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As the director herself has stated, Palaistinian producers-filmmakers tend to shoot movies about the Occupation without realizing it. In “Villa Touma”, however, Suha Arraf tries to stray away from the usual approach to the subject, by focusing on a story that is almost Shakesperean, still managing, though, to talk about the Occupation.

“Villa Touma” screened at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema

The film begins in 2000, when Badia ages out of the Christian orphanage where she grew up, and is essentially forced upon her aunts, three sisters who have lost their lands and social status following the Six Day War with Israel in 1967, but continue to live as if nothing has changed, essentially in seclusion from the outside world, with the exception of the high class gatherings in thelocal Christian church. Juliette, the eldest one and “boss” of the family, greets Badia in coldness, immediately communicating that the only...

Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.

The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.

Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.

Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.

As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has unveiled its 2015 line-up which includes films representing 54 countries, 23 world premieres and 53 U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Niki Caro’s McFarland USA will close out the 30th fest. Based on the 1987 true story and starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, the film follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. The unlikely band of runners overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well.

The festival runs from January 27-February 7.

Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.

World Premieres

A Better You, USA

Directed by Matt Walsh

Cast: Brian Huskey,...

A self-acknowledged "showcase for Academy Award frontrunners," the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is often overlooked for the actual films that earn it festival status. An amalgamation of international discoveries and ’merica’s circuit highlights, the Sbiff curates a week of best-of-the-best to pair with their star-praising. The 2015 edition offers another expansive selection, bookended by two films that aren’t on any radars just yet. Sbiff will open with "Desert Dancer," producer Richard Raymond’s directorial debut. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the drama follows a group of friends who wave off the harsh political climate of Iran’s 2009 presidential election in favor of forming a dance team, picking up moves from Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev thanks to the magic of YouTube. The festival will close with "McFarland, USA," starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello. Telling the 1987 true story of a Latino high school’s underdog cross-country team,...

The lineups for the Mavericks, Discovery, and Tiff Kids parts of the Toronto Film Festival were announced, wrapping up a series of lineup announcements for the Toronto International Film Festival.

With the added films, the festival’s entire slate is now a whopping 393 movies. Two hundred eighty-five of those movies are feature films, of which 143 are world premieres.

The Mavericks portion of the festival includes onstage discussions following the screening of each film. Do I Sound Gay? will be followed by a talk between director David Thorpe and sex-advice guru Dan Savage. Also premiering in that space is The 50 Year Argument,...

Bill Murray is coming to Toronto folks. Actually, the film he stars in (Theodore Melfi’s St. Vincent) is having its official World Premiere launch at the jaw-dropping 285 feature film 2014 Tiff line-up. In the final batch of items we finally get the confirmation that 2014′s Palme d’Or Winner Winter Sleep (which gets added along with a trio of others to the Masters Programme) will show, and Tomm Moore’s highly anticipated Song of the Sea (among the four item line-up for Tiff Kids) also lands. Worth mentioning are the sprinkling of add-ons to the various other sections (Marjane Satrapi’s Sundance preemed The Voices, Matt Shakman’s Cut Bank and the world preem of Danis Tanovic’s Tigers) with a Studio Ghibli docu item being fitted into the Tiff Docs, but it is the Discovery Programme that finally takes shape.

The “up-and-comers” include Berlin Film Fest (and future Nyff...

Cherien Dabis’ bittersweet Amreeka (2009) (Arabic for ‘America’) follows the fortunes of Muna (Nisreen Faour), a single, divorced mother, who lives in the West Bank with her teenage son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem). The opening scenes show Muna and her son having to endure regular military checkpoints on her daily commute to work in a bank. Tobias Datum shoots these scenes through the rear view mirror and dusty windscreen of Muna’s car, giving a distancing effect.Read more »...

Attack The Block (15)

(Joe Cornish, 2011, UK) John Boyega, Nick Frost, Jodie Whittaker. 88 mins

More Critters than Cloverfield, this alien-invasion movie is modest in scale and ambition but makes up for it in local flavour. The setting is south London – Brit cinema's default "ghetto" location, bruv – where sharp-toothed ETs come to regret messing with the hoodies, who team up with their recent victim and the upstairs drug dealer to defend their manor. It's no Shaun Of The Dead, but it's up-to-date and fitfully entertaining, and there's at least some social grit beneath the down-with-the-kids comedy.

A Screaming Man (PG)

(Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, 2010, Cha/Fra/Bel) Youssouf Djaoro, Dioucounda Koma, Emile Abssolo M'Bo. 91 mins

Saying a great deal with few resources, this skillful Chadian drama finds weighty moral, global and generational concerns in the story of a swimming pool attendant and his son.

Love Like Poison (15)

(Katell Quillévéré, 2010, Fra) Clara Augarde, Lio, Stefano Cassetti.

They all say this show changed a little bit, but we guess it was expected for the 25th annual ceremony from Stapless Center, or if you prefer – the Spirit Awards.

Last week we were all occupied with Oscar, but it’s always the right time to take a look at (maybe) less popular ceremony, but still – the good one! We’re going to remind you of this ceremony highlights.

The Spirits, run by the nonprofit Film Independent, threw in some of its typically enjoyable ironic touches.

One of them was definitely David Spade who presented the best foreign award, starting with:

“You may not know this, but my movies play in other countries. They’re huge in Poland. I can’t set foot in Bulgaria.” Thanks for letting us know Spade!

On the other hand, we had a chance to see Ben Stiller, known for studio comedies more than any boutique film,...

While clearly not as closely followed as the Guild Awards, let alone the Golden Globes, the Independent Spirit Awards casts a much wider net in terms of nominees by accepting any film that is screened at various festivals, even if it's not released in theatres. It does, however, limit the film's budget to $20 million.

Precious won Best Feature and Lee Daniels nabbed the Best Director award. Precious ladies, Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique also won the female acting awards while Jeff Bridges and Woody Harrelson got the male acting gongs.

Here's the full list of the nominess and winners...

Best Feature

Precious

Amreeka

500 Days of Summer

Sin Nombre

The Last Station

Best First Feature

Crazy Heart

A Single Man

Easier with Practice

Paranormal Activity

The Messenger

Best Director

Lee Daniels - Precious

Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - A Serious Man

Cary Fukunaga - Sin Nombre

James Gray - Two Lovers

Michael Hoffman...

Los Angeles (March 5, 2010) – Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, handed out top honors to Precious and Crazy Heart at this evening’s 25th Spirit Awards. (500) Days of Summer, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, An Education, Humpday, The Messenger, and A Serious Man also received awards at the milestone ceremony, held at La Live’s event deck in downtown Los Angeles and broadcast live and uncut on IFC. Acclaimed comedian Eddie Izzard was Master of Ceremonies, and Ben Stiller served as Honorary Chair.

The Spirit Awards was the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 25 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. Artists receiving industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel & Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd,...

Last night the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards at La Live's panoramic event deck in downtown Los Angeles and talk about predictable as I nailed 12 of the 13 winners in the categories I predicted, with Precious being the night's biggest winner taking home Best Feature, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress and First Screenplay. The only category I missed was Best First Feature, which I predicted Oren Moverman's The Messenger would take home the award, but instead it went to Scott Cooper's Crazy Heart, which also won for Best Actor, awarding Jeff Bridges on his way to an Oscar win this Sunday.

I have listed all the winners below, see you Sunday for the Oscars.

Best Feature Amreeka (500) Days of Summer The Last Station Precious Sin Nombre Best Director Michael Hoffman, The Last Station Lee Daniels, Precious Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man Cary Fukunaga, Sin Nombre James Gray, Two Lovers Best Actor Jeff Bridges,...

"Precious" took home five major honors at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards including Gabourey Sidibe's first Best Actress win.

"Precious" won awards for Best Feature, Lee Daniels for Best Director, Geoffrey Fletcher for Best First Screenplay and Sidibe and Mo'Nique took home Best Actress and Best Supporting, respectively.

Best Feature

500 Days of Summer, Producers Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters, Mason Novick, Steven J. Wolfe

Amreeka, Producers Christina Piovesan, Paul Barkin

Precious, Producers Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness

Sin Nombre, Producer Amy Kaufman

The Last Station, Producers Chris Curling, Jens Meurer, Boonie Arnold

Best Director

The Coen Brothers for A Serious Man

Lee Daniels for Precious

Cary Fukunaga for Sin Nombre

James Grey for Two Lovers

Michael Hoffman for The Last Station

Best First Feature

A Single Man

Crazy Heart

Easier With Practice

The Messenger

Paranormal Activity

John Cassavetes Award

Big Fan

Humpday

The New Year Parade

Treeless Mountain

Zero Bridge

Best Screenplay

Alessandro Camon,...

The Spirit Awards are nearly upon us. I will live blog haphazardly tonight whilst cleaning my apartment and fine tuning Oscar Party Plans. In the meantime, while you wait for the festivities to begin, I thought you should hear from a Spirit voter. So I'll let him take it from here. Hello everybody! Michael B here, writing my first (and hopefully not last) guest post. Let me tell you a few things about myself before I begin. I’m 19 years old, from Los Angeles, but reside in New York City during the fall and spring. I attend Nyu and major in Dramatic Writing, or also known as, Film, Play and Television Writing. I’m a huge Oscar buff—I live five blocks away from the Academy Building—and have been an avid reader and “chatty moviegoer” at The Film Experience for over five years. And I do too love the actresses.

Film Independent's Spirit Awards marked their 25th anniversary this year and shook things up by trading their afternoon beachside luncheon for a nighttime party downtown. The show was hosted by comedian Eddie Izzard and a handful of the actors who attended and presented were Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker"), Maggie Gyllenhaal ("Crazy Heart"), Carey Mulligan ("An Education") and Vera Farmiga ("Up in the Air"). Best Actor winner Jeff Bridges performed a song from his film "Crazy Heart" with Oscar-nominated songwriters T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham. The rock band Anvil whose career was chronicled in the independent film "Anvil: The Story of Anvil" also performed live and took home Best Documentary.

The Spirit Awards have supported and rewarded independent films throughout the years and MakingOf is proud to have interviewed many of this year's nominees and winners. I've included the full list of nominated films and talent below along with links to our exclusive interviews.

I haven't talked about them since announcing the nominees back in December 2009, but tomorrow night, March 5, Film Independent will hold the 25th Annual Spirit Awards at La Live's panoramic event deck in downtown Los Angeles. The show will air live and uncut at 8:00 p.m. Pst/11:00 p.m. Est on IFC (Independent Film Channel).

I am going to be taking in a showing of the Broadway musical "Chicago" tomorrow night so I won't be reporting on the winners until late or possibly even Saturday morning, but for now here are my predictions for who will take home the Spirit Awards. Any of you disagree with my choices?

My winner predictions are bold and in red.

Best Feature Amreeka (500) Days of Summer The Last Station Precious Sin Nombre Best Director Michael Hoffman, The Last Station Lee Daniels, Precious Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man Cary Fukunaga, Sin Nombre James Gray,...

Chicago – Nominating Cherien Dabis’s “Amreeka” for an Independent Spirit Award is sort of redundant, since the film has, in a sense, been nominated many times before. The film will only seem original to audiences unfamiliar with “The Visitor,” “Real Women Have Curves,” and “Crash” (and no, I’m not referring to the one about James Spader’s fetish for car accidents).

Yet, for all its inherent predictability, “Amreeka” nearly manages to work in spite of itself. It tells the story of a single mother, Muna (Nisreen Faour), living with her teenage son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem), in the Palestinian city of Ramallah. They live under the surveillance of Israeli authorities while attempting to cross the border. When Muna finally receives her visa to the Us, it seems as if her ticket to freedom has finally arrived.

DVD Rating: 3.0/5.0

Muna and Fadi land in a Chicago airport on the same day that Us troops invade Iraq.

The Spirit nominations were announced, and Precious is leading the pack alongside The Last Station. Each film was nominated for five awards apiece. Precious starring Mariah Carey, and The Last Station starring Paul Giamatti were both nominated for best feature, as well as 500 Days of Summer, Amreeka, and Sin Nombre. For the best male actor category, the race is between Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart, Colin Firth for A Single Man, Joseph Gordon Levitt for 500 Days of Summer Souleymane Sy Savane for Goodbye Solo and Adam Scott for The Vicious Kind. Mario Bellow in Downloading Nancy, Nisreen Faour...

The Spirit nominations were announced, and Precious is leading the pack alongside The Last Station. Each film was nominated for five awards apiece. Precious starring Mariah Carey, and The Last Station starring Paul Giamatti were both nominated for best feature, as well as 500 Days of Summer, Amreeka, and Sin Nombre. For the best male actor category, the race is between Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart, Colin Firth for A Single Man, Joseph Gordon Levitt for 500 Days of Summer Souleymane Sy Savane for Goodbye Solo and Adam Scott for The Vicious Kind. Mario Bellow in Downloading Nancy, Nisreen Faour...

"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" has come out as one of the nominations leaders at 2010 Independent Spirit Awards. The drama film, which sees Mariah Carey as a social worker, was on Tuesday, December 1 announced to be collecting five nods from the awards honoring independent filmmakers, and thus shared similar number with another drama "The Last Station".

The movie about an abused teen mother nabbed nominations for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Female Lead, Best First Screenplay and Best Supporting Female. It will battle against "Last Station" in the first three categories. For the Best Feature title, it is also up against "500 Days of Summer" "Amreeka" and "Sin Nombre".

"Precious" fails to bring recognition to Carey, but it does land two of its other major cast Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique. Sidibe is listed against Maria Bello, Nisreen Faour, Gwyneth Paltrow and Helen Mirren for Best Female Lead, while...

The Independent Spirit Awards announced their nominees earlier today. Listed below is the complete list of this year's nominated films, cast and crew members. MakingOf would like to congratulate the nominees and applaud the diverse roster of talented filmmakers. Please scroll down for links to exclusive interviews we've conducted with some of the nominated directors and writers.

The Independent Spirit Awards eligibility requirements for consideration are that the feature film must be 70 minutes in length and the total cost must be below $20 million. A film also must have screened at a major film festival or had a one-week engagement at a commercial theater.

The awards' ceremony has taken place the past 24 years the Saturday afternoon before the Academy Awards in Santa Monica. The ceremony is moving this year to downtown L.A. and will be held in the evening on Friday, March 5th.

This year's Independent Spirit Awards Nominees:

Best...

The Spirit Awards are coming! In 95 days. The nominees have a long time to decide which pair of jeans or casual designer wear would best suit the event. Though the Spirits have traditionally passed out their ever-so-slightly off mainstream prizes the day before the Oscars this year they’re moving to a Friday night situation on March 5th. All the better for partying? Still time to use those hangover cures before the Oscars on Sunday.

Sin Nombre, a 3 time nomineeHere are the nominees

Best Feature(500) Days Of Summer | Amreeka |Precious | Sin Nombre | The Last StationI warned y'all that The Last Station would have more awards strength than many pundits are indicating. I must get around to Sin Nombre before the end of this year. I suspect Precious is your winner since the Spirits generally award the actual Oscar hopefuls.

Best Director

The Coen Bros A Serious Man | Lee Daniels Precious...

Although the nominees for the Academy Awards won't be announced until sometime next year, a few of the other award ceremonies are already in full swing including the Independent Spirit Awards, which recognize the best films shot for $20 million or less. This year's Spirit Award nominees were announced earlier today, and I think there are definitely some interesting choices. First off, the big one that everyone is picking up on is the fact that Paranormal Activity was nominated for Best First Feature. And why shouldn't it be? The Blair Witch Project won the exact same award back in 2000. Anvil! The Story of Anvil has been redeemed somewhat for the Oscar snub by getting a nod here for Best Documentary, and surprisingly, Jemaine Clement picked up a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Gentlemen Broncos. Other than that, some of the movies that scored multiple nominations include Precious, (500) Days of Summer,...

The 2009 Independent Spirit Nominations were handed out today, and we're duty bound to report them so that you can visualize all the great movies that aren't playing at your local multiplex in Sheboygan. Actually, I don't know what is says about the industry, but some of the choices seem somewhat obscure by even my own indie-friendly tastes. There were a few really great indies this year, but there wasn't a lot of depth, which means it's roughly the same five films nominated for everything, and only three of them got any sort of real exposure outside of NY/La. But then again, that's what awards like these are for: To highlight films that we're missing. I have some favorites, but I'll keep my mouth shut and just present the nominees. My guess is that, besides Precious, a screenplay nod for (500) Days and an acting nod for Jeff Bridges, you won't...

Actors Taraji P. Henson and Matt Dillon announced the nominees for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards on Tuesday morning. Dramatic films "The Last Station" and "Precious" lead the pack with five nods each.

The winners will be announced on Friday, March 5, 2010 in L.A.

2010 Spirit Award Nominations

Best Feature (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not listed)

(500) Days of Summer - Producers: Mason Novick, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters, Steven J. Wolfe

Amreeka - Producers: Paul Barkin,...

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire and The Last Station led the nominations for the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards with five each.

Both were nominated for best feature along with (500) Days of Summer, Amreeka, and Sin Nombre.

If you’re wondering where indie favorite and Oscar hopeful The Hurt Locker is, the movie was submitted for consideration last year and was no eligible for this year’s list. Though Kathryn Bigelow picked up “Best Feature” for the film at the Gotham Independent Film Awards last night.

As far as I know, Duncan Jones’ Moon is considered a British film and was correctly included in the British Indie Film nominees with several other solid picks (though I didn’t care for Fish Tank).

I was glad to see Anvil! included in the documentaries after it was left off the Oscar short list — though where’s The Cove? — plus love for 500 Days and Adventureland,...

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization behind the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced nominations this morning for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Nominees for Best Feature include "(500) Days Of Summer," "Amreeka," "Precious," "Sin Nombre," and "The Last Station."

Taraji P. Henson and Matt Dillon also announced finalists for the Acura Someone to Watch Award, the Truer Than Fiction Award, and the Piaget Producers Award.

A Serious Man was selected for the Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast.

The awards show will be held March 5, two days before the Oscars. The event will be held at the La Live campus downtown.

Visit the Spirit Awards official site right here.

And now, the nominees of the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards:

Best Feature

"(500) Days Of Summer" - Producers: Mason Novick, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters, Steven J. Wolfe

"Amreeka" - Producers: Paul Barkin,...

Precious, The Last Station and (500) Days Of Summer lead the Best Film nominations for the 25th Independent Spirit Awards.

Amreeka and Sin Nombre also made the list, which was announced in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.

The Last Station, which chronicles the final days of Russian author Leo Tolstoy, and the acclaimed Precious scored the most nominations with five each.

Early Oscar favourite The Hurt Locker missed out on a nomination because it was selected last year.

Maria Bello (Downloading Nancy), Nisreen Faour (Amreeka), Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Gywneth Paltrow (Two Lovers) and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) will fight for the Best Female Lead prize, while the Best Male Lead honour will be contested by Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Joseph Gordon-Levitt, ((500) Days of Summer) Souleymane Sy Savane (Goodbye Solo) and Adam Scott (The Vicious Kind).

Meanwhile, Ethan & Joel Coen (A Serious Man), Lee Daniels (Precious) and Michael Hoffman (The Last Station) lead the Best Director nominations list.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Food, Inc., More Than a Game, October Country and Which Way Home will battle for the Best Documentary honours, while A Prophet, An Education, Everlasting Moments, Mother and The Maid will compete for Best Foreign Film.

To be eligible for an Independent Spirit nod, all films must have been made for less than $20 million (£12.5 million). Films must have either screened at a major film festival including Sundance, Toronto or Film Independent’s own Los Angeles Film Festival or had a one-week engagement at a commercial theatre.

The awards will be handed out in Los Angeles on 5 March.

This morning, Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced the nominees for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards. The leading nomination getters where Sony Pictures Classics' The Last Station and Lionsgate's Precious, both of which earned five nominations including Best Feature along with Amreeka, 500 Days of Summer and Sin Nombre. Precious also enjoyed nominations in Best Director (Lee Daniels), Best Actress (Gabourey Sidibe), Best Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique) and Best First Screenplay.

The leading studios where Fox Searchlight and Sony Classics, each of which took home 7 nominations, Searchlight even earning one for the critically loathed Gentlemen Broncos with Jemaine Clement earning a Best Supporting Male nod.

I'm very happy to see Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles enjoying some love and hope it can translate to an Oscar nomination and I wonder if Samantha Morton's nomination for...

Precious and The Last Station have the most nods with 5 nominations a piece. So glad to see Jeff Bridges’ nomination for Crazy Heart. Even Paranormal Activity saw a nomination in Best First feature category.

The ceremony will air live and uncut on Friday, March 5, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Pst/11:00 p.m. Est on IFC from downtown Los Angeles.

The complete list of nominations:

Best Feature (Award given to the Producer)

“(500) Days Of Summer,” Producers: Mason Novick, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters, Steven J. Wolfe

“Amreeka,” Producers: Paul Barkin, Christina Piovesan

“Precious,” Producers: Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Sarah Siegel-Magness

“Sin Nombre,” Producer: Amy Kaufman

“The Last Station,” Producers: Bonnie Arnold, Chris Curling, Jens Meuer

Best Director

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, “A Serious Man”

Lee Daniels, “Precious”

Cary Joji Fukunaga, “Sin Nombre”

James Gray, “Two Lovers”

Michael Hoffman, “The Last Station”

Best First Feature (Award given to the director and producer)

A Single Man...

"The Last Station," which looks at Russian author Leo Tolstoy's final days, and "Precious," the portrait of a troubled inner-city teenager, led the 2010 Spirit Award nominations, with five each.

Both movies were nominated Tuesday morning for best feature along with "(500) Days of Summer," "Amreeka" and "Sin Nombre."

The Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" was awarded the group's Robert Altman Award, which goes to the film's cast and its casting director. And the indie horror hit "Paranormal Activity" even made an appearance with a nomination as best first feature.

"The Hurt Locker," one of the higher-profile indie films of the year, did not figure in the nominations, since the Spirit Awards nominated it in two categories last year.

Among distributors, Fox Searchlight and Sony Pictures Classics led the parade with seven nominations each.

Presented by the indie film organization Film Independent, the Spirit Awards, celebrating their 25th anniversary, will be handed out March 5 at L.

"The Last Station," which looks at Russian author Leo Tolstoy's final days, and "Precious," the portrait of a troubled inner-city teenager, led the 2010 Spirit Award nominations announced Tuesday morning with five noms each.Both movies were nominated for best feature along with "(500) Days of Summer," "Amreeka" and "Sin Nombre."The Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" was awarded the group's Robert Altman Award, which goes to the film's cast and its casting director. And the indie horror hit "Paranormal Activity" even made an appearance with a nomination as best first feature."The Hurt Locker," one of the higher profile indie films of the year, did not figure in the nominations, since the Spirit Awards nominated it in two categories last year.Among distributors, Fox Searchlight and Sony Pictures Classics led the parade with seven nominations each.Presented by the indie film organization Film Independent, the Spirit Awards, celebrating their 25th anniversary,...

The difficulties faced when the mideast meets the midwest soon after the 9/11 attacks provides the drama in director/writer Cherien Dabis’ new film Amreeka. From Palestine to White Castle, Amreeka is a classic American immigrant story that follows the adventures of a heavy-set 40ish woman from her war-torn homeland to suburban Illinois. It’s a story that’s been told countless times and when Amreeka sticks to the fish-out-of-water elements, it’s a warm and entertaining study of struggle and displacement. Where the film falters is in its narrow-minded and one-dimensional view of mistrusting Americans as racists and hatemongers.

Divorced and discouraged, Palestinian bank employee Muna (Nisreen Faour) scores a green card (it’s not made clear exactly how) and flees the occupied West Bank with her teenaged son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem), to move in with her sister Raghda (Hiam Abbass) and her family somewhere 150 miles from Chicago. Unfortunately, calamity strikes immediately,...

Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (top); Nisreen Faour, Hiam Abbass in Amreeka (middle); Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind in A Serious Man (bottom) Considered the official beginning of awards season in the United States, the Independent Feature Project announced its 2009 Gotham Award nominations earlier today in New York City. The five nominees for best picture are: Cherien Dabis‘ Amreeka, the tale of a Palestinian mother (Nisreen Faour) who immigrates with her teenage son to the American Midwest. No more pesky Israeli check-points, but lots of meat-patty flipping at burger joints. Robert D. Siegel’s Big Fan, in which a hardcore New York Giants fan (breakthrough actor nominee Patton Oswalt) gets beaten up by his favorite player — and [...]...

“When it comes to politics, Americans have the memory of a goldfish,” a friend of mine said recently. I cannot help but agree with him. It takes a lot to rile the general public these days, and the large-scale protests seem to fade as quickly as they were organized. Unfortunately, just because the general public stops caring about something does not mean it stops effecting people in their every day lives.

Whether we are talking about gay rights, racism or health care, people will continue to be marginalized and fighting for justice whether or not you are still paying attention.

In Amreeka, out filmmaker Cherien Dabis' directorial debut, the problems caused by post-Sept. 11 propaganda manifest themselves in a quieter way — but the repercussions are no less traumatizing for one Palestinian family.

Amreeka tells the story of a woman and her son fleeing the West Bank for America. As check points become increasingly hostile,...

Perhaps, there is no more fitting day than September 11th to write about a film that reminds us of our shared humanity as we struggle to survive, better ourselves, and deal with the subject of loss. Currently, this is exemplified in a new film by first-time, feature-length director and writer Cherien Dabis, from whom I feel certain we will see more exciting film-making. Amreeka, is the Arabic word for America, which Dabis knows so well for she is the daughter of Palestinian-Jordanian immigrants who came to the Midwest before she was born. Dabis' new film is a compelling look at Muna (Nisreen Faour), a lovely, divorced, overweight, overeducated Palestinian woman living in the West Bank with her teenage son Fadi (Melkar Muallem) and her mother. Stopping for groceries before she makes the long and arduous journey home through...

From writer-director Cherien Dabis, Amreeka takes on a loaded subject, strips it of its political ramifications and draws out the common humanity underwriting even the most divisive of hot button issues. About a Palestinian family struggling to adjust to immigrant life in America, the film turns on the everyday challenges, poignant small triumphs and burdens of the daily grind they face and strive to overcome. There’s no aggrandizing or preaching, just an understanding of the difficulties that arise in any sort of clash of cultures and the hopeful suggestion that, were we just more willing to talk to each other, some of them might be solved. The picture, set in 2003 at the start of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, stars the wonderful actress Nisreen Faour as Muna Farah, mother to Fadi (Melkar Muallem), who seizes on the opportunity to move with her son from their restrictive West Bank home to small town Illinois, where...

A Palestinian single mom goes to White Castle in Cherien Dabis' "Amreeka," a charming comedy about cultural clashes in Illinois on the eve of the Us invasion of Iraq.

Nisreen Faour is charismatic as the chubby protagonist, who is so weary of crossing through roadblocks that she takes her 16-year-old son (Melkar Muallem) to America.

Arriving at the airport, her cookie tins are confiscated by customs agents -- along with her life savings.

Living with her married sister, our heroine, a bank manager back home,...

Much like the too-quickly cancelled sitcom Aliens In America, Cherien Dabis’ debut feature Amreeka tracks the friction that arises when an optimistic Arab relocates to the American Midwest. But Amreeka lacks the sense of humor that set Aliens In America apart—and frankly, it’s rarely as insightful about the biases and strengths either of Arab émigrés or of sheltered Midwesterners. Nisreen Faour plays a Palestinian who moves herself and her teenage son from the West Bank to a small town in Illinois, where they take up residence with relatives who were doing well in the States prior to ...

The coming Labor Day weekend box office isn't marked by a single heavy-hitting blockbuster. Which isn't to say movie-goers don't have options. Even putting aside summer leftovers like "Inglourious Basterds," "District 9" and the past weekend's "Halloween II"/"The Final Destination" two-fer, the weekend brings several new offerings which service a wide cross-section of viewing tastes.

For the hopeless romantics and traditional date night-ers among us, there's "All About Steve," starring summer favorites Sandra Bullock ("The Proposal") and Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover"). When Mary Horowitz (Bullock) falls for her blind date, a news cameraman (Cooper), she sets off on a trip to follow him. Too bad he thinks she's a nutball.

Next is "Extract," one-half of my planned weekend double-feature. "Office Space" director Mike Judge is back with a reversal on his 1999 classic: here we see the bossman (Jason Bateman) constantly being undermined by his colorful assortment of employees. I've...

Editor’S Note: This review was originally published as part of indieWIRE’s coverage of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. “Amreeka” opens this Friday. Palestinian filmmaker Cherien Dabis’s “Amreeka”—Arabic for “America”—uses the basic formula of the classic immigration story and more or less succeeds with it. Shot in the West Bank and Canada, the movie follows a middle-aged Palestinian woman named Muna (Nisreen Faour) and her disgruntled teenage son Fadi (Melkar Muallem) whose …...

Editor’S Note: This review was originally published as part of indieWIRE’s coverage of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. “Amreeka” opens this Friday. Palestinian filmmaker Cherian Dabis’s “Amreeka”—Arabic for “America”—uses the basic formula of the classic immigration story and more or less succeeds with it. Shot in the West Bank and Canada, the movie follows a middle-aged Palestinian woman named Muna (Nisreen Faour) and her disgruntled teenage son Fadi (Melkar Muallem) whose …...

Editor’S Note: This review was originally published as part of indieWIRE’s coverage of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. “Amreeka” opens this Friday. Palestinian filmmaker Cherien Dabis’s “Amreeka”—Arabic for “America”—uses the basic formula of the classic immigration story and more or less succeeds with it. Shot in the West Bank and Canada, the movie follows a middle-aged Palestinian woman named Muna (Nisreen Faour) and her disgruntled teenage son Fadi (Melkar Muallem) whose …...

Movie Jungle has new film clips as well as interview excerpts from National Geographic's "Amreeka" drama starring Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat and Jenna Kawar. Cherien Dabis directs the fim produced by First Generation Films, Alcina Pictures, Eagle Vision, Media Group, Buffalo Gal Pictures and Levantine Entertainment. A Palestinian single mom and her teenage son arrive in rural Illinois to escape a life of oppression, only to face the fallout from America's war on Iraq...

See the trailer for "Amreeka," starring Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat and Jenna Kawar. The drama is produced by First Generation Films, Alcina Pictures, Eagle Vision, Media Group, Buffalo Gal Pictures and Levantine Entertainment. National Geographic sends this critically acclaimed film by Cherien Dabis out on September 4th. A Palestinian single mom and her teenage son arrive in rural Illinois to escape a life of oppression...

Robert Siegel Writer-director, Big Fan Robert Siegel admits that Big Fan is the first script he wrote that "didn't suck." The dark comedy-drama focuses on nerdy New York Giants fan Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt), a parking garage attendant whose obsession leads him into danger. Siegel, who makes his directorial debut with the film, was inspired by his childhood days of sports geekdom. "I grew up on Long Island and I would listen to sports radio a lot as a kid," he says. "I would lie in bed and listen to these late-night callers, and I didn't think of it this way at the time, but it was kind of like an indie movie. The characters were these weird, flawed people calling in to rant and rave about something that happened at the Mets game that night." Siegel, who was editor-in-chief of the satirical newspaper The Onion before transitioning into screenwriting,...

The Sundance Film Festival officially announced the lineup for the films playing in competition next month. The 16 movies will compete for the Grand Jury Prize in Park City, Utah at the 25th anniversary of the largest independent film festival in the U.S. from January 15-25.

The list was announced by festival director Geoff Gilmore, who recently received the first annual Sydney Pollack Award.

At the bottom of the page is a full list with synopsis and partial cast lists, but I wanted to focus on a few of the titles that stand out. Alphabetical order with omissions of films I don’t care about yet:

Arlen Faber - A single mother and a man out of rehab intrude into the life of a reclusive author, played by Jeff Daniels. He’s my other favorite Jeff, but I also like young actresses Kat Dennings and Olivia Thirlby.

Big Fan -...

I am heading out the door and have no time to really dig into this, but here is the line-up for next year's 2009 Sundance Film Festival as reported by Variety. Dramatic Competition Adam, directed and written by Max Mayer ("Better Living"), about a slightly dysfunctional man's attempt at a relationship with an alluring new neighbor. Stars Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison. Amreeka, directed and written by Cherien Dabis, a drama examining the challenges faced by a divorced Palestinian woman and her teenage son upon moving to rural Illinois. With Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem. Arlen Faber, directed and written by John Hindman, about the intrusion of two strangers into the life of a famous reclusive author. With Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Lou Pucci, Olivia Thirlby, Kat Dennings. Big Fan, directed and written by Robert Siegel (writer of "The Wrestler"), which hinges on the reaction of a...

U.S. Dramatic Competition

This year's 16 films were selected from 1,026 submissions. Each film is a world premiere.

Adam (Director-screenwriter: Max Mayer)

A strange and lyrical love story between a somewhat socially dysfunctional young man and the woman of his dreams. Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison.

Amreeka (Director-screenwriter: Cherien Dabis)

When a divorced Palestinian woman and her teenage son move to rural Illinois at the outset of the Iraq war, they find their new lives replete with challenges. Cast: Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Alia Shawkat.

Big Fan (Director-screenwriter: Robert Siegel)

The world of a parking garage attendant who happens to be the New York Giants' biggest fan is turned upside down after an altercation with his favorite player. Cast: Patton Oswalt, Michael Rapaport, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Matt Servitto.

Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (Director-screenwriter: John Krasinski)

When her boyfriend leaves with little explanation,...

• If you are wondering what are the kinds of films that come out of this particular section - look no further then in current headline grabber examples such as with Ballast and Frozen River. So there is always reason to be excited about the announcement of this section. As expected the debuts from Sophie Barthes, John Hindman and Cruz Angeles will be the make up of 16 film selection (read my predictions here). I'm already familiar with at least half of the projects as with John Krasinski’s debut and Adam Salky’s feature length film project but of course, the rest were completely off my radar. Among the projects we covered here are Lee Daniels’ latest Push (not the Summit film) which includes Lenny Kravitz’ screen debut (which means we can expect him to pick up a guitar for one of them parties). THR announced that Nicholas Jasenovec and

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