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DarkMatter TV – Lift your spirits from this Covid-19 madness with 10 new horrors, guaranteed to be a frightfully good watch here. Bleeding Heart (2015) – directed by Diane Bell A yoga instructor looks to protect her sex-worker sister from her deadbeat boyfriend. American Exorcist (2018) – directed by Tony Trov and Johnny Zito A …

The post DarkMatter TV – May Horror Schedule appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

There may not be much surprising here, but this is a smartly sensitive depiction of abuse and redemption that never descends into caricature. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Los Angeles yoga teacher May (Jessica Biel: Total Recall) finally meets the biological sister, Shiva (Zosia Mamet: The Kids Are All Right), she only recently discovered she has, and the women seem to hit it off, despite a big gap in age — 10 years — and lifestyle. May is calm, confident, collected, a “hippie,” as Shiva teases her, with a gentle, supportive boyfriend and business partner in Dex (Edi Gathegi: X-Men: First Class). Shiva is not in such a good place in her own head, beaten up in all possible ways by her abusive boyfriend, Cody (Joe Anderson: Hannibal). “I don’t need to be saved,” Shiva insists,...

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

Read More: The 13 Indie Films You Must See This November: 'Carol,' 'Spotlight' and More "Bleeding Heart" (November 3) "Bleeding Heart," a heavy family drama from writer-director Diane Bell, features Jessica Biel and "Girls" star Zosia Mamet in two refreshingly uncharacteristic roles. Biel plays a yoga instructor whose peaceful existence is shattered when she comes into contact with her troubled long-lost biological sister. Lightyears away from her HBO character, Mamet plays Shiva, a street-smart sex worker. While the reunion starts off on a positive note, it is disturbed by the appearance of Shiva's abusive boyfriend. What happens next forces the sisters into an unexpected bond as the meaning of family truly reveals itself. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and co-stars Edi Gathegi, Joe Anderson, Kate Burton and Harry Hamlin. "The Hallow" (November 5) British director Corin Hardy’s gothic tale finds a small family...

"If you don't want to go back - don't." Gravitas Ventures has debuted a trailer for Diane Bell's new film Bleeding Heart, starring Jessica Biel and Zosia Mamet as estranged sisters. The film is about a yoga instructor, played by Jessica Biel, whose sister suddenly comes into her life. But it turns out her deadbeat boyfriend is kind of crazy, and then it turns into an intense chase thriller, or something like that. The full cast includes Joe Anderson, Edi Gathegi, Kate Burton and Exie Booker. This honestly looks pretty bad, and I'm only posting this just because it's getting a theatrical release anyway. If you're interested, take a look. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Diane Bell's Bleeding Heart, in high def from Apple: Bleeding Heart follows the story of May (Jessica Biel), a yoga instructor who finds herself behaving in ways she'd never imagined herself...

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

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

Read More: Tribeca Review: ‘Bleeding Heart’ Starring Jessica Biel & Zosia Mamet The latest trailer from "Bleeding Heart" sees Jessica Biel and Zosia Mamet form a bold and unlikely sisterhood in the face of peril and violence. The indie feature comes from writer-director Diane Bell and co-stars Edi Gathegi, Joe Anderson, Kate Burton and Harry Hamlin. "Bleeding Heart," a heavy family drama, features Biel and Mamet in two refreshingly uncharacteristic roles. Biel plays a yoga instructor, whose peaceful existence is shattered when she comes into contact with her troubled long-lost biological sister. Lightyears away from her "Girls" character, Mamet plays Shiva, a street-smart sex worker. While the reunion starts of on positive note, it is disturbed by the appearance of Shiva's abusive boyfriend. "Bleeding Heart" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and hits theaters on December 11. Check out the pulse-pounding trailer...

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Bleeding Heart, a thriller written and directed by Diane Bell that stars Jessica Biel and Zosia Mamet. It is coming off its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. The plan is to release the pic on demand November 3 followed by a theatrical release December 11. The story centers on May (Biel), a yoga instructor who finds herself behaving in ways she’d never have imagined herself, in an effort to protect her newly…...

The physical and emotional glamorization of women who willingly sacrifice their own happiness and self-worth, just so that they can satisfy the men in their lives, is a harrowing theme that appears far too often in many of Hollywood’s studio and independent films. The idea that these female characters can’t defend themselves because they lack confidence in themselves, especially when they’re constantly bombarded with stories about them being victims, is powerfully combated in writer-director Diane Bell’s new drama, ‘Bleeding Heart.’ The filmmaker’s second independent movie intriguingly celebrates women’s strength, as well as the fact that they don’t need a man to rescue her, just another female who strongly cares about [ Read More ]

The post Tribeca 2015 Interview: Diane Bell Talks Bleeding Heart (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress -- at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you'd want to see? Tell us in the comments. Of Dust and Bones Tweetable Logline: A desert recluse, the widow of a war photographer, is visited by her dead husband's colleague who comes with an unsettling agenda. Elevator Pitch: Reuniting a Sundance award winning team, this film addresses how we can live meaningfully in a world full of violence and suffering. A grieving woman has decided that the only sane reaction to an insane world is to have nothing to do with it -- but then her dead husband's best friend arrives uninvited with a difficult agenda. What ensues is a simmering duel in the desert between two conflicting world views. Do we have a moral duty...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bleeding Heart (2015) Film Review from the 14th Annual Tribeca Film Festival, a movie written & directed by Diane Bell, starring Jessica Biel, Zosia Mamet, Joe Anderson, Edi Gathegi, Kate Burton, and Harry Hamlin. When the term bleeding heart is applied to someone (at least, in the U.S.), it is usually in the context of a naïve, socially conscious, do-gooder – typically liberal – with more heart, than sense. In […]...

Read More: Watch: 'Girls' Season 4 Trailer Ignores the Haters, Stays True to Its Brooklyn Self Over the course of four seasons on Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow's hit HBO show "Girls," actress Zosia Mamet (daughter to playwright-filmmaker David Mamet) has proven she was born to play Shoshanna Shapiro, the incredibly neurotic, self-conscious and fast-talking fan favorite. There is no trace of Shoshanna in Shiva, the street-smart but deeply troubled young woman she embodies in the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival premiere "Bleeding Heart," in which Mamet stars opposite Jessica Biel.  The drama, from first-time writer-director Diane Bell, stars Biel as May, a reserved yoga instructor, whose life is thrown out of balance by the arrival of her long-lost sister Shiva (Mamet). After soon learning that Shiva is trapped in an abusive relationship with no hope of escape, May makes it her mission to rescue her hapless sister. Prior to its world premiere at the.

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

A valid excuse! Jessica Biel has only been a mom for a little more than a week and already she's putting her infant son first. According to Page Six, Justin Timberlake's wife, 33, skipped the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of her film Bleeding Heart to care for her son Silas on Thursday, April 16.  Ironically, the event was at the School of Visual Arts' Silas Theatre in NYC, which director Diane Bell joked was a "good omen."  Bleeding Heart also features Girls star Zosia Mamet, Scandal actress Kate [...]...

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

Movies by women, starring women, about women. Tribeca Film Festival has found some groundbreaking films being made by females this year. Last night, the concert doc Mary J Blige – The London Sessions bowed following the R&B artist recording her 13th studio album. Blige capped off the premiere at the Beacon theater with a live performance. Also premiering was Diane Bell’s sophomore directorial feature Bleeding Heart about a reserved yoga instructor, May (Jessica Biel)…...

The seriousness of its intentions are well on display in Diane Bell's film about a peace-loving yoga instructor who finds her values severely tested after she meets her biological half-sister for the first time. Starring Jessica Biel and Zosia Mamet in the central roles, Bleeding Heart wears its heart on its sleeve in its earnest exploration of how real-world violence can intrude on even the most pacifist ideals. But despite its non-exploitative approach to its subject, the film receiving its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival is too schematic and obvious to have the desired

read more...

Day one at the Deadline Studio at the Tribeca Film Festival got off to a fun start when Sons Of Anarchy star Theo Rossi stopped by for a visit. Rossi is a juror this year in the Documentary and Student Visionary Competitions — “I get to spend the day next to Debi Mazar,” he said excitedly — and also will be promoting his film, Bad Hurt.

This year, Deadline is a media partner with the fest, which is working out of its new media hub at Spring Studios. In addition to our coverage of the films, talent and panel discussions that are part of the program, we also have teamed with photographer Drew Wiedemann, who is capturing the creative minds behind some of the fest’s most notable films.

Later in the day the crew from The Adderall Diaries — writer-director Pamela Romanowsky and stars James Franco and Christian Slater — poked their heads...

New work from William Monahan, Henry Hobson, Adrián García Bogliano and Neil Labute are among the Spotlight, Midnight and Special Screening selections announced on Thursday.

Tribeca Film Festival top brass announced the Spotlight section of 40 films comprising 23 narratives and 17 documentaries.

Twenty-four are world premieres, among them Monahan’s thriller Mojave, Labute’s Dirty Weekend and Henry Hobson’s zombie drama Maggie that Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions snapped up before Toronto before pulling the premiere.

Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil follow-up Scherzo Diabolico plays in Midnight and is one of four world premieres in the five-strong genre strand.

Special Screenings include the world premiere of documentary Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions (pictured).

Work In Progress screenings include LoveTrue, the latest documentary from 2011 Best Documentary Feature Award winner Alma Har’el. Patrick Creadon, who directed 2011 entry Wordplay, will show a cut of All Work, All Play, which centres on the world of video game arena competitions.

“The Spotlight...

New work from William Monahan, Henry Hobson, Adrián García Bogliano and Neil Labute are among the Spotlight, Midnight and Special Screening selections announced on Thursday.

Tribeca Film Festival top brass announced the Spotlight section of 40 films comprising 23 narratives and 17 documentaries.

Twenty-four are world premieres, among them Monahan’s thriller Mojave, Labute’s Dirty Weekend and Henry Hobson’s zombie drama Maggie that Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions snapped up before Toronto before pulling the premiere.

Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil follow-up Scherzo Diabolico plays in Midnight and is one of four world premieres in the five-strong genre strand.

Special Screenings include the world premiere of documentary Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions (pictured).

Work In Progress screenings include LoveTrue, the latest documentary from 2011 Best Documentary Feature Award winner Alma Har’el. Patrick Creadon, who directed 2011 entry Wordplay, will show a cut of All Work, All Play, which centres on the world of video game arena competitions.

“The Spotlight...

New work from William Monahan, Henry Hobson, Adrián García Bogliano and Neil Labute are among the Spotlight, Midnight and Special Screening selections announced on Thursday.

Tribeca Film Festival top brass announced the Spotlight section of 40 films comprising 23 narratives and 17 documentaries.

Twenty-four are world premieres, among them Monahan’s thriller Mojave, Labute’s Dirty Weekend and Henry Hobson’s zombie drama Maggie that Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions snapped up before Toronto before pulling the premiere.

Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil follow-up Scherzo Diabolico plays in Midnight and is one of four world premieres in the five-strong genre strand.

Special Screenings include the world premiere of documentary Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions (pictured).

Work In Progress screenings include LoveTrue, the latest documentary from 2011 Best Documentary Feature Award winner Alma Har’el. Patrick Creadon, who directed 2011 entry Wordplay, will show a cut of All Work, All Play, which centres on the world of video game arena competitions.

“The Spotlight...

It was an admirable modest hit prior to leaving Park City in 2012, but who knew that Leslye Headland’s feature debut would turn into a major VOD hit? The RADiUS acquisitions people certainly had a hunch and played their Bachelorette cards right. It came as no surprise when filming commenced this past June on her New York City shot, sophomore film — which lined up Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis with supporting players Natasha Lyonne, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet and Margarita Levieva. It’s had plenty of time in post-production and it certainly feels like a high value acquisitions title that may or may not be too big for the fest. Nonetheless, Sleeping with Other People has some of that indie cred ingredients that could push it into the fest.

Gist: A good-natured womanizer (Jason Sudeikis) and a serial cheater (Alison Brie) form a platonic relationship that helps reform them in ways,...

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

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

Andrew Bujalski’s Computer Chess turned out to be the feel good film of Sundance and that’s not because the early gamers are particularly charming, but rather, better things come in small packages. Following Funny Ha Ha (2002), Mutual Appreciation (2005) and Beeswax (2009), this 30-something filmmaker, who in some circles is known as the godfather of the Mumblecore movement didn’t waste much time between the ’13 Sundance Film Fest Alfred Sloan Feature Film Prize winning micro-feature and his fifth, more macro-type budgeted ensemble project. Guy Pearce toplines alongside Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Brooklyn Decker, Anthony Michael Hall, SXSW Special Jury Prize Best Actor winner Tishuan Scott (The Retrieval) and Boyhood‘s Zoe Graham. Filming began in mid-summer on Results, and we’re assuming correctly by the first glimpse (see pic above) we got in September that this will bow in Park City with the director’s habitual stopover at SXSW.

Exclusive: Saoirse Ronan and Cynthia Nixon have been set to star in Stockholm, Pennsylvania, a drama scripted and to be directed by Nikole Beckwith. Pic marks her feature helmer debut and production begins next week in Los Angeles. The film is an adaptation of the play, and the script made the 2012 Black List and won the 2012 Nicholl Fellowship and came through the Sundance Screenwriting Lab. Greg Ammon is producing through his banner Fido Features in association with Olympus Pictures’ Leslie Urdang and Dan Halsted. Ronan stars as developmentally stunted Leia, a young woman raised by a kidnapper who now struggles to acclimate to her actual parents after 20 years of separation. Nixon plays the girl’s grief-stricken mother, who goes to extreme lengths to recapture her daughter’s love. Jason Isaacs plays her captor, and David Warshofsky plays her father. Fido Features is a production/finance company that recently wrapped Shiva & May,...

The Sound and the Fury

Director: James Franco

Writer: Matt Rager

Producers: Caroline Aragon, Lee Caplin, Vince Jolivette

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: James Franco, Tim Blake Nelson, Loretta Devine, Danny McBride, Jon Hamm, Dave Franco

The mind-bogglingly busy James Franco experienced such success with last year’s adaptation of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying that’s he’s fast at work on another of Faulkner’s beloved works. While Martin Ritt directed this in 1959 starring Yul Brynner, Franco has assembled some of his Dying cast to return, like Tim Blake Nelson and Danny McBride. We’re excited to see the lovely Loretta Devine in the lineup, as well. With the success of Dying, this is bound to be an interesting companion piece. And, oh yeah, Franco also directed a Bukowski biopic and is filming new projects with Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog amidst a handful of other titles.

Shiva & May

Director: Diane Bell

Writer: Diane Bell

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

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Jessica Biel, Zosia Mamet

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

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

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

The Search

Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Writer: Michel Hazanvicius

Producers: Thomas Langmann

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Berenice Bejo, Annette Bening

Michel Hazanavicius’ follow-up feature to his Oscar winning 2011 film The Artist (he also directed a segment in the 2012 omnibus film, The Players), will undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated films of the year. Once again, he’s cast wife Berenice Bejo in a plum role in this remake of a 1948 Fred Zinnemann film starring Montgomery Clift. A modernized political climate and switch in gender dynamics should make this an interesting rehash. And of course, Annette Bening is always a notable presence.

Gist: A woman who works for a non-governmental organization (Ngo) forms a special relationship with a young boy in war-torn Chechnya.

Release Date: If it’s ready in time, we’ll assume Cannes, but if not, this will certainly be a fall fest premiere.

More Top 200 Most...

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

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

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

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

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sundance Institute / Alfred P. Sloan Lab Fellowship

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jessica Biel and “Girls” star Zosia Mamet are set to play long-lost sisters in Super Crispy Entertainment’s indie thriller “Shiva & May,” which hails from award-winning writer-director Diane Bell, TheWrap has learned. “Twilight Saga” actors Edi Gathegi and Joe Anderson co-star alongside Kate Burton (“Scandal”), while Harry Hamlin has agreed to a kinky cameo. Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling are producing “Shiva & May” through their Super Crispy banner along with Greg Ammon. Bell’s manager Dan Halsted is executive producing the film, which is currently shooting in Los Angeles. Also Read: Jessica Biel Sundance Thriller Sells to Tribeca Film, Well Go USA Biel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feature Film Prize Jury

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

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

Science in Film Forum Panel

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

Juror and Panelist Bios

Paula Apsell

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

Darren Aronofsky

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

Scott Z. Burns

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

Dr. André Fenton

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

Dr. Lisa Randall

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

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

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

The Sundance Film Festival®

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

Sundance Institute

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

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

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

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

15 Facts about Natalie Portman!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I went 10/13 with my predictions of the Indie Spirits today -- my misfires came in the Best Picture and Best Actress categories thinking that Winter's Bone had the edge over Black Swan. Not that Winter's Bone didn't have a good night (it won in the Best Supporting categories - I thought that Bill Murray had the edge over John Hawkes is where I flubbed as well) but it was indeed a Black Swan event -- with additional wins for Directing (Darren Aronofsky) and Cinematography (Matthew Libatique). You can find the winners in bold below. Best Feature 127 Hours Black Swan Greenberg The Kids Are All Right Winter's Bone Best Director Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan Danny Boyle, 127 Hours Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right Debra Granik, Winter's Bone John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole Best Screenplay Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Winter's Bone Nicole Holofcener,...

Tune in to IFC tonight at 10:00 p.m. Et/Pt to catch all the action at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards, with actor and comedian Joel McHale hosting.

Highlights include: Joel getting caught in a 127 Hours situation with only Dale Dickey, “Banksy” and John Waters to help him out; See how this year’s best feature nominees stack up against porn and the big studios; Catch the Spirit Awards’ version of a dead people montage; and more! The show was produced by Film Independent in association with Dick Clark productions, Inc.

The Spirit Awards was the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 26 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality.

The following is a complete list of the winners:

Winners List

Best Feature: 'Black Swan'

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky,...

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

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

By Sean O’Connell

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

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

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

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

Speaking of those predictions,...

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

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

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Best Foreign Film

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

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

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

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Of Gods and Men ~ Directed by Xavier Beauvois

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

Nominations: Best Foreign Film

Snubbed? No.

Obselidia ~ Directed by Diane Bell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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