Monday, December 2^nd at Cipriani Wall Street

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (August 7, 2013) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, announced today that Katherine Oliver, Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, will be presented with the 23rd annual Industry Tribute at the 23rd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards on Monday, December 2nd at Cipriani Wall Street, in New York City.

Signaling the official kick-off for the film awards season, the Gotham Independent Film Awardsis one of the leading awards for independent film. Anchoring the evening’s seven competitive awards for Best Feature, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Documentary, Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor and the Audience Award are three tributes to film community icons, including the Industry Tribute, as well as a director and an actor/actress to be announced.

Each year, the Industry Tribute is awarded to a career veteran who has significantly influenced the motion picture industry. Katherine Oliver’s extensive experience in the media and entertainment business makes her the ideal recipient of this award. Commissioner Oliver, in addition to overseeing all film, TV, and digital production in New York City, has long been a champion of independent film and media. Ms. Oliver was appointed Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting on August 1, 2002, and has overseen NYC Media since April 2009. With the merger of OFTB and NYC Media, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment was established in 2010. An umbrella organization that encompasses not only film, theater and broadcasting but also NYC Media and NYC Digital, MOME has revitalized New York City’s entertainment and digital media industries under Ms. Oliver’s leadership. In addition to creating initiatives to bolster the local industry and make shooting in the city more cost effective, MOME has made New York the only city anywhere to provide free advertising in subway cards, spots in Taxi-TV and on bus shelters to qualified productions through the “Made in NY” Marketing Credit. Commissioner Oliver has further developed an array of workforce development and educational programs so that the City’s entertainment industry more accurately reflects its diverse population, including the “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program.

“We are honored to dedicate our 2013 Gotham Industry Tribute to Katherine Oliver, who has made an indelible impact in the entertainment industry in New York City and beyond. Through her work, she has supported the production of thousands of film, TV, and digital projects, furthermore bolstering the community of filmmakers and digital content creators in New York City” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP. “A true Gotham native, Katherine embodies an impressive breadth of work and a long list of achievements that we are proud to celebrate.”

With NYC Digital, Ms. Oliver has made it her mission to not only realize New York City’s potential as a leading center of film and TV production, but also as the world’s leading digital city. Since its creation in 2011, NYC Digital has worked to double the online audience that follows the City of New York on social media to 3 million, launched the “We Are Made in NY” initiative to support the tech industry and attract new startups to the City and established Code Corps, a first-of-its-kind municipal program that engages tech companies and organizations to volunteer their time and quickly build crucial civic technology tools in the event of an emergency. Commissioner Oliver has also overseen the creation of the “Made in NY” Media Center by IFP, a centralized hub located in DUMBO, Brooklyn where the local media industry can collaborate and grow. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, Ms. Oliver served as General Manager of Bloomberg Radio and Television. She has also worked as a radio and television reporter for Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial News Network, WABC Radio, 1010 WINS and WBGO; and taught a journalism course at New York University as well as in Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs graduate program. Though the Bloomberg administration’s final term will be complete at the end of December, Ms. Oliver’s influence on the media and entertainment industries in New York City will undoubtedly last for years to come.

This year’s Gotham Awards tribute recipients will join a prestigious group of previous honorees including: Jeff Skoll, Tom Rothman, James Schamus, Bob & Harvey Weinstein, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sheila Nevins, David Linde, Jonathan Sehring  and film critic Roger Ebert; actors Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron, Robert Duval, Stanley Tucci, Natalie Portman, Javier Bardem, Pénelope Cruz and Kate Winslet; filmmakers David O. Russell, David Cronenberg, Mira Nair, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese.

Nominees for the 23^rd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards will be announced on October 24^th and winners will be honored at a star-studded ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street on December 2^nd.  The submission deadline for this year’s Gotham Independent Film Awards is September 20th.

The Premier Sponsors of the 23rd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, and Platinum Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times in November 2013.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organization for independent filmmakers.  Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Coen, Kevin Smith, and Todd Solondz. IFP continues to play a vital role in launching first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Debra Granik (Down to the Bone), Miranda July (Me, You and Everyone We Know), Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (Half Nelson), Dee Rees (Pariah), and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild).

For more information: www.ifp.org

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards

The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

For information on attending: http://gotham.ifp.org