RandyBarbato, film programmer Dennis Bartok, writer/director LisaCholodenko, casting director Aisha Coley, IFP/Los Angeles executivedirector Dawn Hudson, producer Jeff Kleeman, writer/director KarynKusama, producer Gail Mutrux, writer Jose Rivera, actor MichelleRodriguez, Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan, and actorIsaiah Washington. Winners for the Independent Spirit Awards are votedon by the IFP national membership, a nationwide base of 9,000members.

In order to be eligible for consideration, submitted films must haveshown at a commercial theater during the 2002 calendar year or haveplayed at one of the following seven film festivals: the IFP LosAngeles Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, New York, Seattle,Sundance, Telluride, or Toronto.

The IFP Independent Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring filmsmade by filmmakers who embody independence and who dare to challengethe status quo. Televised in millions of homes and coveredinternationally by the press, the Independent Spirit Awards program hasbecome the vanguard event in independent film, recognizing theachievements of independent filmmakers and promoting independent filmto a wider audience.

IFP/Los Angeles is Southern California's largest non-profitorganization for independent filmmakers with more than 6,000 members.IFP/Los Angeles is dedicated to supporting independent filmmakers, andchampioning the cause of independent filmmaking.

2003 IFP INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS (BYCATEGORY)

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer)
* Executive Producers are not listed.

Far From Heaven
Producers: Jody Patton, Christine Vachon

The Good Girl
Producer: Matthew Greenfield

Lovely & Amazing
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Eric d'Arbeloff, Ted Hope

Secretary
Producers: Andrew Fierberg, Amy Hobby, Steven Shainberg

Tully
Producers: Hilary Birmingham, Annie Sundberg

BEST DIRECTOR

Joe Carnahan
Narc

Todd Haynes
Far From Heaven

Nicole Holofcener
Lovely & Amazing

Bernard Rose
ivans xtc.

Gus Van Sant
Gerry

BEST SCREENPLAY

The Good Girl
Mike White

Lovely & Amazing
Nicole Holofcener

Roger Dodger
Dylan Kidd

Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
Jill Sprecher and Karen Sprecher

Tully
Hilary Birmingham and Matt Drake

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the Director)

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
Director: Peter Care

Interview with the Assassin
Director: Neil Burger

Manito
Director: Eric Eason

Paid In Full
Director: Charles Stone III

Roger Dodger
Director: Dylan Kidd

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Hysterical Blindness
Laura Cahill

Igby Goes Down
Burr Steers

Interview with the Assassin
Neil Burger

Kissing Jessica Stein
Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt

Secretary
Erin Cressida Wilson

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under$500,000.)
Award given to the Writer, Director, and Producer. Executive Producersare not listed.

Charlotte Sometimes
Director/Writer: Eric Byler
Producers: Marc Ambrose, Eric Byler

Dahmer
Director/Writer: David Jacobson
Producer: Larry Rattner

ivans xtc.
Director: Bernard Rose
Writers: Lisa Enos and Bernard Rose
Producer: Lisa Enos

Personal Velocity
Director/Writer: Rebecca Miller
Producers: Alexis Alexanian, Lemore Syvan, Gary Winick

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE (Actors in their first significant role in afeature film)

Bob Burrus
Tully

America Ferrera
Real Women Have Curves

Raven Goodwin
Lovely & Amazing

Artel Kayaru
Dahmer

Nia Vardalos
My Big Fat Greek Wedding

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Viola Davis
Antwone Fisher

Jacqueline Kim
Charlotte Sometimes

Juliette Lewis
Hysterical Blindness

Emily Mortimer
Lovely & Amazing

Julianne Nicholson
Tully

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Alan Arkin
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

Ray Liotta
Narc

Dennis Quaid
Far From Heaven

John C. Reilly
The Good Girl

Peter Weller
ivans xtc.

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Jennifer Aniston
The Good Girl

Maggie Gyllenhaal
Secretary

Catherine Keener
Lovely & Amazing

Julianne Moore
Far From Heaven

Parker Posey
Personal Velocity

BEST MALE LEAD

Graham Greene
Skins

Danny Huston
ivans xtc.

Derek Luke
Antwone Fisher

Jeremy Renner
Dahmer

Campbell Scott
Roger Dodger

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Far From Heaven
Edward Lachman

Gerry
Harris Savides

Interview with the Assassin
Richard Rutkowski

Narc
Alex Nepomniaschy

Personal Velocity
Ellen Kuras

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the Director)

Bloody Sunday - Ireland
Director: Paul Greengrass

The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat) - Canada
Director: Zacharias Kunuk

The Piano Teacher (La Pianiste) - France/Austria
Director: Michael Haneke

Time Out (L'Emploi du temps) - France
Director: Laurent Cantet

Y Tu Mamá También - Mexico
Director: Alfonso Cuaron

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the Director)

Bowling for Columbine
Director: Michael Moore

The Cockettes
Directors: Bill Weber and David Weissman

Devil's Playground
Director: Lucy Walker

How to Draw a Bunny
Director: John Walter

Stevie
Director: Steve James