New York, NY (September 12, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers announced today that comedian/writer-director/actor Mike Birbiglia will serve as the host of the IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards™ show on Monday, November 26, 2012 in New York City.

“We are so thrilled that Mike Birbiglia will be hosting the Gotham Awards this year,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP.   “Coming off an exciting year as a debut director, with a hit film under his belt, Birbiglia’s charm and humor are sure to delight our audience.”

The announcement comes on the heels of the superb theatrical opening of SLEEPWALK WITH ME, Mike Birbiglia’s directorial feature film debut.   An established screen, stage and radio personality has gone on to create three of his own Comedy Central TV specials, after releasing three lauded comedy albums.  He is a veteran comedian having appeared on Letterman, Kimmel, Carson Daly, Conan, Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Fallon.

“I couldn’t be more excited about hosting the Gotham awards,” says Birbiglia.  “I’ve only attended once before; that was as a coat check guy (and I’m not kidding), where I worked with my sister Gina.   I don’t mean to brag, but I must have done a pretty damn good job hanging up coats to be asked back to host the thing.   At first I thought maybe they should have asked Gina to host, but then I remembered that she lost a few coats. The point is, I’m really excited about the Gotham Awards! It’s truly an honor to be asked by IFP.”

SLEEPWALK WITH ME, an IFC Films release from the creators of THIS AMERICAN LIFE, is based on Birbiglia’s one-man show of the same name.  Birbiglia directed, wrote and stars in the film which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year where it won the Audience Award.   He also had an extended cameo in Lynn Shelton’s YOUR SISTER’S SISTER, another critically acclaimed 2012 film also released by IFC Films.  In 2010, Birbiglia made his literary debut with Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories. It debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List.  This work, along with his “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend”, were both adapted to successful off-Broadway shows which also toured internationally.  Critically acclaimed by Time Magazine, the New York Times and the Associated Press, Birbiglia is a two-time nominee for the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama Desk Awards.  He is the 2011 winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for “Outstanding Solo Show Off-Broadway”, and as an actor he has appeared in the films GOING THE DISTANCE, CEDAR RAPIDS and Lena Dunham’s HBO series “Girls.”

As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention, including recent winners and ultimate Oscar® contenders:  feature winners BEGINNERS (2011), TREE OF LIFE (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010) and THE HURT LOCKER (2009); Breakthrough Actors  Melissa Leo (2008), Ellen Page (2007), Rinko Kikuchi (2006) and Amy Adams (2005).

The Premier Sponsors of the Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Partners:  charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street; Russian Standard Vodka; and Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco.  Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

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”), and Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (“Half Nelson”).

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world and fosters the development of 350 feature and documentary films each year. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships, and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology, and business of independent filmmaking.  The year-round program includes Independent Film Week, Envision, The Gotham Awards, and the Independent Filmmaker Labs. IFP’s programs promote diverse voices in independent film by working to include racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings.

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