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Oliver Platt and Edie Falco to Co-Host IFPs 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards AND Top 5 Nominees for the Gotham Independent Film Audience Award Announced

by Website Update on November 9, 2011

New York, NY (November 9, 2011) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers announced today that award winning actors, Oliver Platt and Edie Falco, will serve as co-hosts of the IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards™ show on Monday, November 28th, 2011 in New York City.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be co-hosting this year’s Gotham Awards,” said Platt and Falco.  “We look forward to an evening that celebrates outstanding independent filmmaking, brave and bold voices against the backdrop of this incredible city.”

“We are honored that Oliver and Edie will be co-hosting the Gotham Awards this year,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP.   “They are both highly regarded actors who have played vital roles in enriching the world of independent film and embody the essence of what the Gotham Awards are all about.”

Oliver Platt has enjoyed success in film, television and on stage.  He currently stars in the Showtime Original Series “The Big C” opposite Laura Linney. Platt will next appear in Julian Farino’s “The Oranges” and  recently wrapped production on Marc Turtletaub’s “Gods Behaving Badly.” The film, which also stars Christopher Walken, Alicia Silverstone and his co-host for the Gotham Awards, Edie Falco, will be released in 2012.  Platt was seen in a myriad of movies in the past two years; including, “X-Men: First Class,” “Love and Other Drugs” and “Please Give.”  Platt received a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor for his work on Broadway in Conor McPherson’s “Shining City,” which was also nominated for Best Play.

Edie Falco recently completed a Tony nominated turn on Broadway as Bananas in “The House of Blue Leaves.” She made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning play “Sideman” which garnered her a Theatre World Award. Other Broadway credits include “Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune” and “Night Mother”. Ms. Falco is currently starring as Jackie in the hit Showtime series “Nurse Jackie” for which she won the Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. As Carmela Soprano in “The Sopranos” Ms. Falco received 3 Emmy Awards, 2 Golden Globe Awards and 2 SAG Awards for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Film credits include “Cost of Living”, “Sunshine State”, “Laws of Gravity”, “Freedomland”, “Judy Berlin”, “3 Backyards” and the upcoming with Mr. Platt, “Gods Behaving Badly.”

Also announced today are the Top 5 nominees for the Gotham Independent Film Audience Award.  First round voting took place from October 18th to November 2nd and comprised 29 audience awards winning films from the top 50 US and Canadian film festivals.   Round two voting began on November 7th to select a final winner and ends on November 20th at 11:59 pm EST.  Filmgoers can vote online for their favorite film at http://gotham.ifp.org/audience_award.

“For the second year, we are thrilled to continue IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Audience Award in partnership with Festival Genius,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP. “The purpose of this award is to promote films on the festival circuit that have captured audience attention and give them yet another platform for audiences to vote for their favorite.  We are very proud to have successfully launched a true audience award as part of the Gotham Independent Film Awards.”

The Top 5 Nominees for the 2nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Award powered by Festival Genius are:

GIRLFRIEND

Director/Producer: Justin Lerner

Producers: Jerad Anderson, Kristina Lauren Anderson, Shaun O’Banion

BUCK

Director: Cindy Meehl

Producer: Julie Goldman

BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY

Director/Producer: Constance Marks

Co-Director/Writer/Editor: Philip Shane

Producer: Corinne LaPook

Producer/Cinematographer: James Miller

WILD HORSE, WILD RIDE

Directors/Producers Alex Dawson and Greg Gricus

THE FIRST GRADER

Director: Justin Chadwick

Producers: Sam Feuer, Richard Harding, David M. Thompson

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. Previous winners for Best Feature and Best Documentary include WINTER’S BONE (2010), THE OATH (2010), THE HURT LOCKER (2009), FOOD, INC (2009), FROZEN RIVER (2008) and TROUBLE THE WATER (2008). 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 WINTER’S BONE (2010) and THE HURT LOCKER (2009); Breakthrough Actors  Melissa Leo (2008), Ellen Page (2007), Rinko Kikuchi (2006) and Amy Adams (2005).

Previously announced were the nominees for six competitive awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You™. In addition to the competitive awards, Charlize Theron, Gary Oldman, David Cronenberg and Tom Rothman will each be presented with a career tribute.  Also announced was the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumnus of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs, nominees:  Jenny Deller, director, FUTURE WEATHER, Lucy Mulloy, director, UNA NOCHE, Rola Nashef, director, DETROIT UNLEADED.

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; Heineken USA; 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 18th, 2011.

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 Cross-Media Forum, 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

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For additional information contact:

Marian Koltai-Levine – [email protected] – 212.373.6130

Freida Orange – [email protected] – 212.373.0114