Monday, December 2^nd Cipriani Wall Street

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (September  17, 2013) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s premiere advocacy organization for independent filmmakers, announced today that Richard Linklater will be presented with the Actor 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 Awards is 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 and Director Tribute, as well as an actor/actress to be announced. The Best Actress Award is presented by euphoria Calvin Klein and the Director Tribute is presented by Russian Standard Vodka.

This year’s Director Tribute recipient has helmed an impressive body of work, leaving an indelible mark on independent film and in the hearts and minds of audiences the world over. His films have been recognized by the Academy Awards, the Austin Film Critics Association, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Locarno International Film Festival, and the Sundance, Tribeca, and Venice Film Festivals, among others. Working in both narrative and documentary, his work represents the voice of a generation, and his 2013 Sony Pictures Classics release BEFORE MIDNIGHT is a fitting yet poetic conclusion- for now- to a beloved trilogy.

“It is with great enthusiasm and pride that we give honor to a man who has played a significant role in expanding the language of film throughout the last 25 years,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP. “Richard Linklater’s unique vision and voice- in addition to the special characters he has created- place him among the most prolific and poignant directors working today, and we are honored to celebrate his work.”

Director, writer, and producer Richard Linklater’s reputation as an authentic auteur has been firmly established by his unique body of work which includes IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LEARN TO PLOW BY READING BOOKS (1988); SLACKER (1991); DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993); BEFORE SUNRISE (1995); SUBURBIA (1997); THE NEWTON BOYS (1998); WAKING LIFE (2001); TAPE (2001); LIVE FROM SHIVA’S DANCE FLOOR (2003); SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003); BEFORE SUNSET (2004); $5.15/Hr. (2004) (TV); BAD NEWS BEARS (2005); A SCANNER DARKLY (2006); FAST FOOD NATION (2006); INNING BY INNING: A PORTRAIT OF A COACH (2008); ME AND ORSON WELLES (2009); BERNIE (2012); UP TO SPEED (2012) (TV); and BEFORE MIDNIGHT (2013). In addition to this diverse filmography, Linklater also serves as the Artistic Director for the Austin Film Society, which he founded in 1985 to showcase films from around the world that were not typically shown in Austin. The Austin Film Society has given out over $1,200,000 in grants to Texas filmmakers and in 1999, received the DGA Honor which was given by the Directors Guild of America in recognition of its support of the arts.

Linklater will join a prestigious group of previous honorees including:  actors Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron, Robert Duval, Stanley Tucci, Natalie Portman, Javier Bardem, Pénelope Cruz and Kate Winslet; directors David O. Russell, David Cronenberg, Mira Nair, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese; industry icons Jeff Skoll, Tom Rothman, James Schamus, Bob & Harvey Weinstein, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sheila Nevins, Michael Barker, Tom Bernard, Marcie Bloom, Jonathan Sehring, and film critic Roger Ebert.

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 Premier Sponsors of the 23^rd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Platinum Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Water FIJI Water, Official Spirit Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco, Official Hotel Andaz Wall Street. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 22^nd, 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

For more information, please contact

Tiffany Malloy – [email protected]

FRANK PR – 646.861.0843