Gary Dretzka
Leonard Klady
David Poland
Ray Pride

November 30, 2004

NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR
20th IFP INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

Nominees for the Turning Leaf Someone to Watch Award, the DIRECTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award, and the Bravo/American Express Producers Award also announced

LOS ANGELES (November 30, 2004) – Nominations for the 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning, including nominations for Best Feature, which are Baadasssss!, Kinsey, Maria Full of Grace, Primer, and Sideways. Also announced were the finalists for the Turning Leaf Someone to Watch Award, the DIRECTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award and the Bravo/American Express Producers Award. Dennis Quaid and Selma Blair served as nomination presenters at the event.

"Serving on the Nominating Committee is an incredible privilege. You get to discuss the entire spectrum of independent filmmaking with 12 of our country's finest filmmakers. Watching all of the submitted films gives you an encyclopedic knowledge of the current state of independent cinema. This year, there was a wonderful leap in quality amongst ultra-low budget indies," said committee chair Jeff Kleeman.

Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of IFP/Los Angeles added, "Over the last 20 years, the Spirit Awards have consistently celebrated the most talented artists—known and unknown—working in independent film. We've honored many filmmakers and artists at the beginning of their careers, and this year is no different. Six of the nominated films haven't even received theatrical distribution, and several more have had only the most-narrow distribution. We're proud to recognize the outstanding work done by independent veterans alongside the exciting new voices in film."

This year the Spirit Awards Nominating Committee chose to give a Special Distinction Award to the ensemble cast of Mean Creek: Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, and Carly Schroeder. In the words of the Nominating Committee, “These young actors turned in performances so uniformly unselfish, and so intricately in tune with one another, that it became impossible to single any one of them out from their extraordinary achievement together. Their work is of such high quality that it moves beyond craft to achieve that mysterious truth and beauty that constitutes the finest acting.”

Selected from more than 190 submissions, the winners will be unveiled at the IFP Independent Spirit Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 26, 2005, in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The Master of Ceremonies, Honorary Chairs, and Presenters will be announced shortly.

Diana Zahn-Storey returns to produce the event for the eleventh consecutive year. The ceremony will air live on IFC (Independent Film Channel) at 5:00 pm EST on Saturday, February 26, 2005 and is edited for rebroadcast on Bravo the same evening at 10:00 pm EST/PST, following an exclusive one-hour red carpet show at 9:00 pm EST/PST.

This year's ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors: IFC, Entertainment Weekly, DIRECTV, Bravo, and Netflix; and by Principal Sponsors: Turning Leaf Vineyards, Hewlett-Packard, Acura, America Online, Inc., and American Express. On 3 Productions will produce the Official 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards General Attendee Gift Bag and Presenter Gift Lounge. The Viceroy and Sheraton Delfina are the Official Host Hotels and WireImage is the Official Photographer of the IFP Independent Spirit Awards. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner of IFP/Los Angeles.

Films nominated for the IFP Independent Spirit Awards were selected based on the following criteria:

Original, provocative subject matter;
Uniqueness of vision;
Economy of means with particular attention paid to total budget and individual compensation;
Percentage of independent financing.

This year’s Chair of the Spirit Awards Nominating Committees (composed of three subcommittees) was producer Jeff Kleeman. The 13-person American Narrative Nominating Committee included IFP/Los Angeles Executive Director Dawn Hudson; actors Patricia Clarkson, Zooey Deschanel, and Ron Livingston; Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan; producers Effie Brown and Bingham Ray; directors Tony Bui, Mark Polish, and Alan Rudolph; casting director Aisha Coley; and cinematographer Nancy Schreiber. The five-person Documentary Feature Nominating Committee included director Fenton Bailey, producer Sid Ganis, and film critics Ella Taylor and Eugene Hernandez. The Foreign Feature Nominating Committee included producer Gail Mutrux; writer/directors Miguel Arteta and Vondie Curtis Hall; and exhibitor Greg Laemmle. Winners for the Independent Spirit Awards are voted on by the IFP national membership, a nationwide base of 9,000 members.

In order to be eligible for consideration, submitted films must have shown at a commercial theater during the 2004 calendar year or have played at one of the following seven film festivals: the Los Angeles Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, New York, Seattle, Sundance, Telluride, or Toronto.

Turning Leaf Someone to Watch Award

The 11th annual Turning Leaf Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $20,000 unrestricted grant, funded by Turning Leaf Vineyards. The Finalists are:

Jem Cohen, director of Chain

Bryan Poyser, director of Dear Pillow

Jennifer Reeves, director of The Time We Killed

Turning Leaf Someone to Watch Award Nominating Committee:

Ryan Werner (chair), Cheryl Dunye, Scott Foundas, Helen Gramates, Maud Nadler

DIRECTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award

The 9th annual DIRECTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant attention. The award includes a $20,000 unrestricted grant, funded by DIRECTV and IFC. The Finalists are:

Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman for Born Into Brothels

Shola Lynch for Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed

Jehane Noujaim for Control Room

Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini for Farmingville

DIRECTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award Nominating Committee:

Mike Maggiore (Chair), Nathan Lee, Megan Mylan, Chuleenan Svetvillas, Diane Weyermann

Bravo/American Express Producers Award

The 8th annual Bravo/American Express Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $20,000 unrestricted grant, funded by Bravo and American Express. The Finalists are:

Gina Kwon, producer of The Good Girl and Me and You and Everyone We Know

Danielle Renfrew, producer of November and Groove

Sean C. Covel and Chris Wyatt, producers of Napoleon Dynamite and Think Tank

Bravo/American Express Producers Award Nominating Committee:

Scott Macaulay (chair), Anthony Bregman, Kathryn Galan, Michelle Satter, Janet Yang

The IFP Independent Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo. Televised in millions of homes and covered internationally by the press, the Independent Spirit Awards program has become the vanguard event in independent film, recognizing the achievements of independent filmmakers and promoting independent film to a wider audience.

Awards are given in the following categories: Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, Best Director, Best Screenplay, John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for a budget under $500,000), Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male, Best Supporting Female, Best Debut Performance, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Film, and Best Documentary.

Last year’s IFP Independent Spirit Award winners included Lost in Translation, which won Best Feature, Best Director (Sofia Coppola), and Best Screenplay, as well as Best Male Lead (Bill Murray); Monster, which won Best First Feature and Best Female Lead (Charlize Theron); The Station Agent for the Best First Screenplay and the John Cassavetes Award; Declan Quinn for Best Cinematography; and Whale Rider for Best Foreign Film.

IFP/Los Angeles, the largest non-profit membership organization for independent filmmakers, champions the cause of independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. IFP/LA provides its members with professional advice, educational programs, affordable camera and equipment rentals, and discounts to hundreds of industry-related businesses. IFP/LA also offers Filmmaker Labs, giving filmmakers the opportunity to develop their projects, and Project:Involve, a mentorship and job placement program that pairs filmmakers from culturally diverse communities with film industry professionals. IFP/Los Angeles produces the IFP Independent Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international independent cinema. For more information, visit www.ifp.org.

# # # #

20th IFP INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

(BY CATEGORY)

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

Baadasssss! Producer: Mario Van Peebles
Kinsey Producer: Gail Mutrux
Maria Full of Grace Producer: Paul Mezey
Primer Producer: Shane Carruth
Sideways Producer: Michael London

BEST DIRECTOR

Shane Carruth Primer
Joshua Marston Maria Full of Grace
Alexander Payne Sideways
Walter Salles The Motorcycle Diaries
Mario Van Peebles Baadasssss!

BEST SCREENPLAY

Baadasssss! Writers: Mario Van Peebles & Dennis Haggerty
Before Sunset Writers: Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke
The Door in the Floor Writer: Tod Williams
Kinsey Writer: Bill Condon
Sideways Writers: Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the Director and Producer)

Brother to Brother Director: Rodney Evans

Producers: Rodney Evans, Jim McKay, Isen Robbins, and Aimee Schoof

Garden State Director: Zach Braff

Producers: Pamela Abdy, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted, and Richard Klubeck

Napoleon Dynamite Director: Jared Hess
Producers: Jeremy Coon, Sean C. Covel, and Chris Wyatt

Saints and Soldiers Director: Ryan Little
Producers: Adam Abel and Ryan Little

The Woodsman Director: Nicole Kassell
Producer: Lee Daniels

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Brother to Brother Writer: Rodney Evans
Garden State Writer: Zach Braff
Maria Full of Grace Writer: Joshua Marston
Primer Writer: Shane Carruth
Robbing Peter Writer: Mario F. de la Vega

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for $500,000; Award given to the writer, director, and producer)

* Executive Producers are not listed.

Down to the Bone Director: Debra Granik
Writers: Debra Granik and Richard Lieske
Producers: Susan Leber, Anne Rosellini

Mean Creek Writer/Director: Jacob Aaron Estes
Producers: Susan Johnson, Rick Rosenthal, Hagai Shaham

On the Outs Directors: Lori Silverbush and Michael Skolnik
Writer: Lori Silverbush
Producers: Lori Silverbush, Michael Skolnik

Robbing Peter Writer/Director: Mario F. de la Vega
Producers: T. Todd Flinchum, Lisa Y. Garibay, and
Mario F. de la Vega

Unknown Soldier Writer/Director: Ferenc Toth
Producers: Sean Bachrodt, Seth Eisman, Chachi Senior, and
Ferenc Toth

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

Anthony Mackie Brother to Brother
Louie Olivos, Jr. Robbing Peter
Hannah Pilkes The Woodsman
Rodrigo de la Serna The Motorcycle Diaries
David Sullivan Primer

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Cate Blanchett Coffee and Cigarettes
Loretta Devine Woman Thou Art Loosed
Virginia Madsen Sideways
Robin Simmons Robbing Peter
Yenny Paola Vega Maria Full of Grace

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Thomas Haden Church Sideways
Jon Gries Napoleon Dynamite
Aidan Quinn Cavedweller
Roger Robinson Brother to Brother
Peter Sarsgaard Kinsey

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Kimberly Elise Woman Thou Art Loosed
Vera Farmiga Down to the Bone
Judy Marte On the Outs
Catalina Sandino Moreno Maria Full of Grace
Kyra Sedgwick Cavedweller

BEST MALE LEAD

Kevin Bacon The Woodsman
Jeff Bridges The Door in the Floor
Jamie Foxx Redemption
Paul Giamatti Sideways
Liam Neeson Kinsey

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Dandelion Tim Orr
The Motorcycle Diaries Eric Gautier
Redemption David Greene
Saints and Soldiers Ryan Little
We Don’t Live Here Anymore Maryse Alberti

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the Director)

Bad Education - Spain Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Oasis – South Korea Director: Lee Chang-Dong
Red Lights - France Director: Cédric Kahn
The Sea Inside - Spain Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Yesterday – South Africa Director: Darrell James Roodt

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the Director)

Bright Leaves Director: Ross McElwee
Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed Director: Shola Lynch
Hiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance After the Holocaust Directors: Menachem Daum and
Oren Rudavsky
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Directors: Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky
Tarnation Director: Jonathan Caouette

SPECIAL DISTINCTION

Ensemble Cast: Film Title

Rory Culkin Mean Creek
Ryan Kelley Mean Creek
Scott Mechlowicz Mean Creek
Trevor Morgan Mean Creek
Josh Peck Mean Creek
Carly Schroeder Mean Creek 20th IFP INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

(BY DISTRIBUTOR)

FINE LINE FEATURES (6)

Maria Full of Grace ** Best Feature – Paul Mezey
** Best Director – Joshua Marston
** Best First Screenplay – Joshua Marston
** Best Female Lead – Catalina Sandino Moreno
** Best Supporting Female – Yenny Paola Vega

Director/Writer: Joshua Marston
Producer: Paul Mezey

The Sea Inside ** Best Foreign Film – Alejandro Amenábar

Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Writers: Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil
Producers: Fernando Bovaira, Alejandro Amenábar

FIRST RUN FEATURES (2)

Hiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance After the Holocaust

** Best Documentary – Menachem Daum, Oren Rudavsky

Director/Writer/Producers: Menachem Daum and
Oren Rudavsky

Bright Leaves ** Best Documentary – Ross McElwee

Director/Writer: Ross McElwee

FOCUS FEATURES (5)

The Door in the Floor ** Best Screenplay – Tod Williams
** Best Male Lead – Jeff Bridges

Director/Writer: Tod Williams
Producers: Anne Carey, Michael Corrente, Ted Hope

The Motorcycle Diaries ** Best Director – Walter Salles
** Best Cinematography – Eric Gautier
** Best Debut Performance – Rodrigo de la Serna

Director: Walter Salles
Writer: José Rivera

Producers: Michael Nozik, Edgard Tenembaum,
and Karen Tenkhoff

FOX ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION (2)

Redemption ** Best Male Lead – Jamie Foxx
** Best Cinematography – David Greene

Director: Vondie Curtis Hall
Writer: J.T. Allen
Producer: Sue Bugden

FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES (14)

Kinsey ** Best Feature – Gail Mutrux
** Best Screenplay – Bill Condon
** Best Male Lead – Liam Neeson
** Best Supporting Male – Peter Sarsgaard

Director/Writer: Bill Condon
Producer: Gail Mutrux

Sideways ** Best Feature – Michael London
** Best Director – Alexander Payne
** Best Screenplay – Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
** Best Male Lead – Paul Giamatti
** Best Supporting Male – Thomas Haden Church
** Best Supporting Female – Virginia Madsen

Director: Alexander Payne
Writers: Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
Producer: Michael London

Garden State ** Best First Feature – Zach Braff, Pamela Abdy,
Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted, Richard Klubeck
** Best First Screenplay – Zach Braff

Director/Writer: Zach Braff
Producers: Pamela Abdy, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted,
Richard Klubeck

Napoleon Dynamite ** Best First Feature – Jared Hess, Jeremy Coon,
Sean C. Covel, Chris Wyatt
** Best Supporting Male – Jon Gries

Director: Jared Hess
Writers: Jared Hess & Jerusha Hess
Producers: Jeremy Coon, Sean C. Covel, Chris Wyatt

HBO FILMS (6)

Maria Full of Grace ** Best Feature – Paul Mezey
** Best Director – Joshua Marston
** Best First Screenplay – Joshua Marston
** Best Female Lead – Catalina Sandino Moreno
** Best Supporting Female – Yenny Paola Vega

Director/Writer: Joshua Marston
Producer: Paul Mezey

Yesterday ** Best Foreign Film – Darrell James Roodt

Director/Writer: Darrell James Roodt
Producer: Anant Singh

IFC FILMS (1)

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster ** Best Documentary – Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky

Directors/Producers: Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky

LANTERN LANE ENTERTAINMENT (1)

Chisoholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed ** Best Documentary – Shola Lynch

Director: Shola Lynch
Producers: Shola Lynch, Phil Bertelsen

LIFESIZE ENTERTAINMENT (1)

Oasis ** Best Foreign Film – Lee Chang-Dong

Director/Writer: Lee Chang-Dong
Producer: Myung Kaynam

MAGNOLIA PICTURES (2)

Woman Thou Art Loosed ** Best Female Lead – Kimberly Elise
** Best Supporting Female – Loretta Devine

Director: Michael Schultz
Writer: Stan Foster
Producer: Reuben Cannon

MGM and United Artists (1)

Coffee and Cigarettes ** Best Supporting Female – Cate Blanchett

Director/Writer: Jim Jarmusch
Producers: Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente

NEWMARKET FILMS (3)

The Woodsman ** Best First Feature – Nicole Kassell, Lee Daniels
** Best Male Lead – Kevin Bacon
** Best Debut Performance – Hannah Pilkes

Director: Nicole Kassell
Writers: Nicole Kassell and Steven Fechter
Producer: Lee Daniels

PARAMOUNT CLASSICS (2)

Mean Creek ** John Cassavetes Award – Jacob Aaron Estes,
Susan Johnson, Rick Rosenthal, and
Hagai Shaham

** Special Distinction – Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley,

Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan,
Josh Peck, and Carly Schroeder

Director/Writer: Jacob Aaron Estes Producers: Susan Johnson, Rick Rosenthal,

and Hagai Shaham

SHOWTIME (2)

Cavedweller ** Best Female Lead – Kyra Sedgwick
** Best Supporting Male – Aidan Quinn

Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Writer: Anne Meredith

Producers: Mike Levine, Kyra Sedgwick,

and David Yudain

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS (4)

Baadasssss! ** Best Feature – Mario Van Peebles
** Best Director – Mario Van Peebles
** Best Screenplay – Mario Van Peebles & Dennis Haggerty

Director/Producer: Mario Van Peebles
Writers: Mario Van Peebles & Dennis Haggerty

Bad Education ** Best Foreign – Pedro Almodóvar

Director/Writer: Pedro Almodóvar
Producers: Agustín Almodóvar, Pedro Almodóvar

THINKFilm(4)

Primer ** Best Feature – Shane Carruth
** Best Director– Shane Carruth
** Best First Screenplay – Shane Carruth
** Best Debut Performance– David Sullivan

Director/Writer/Producer: Shane Carruth

WARNER INDEPENDENT PICTURES (2)

Before Sunset ** Best Screenplay – Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy,
Ethan Hawke

Director: Richard Linklater
Writers: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
Producer: Anne Walker-McBay

We Don’t Live Here Anymore ** Best Cinematography – Maryse Alberti

Director: John Curran
Writer: Larry Gross
Producers: Jonas Goodman, Harvey Kahn,
and Naomi Watts

WELLSPRING (2)

Red Lights ** Best Foreign Film – Cédric Kahn

Director: Cédric Kahn
Writers: Laurence Ferreira-Barbosa, Cédric Kahn
Producer: Patrick Godeau

Tarnation ** Best Documentary – Jonathan Caouette

Director/Writer: Jonathan Caouette
Producers: Jonathan Caouette, Stephen Winter

WOLFE RELEASING (4)

Brother to Brother ** Best First Feature – Rodney Evans, Jim McKay,
Isen Robbins, Aimee Schoof
** Best First Screenplay – Rodney Evans
** Best Supporting Male – Roger Robinson
** Best Debut Performance – Anthony Mackie

Director/Writer: Rodney Evans
Producers: Rodney Evans, Jim McKay,
Isen Robbins, and Aimee Schoof

NO DISTRIBUTOR (12)

Dandelion ** Best Cinematography – Tim Orr

Director: Mark Milgard
Writers: Mark Milgard, Richard Murphy,
and Robb Williamson
Producer: Molly M. Mayeaux

Down to the Bone ** John Cassavetes Award – Debra Granik, Rich Lieske,
Anne Rosellini, Susan Leber
** Best Female Lead – Vera Farmiga

Director: Debra Granik
Writers: Debra Granik, Richard Lieske
Producers: Susan Leber, Anne Rosellini

On the Outs ** John Cassavetes Award – Lori Silverbush, Michael Skolnik
** Best Female Lead – Judy Marte

Directors: Lori Silverbush, Michael Skolnik
Writer: Lori Silverbush
Producers: Lori Silverbush, Michael Skolnik

Robbing Peter ** John Cassavetes Award – Lisa Y. Garibay, Mario F. de la Vega,
and T. Todd Flinchum
** Best Supporting Female – Robin Simmons
** Best Debut Performance– Louie Olivos, Jr.
** Best First Screenplay – Mario F. de la Vega

Director/Writer: Mario de la Vega
Producers: Lisa Y. Garibay, T. Todd Flincham,
Mario F. de la Vega

Unknown Soldier ** John Cassavetes Award – Ferenc Tôth, Sean Bachrodt,
Seth Eisman, Chachi Senior

Director/Writer: Ferenc Tôth
Producers: Sean Bachrodt, Seth Eisman,
Chachi Senior, Ferenc Tôth

Saints and Soldiers ** Best First Feature – Adam Abel, Ryan Little
** Best Cinematography –Ryan Little

Director: Ryan Little
Writers: Geoffrey Panos & Matt Whitaker
Producer: Ryan Little, Adam Abel

20th IFP INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

# FILMS NOMINATED

TOTALS PER FILM

Film Title # of Nominations
Sideways 6
Maria Full of Grace 5
Brother to Brother 4
Primer 4
Robbing Peter 4
Kinsey 4
Baadasssss! 3
The Motorcycle Diaries 3
The Woodsman 3
Cavedweller 2
Down to the Bone 2
Garden State 2
Mean Creek 2
Napoleon Dynamite 2
On the Outs 2
Redemption 2
Saints and Soldiers 2
The Door in the Floor 2
Woman Thou Art Loosed 2
Bad Education 1
Before Sunset 1
Bright Leaves 1
Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed 1
Coffee and Cigarettes 1
Dandelion 1
Hiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance After the Holocaust 1
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster 1
Oasis 1
Red Lights 1
Tarnation 1
The Sea Inside 1
Unknown Soldier 1
We Don’t Live Here Anymore 1
Yesterday 1

20th IFP INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BIOS FOR FILMMAKER GRANT NOMINEES

Turning Leaf Someone To Watch Award

Jem Cohen, director of Chain
Jem Cohen is a New York-based independent filmmaker whose works are built from his own on-going and ever-growing archive of street footage, portraits, and sound. His films, videos, and installations often navigate the grey area between genres. His award-winning films, including Chain, Benjamin Smoke, Instrument, and This is a History of New York have screened at the NFT in London, the Berlin, Edinburgh, Melbourne, London, and Vancouver Film Festivals, and his installations have been featured at Atlanta’s High Museum, the Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis, and the New York Museum of Modern Art.

Bryan Poyser, director of Dear Pillow
Bryan Poyser graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996. In addition to writing about film, Brian is a co-founder of Cinematexas Short Film Festival and has worked at the SXSW Film Festival, both in Austin. He co-wrote a screenplay that was a finalist in the Sundance Feature Film Program. In 2003, he was accepted into the AFI, Columbia, and USC graduate screenwriting programs, but declined in order to finish Dear Pillow.

Jennifer Reeves, director of The Time We Killed
Jennifer Reeves is an established New York-based avant -garde filmmaker. Ms. Reeves wrote, directed, shot, and edited her debut feature The Time We Killed (2004) which received a Fipresci award at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film also won “Best NY, NY Narrative Feature” at the Tribeca Film Festival and “Outstanding Artistic Achievement” at OUTFEST in LA.

Ms. Reeves has also made 12 short films, which have screened widely from the Sundance, Rotterdam, and New York Film Festivals to the Robert Flaherty Seminar, and USC. Reeves also creates multiple-projection film performances. She presented He Walked Away at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival with live music by Erik Hoversten and Dave Cerf. Reeves’ shorts are distributed by the Film-Makers’ Cooperative, Women Make Movies, the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Center, and Light Cone. Reeves is a part-time film professor at Bard College.

DIRECTV / IFC Truer Than Fiction Award

Carlos Sandoval, co-director Farmingville
Carlos Sandoval is a lawyer and a writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times.
His play, The Wolfman and His Wife, is slated for production by the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. Sandoval has worked on immigration and refugee affairs as a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations, and as a program officer for the Twentieth Century Fund (now The Century Foundation). Of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, Sandoval grew up in Southern California and is a graduate of Harvard and the University of Chicago School of Law.

Catherine Tambini, co-director Farmingville
Catherine Tambini is the co-director/producer of Farmingville, winner of numerous awards including the 2004 Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury Award. Farmingville was the 2004 season premier of PBS’ highly acclaimed documentary series, P.O.V.

Ms. Tambini co-produced the Academy Award-nominated documentary Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse, (New York Film Festival, Great Performances/Dance in America) and was production manager for Connie & Ruthie, Every Room in the House (HBO) and Best Man (Cinemax). She has also assisted in the production design of many well-known Hollywood films including The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Steel Magnolias, True Colors, and The Secret of My Success.

Ms Tambini’s work has earned grants from the Sundance Institute, the MacArthur Foundation, New York State Council for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts, among others. She holds a BFA from the University of Oklahoma and an MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Zana Briski, co-director of Born Into Brothels
Born in London, Zana Briski earned a master’s degree in theology and religious studies from Cambridge. In 1995 she made her first trip to India, producing a story on female infanticide. Since then she has returned to India numerous times and created projects about different aspects of Calcutta’s red light district. She has been awarded numerous awards and fellowships including George Soros’ Open Society Institute Fellowship, an Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and first prize at he World Press Photo Foundation Competition. In 2002, Briski and co-director Ross Kauffman were awarded grants from the Sundance Institute, the Jerome Foundation and the SNY State Council on the Arts for their film, Born Into Brothels. In 2002 Briski formed Kids With Cameras, an organization to help educate the children of Calcutta’s prostitutes to empower them and other marginalized children worldwide through learning the art of photography.

Ross Kauffman co-director of Born Into Brothels
Ross Kauffman has worked as a film editor and in post-production with a wide variety of films for producers such as Jim Lipscomb, Kevin Bachar, and Melvin Van Peebles. In 1994, he began a long standing working relationship with Award winning producer Sam Pollard, editing diverse projects for HBO, WNET, and PBS. He has also edited documentaries for National Geographic and The Discovery Channel.

Since 2000, he has directed A Weekend With Mr. Frank about famed photographer Robert Frank. In 2002, he formed Red Light Films and, along with co-director Zina Briski, produced Born Into Brothels and was awarded grants from the Sundance Institute, the Jerome Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts to complete the film.

Shola Lynch director of Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed
Chisholm ’72 is Shola Lynch’s directorial debut. Previously, she worked with Ken Burns’ Florentine Films on such projects as JAZZ and Frank Lloyd Wright. For HBO Sports she worked on Do You Believe in Miracles? and ROJA Productions’ EveryOther, as part of a Matters of Race series. Shola’s most important filmmaking skill has come from competing 15 years as a track athlete’s perseverance in pursuit of a goal.

Jehane Noujaim, director of Control Room
Jehane Noujaim began as a photographer and filmmaker in her native Egypt. She moved to Boston in 1990 where she attended Harvard and graduated magna cum laude. She directed Mokattam under the auspices of her Gardiner Fellowship followed by a stint with MTV’s documentary series, Unfiltered. Jehane then went on to direct and produce the award-winning Startup.com, in association with Pennebaker- Hedgedus Films. In its 2004 theatrical release, the timely and highly praised CONTROL ROOM raised issues and posed questions She continues to work in both the United States and Middle East as a director and cinematographer on various documentaries.

Bravo/American Express Producers Award

Gina Kwon is an independent film producer based in Los Angeles. She recently produced Me and You and Everyone We Know, a feature film written & directed by acclaimed artist/performer Miranda July for IFC Films & Film Four. A 2003 Sundance lab project and winner of the 2004 Sundance/NHK International Filmmaker's Award, "Me and You" will be released theatrically by IFC Films in 2005. Kwon, co-producer of The Good Girl and associate producer of Chuck & Buck, works closely with director Miguel Arteta and producer Matthew Greenfield. In 2003, the three produced the independent feature The Motel, developed at the 2002 Sundance labs, for writer/director Michael Kang. Kwon is a recipient of the 2004 Mark Silverman/Sundance Fellowship for New Producers.

Ms. Kwon has also produced documentaries for television, working with R.J. Cutler on the series The Residents (Co-Producer) and American High (Associate Producer), winner of the 2001 Emmy Award for Best Non-Fiction series. Ms. Kwon started out in international film distribution, working as Vice President of Myriad Pictures which distributed a library of arthouse & documentary films.

Danielle Renfrew
Danielle Renfrew is an accomplished independent producer with credits ranging from grassroots documentaries to major motion pictures. She produced the independent feature film Groove, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2000 and was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Soon after, she formed Map Point Pictures with Groove director Greg Harrison. Through Map Point, she produced November, a thriller starring Courteney Cox and James Le Gros for IFC and InDigEnt, and Amanda Micheli's award-winning documentary about Hollywood stuntwomen, Double Dare.

Ms. Renfrew is currently in post-production on Katrina Holden Bronson’s feature directorial debut Daltry Calhoun for Quentin Tarantino’s L. Driver Productions and Miramax. The film stars Johnny Knoxville and Juliette Lewis and is set for release this fall.

Sean C. Covel and Chris “Doc” Wyatt
Sean C. Covel grew up in a tiny town in South Dakota and did his undergraduate work at the University of Nebraska. Chris “Doc” Wyatt was raised in Atlanta and graduated from BYU. While Sean was in San Francisco working in the business world, Chris spent two years working in Rome. They met while attending the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. Shortly after graduation, these two began producing low-budget features with an eye toward launching talented first time directors. In 2003, they teamed up with writer/director Jared Hess and fellow producer Jeremy Coon for the phenomenally successful Napoleon Dynamite. Covel and Wyatt have since produced Think Tank (again with Jeremy Coon) and are beginning work in 2005 on a new thriller. Sean Covel is completing post production work on the family film, 12 Dogs, directed by Academy Award winner Kieth Merrill.