Gotham Independent Film Award winners announced

November 30, 2009 (New York, NY) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, announced today the winners of the 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at a ceremony held at New York City's Cipriani Wall Street.

Presented by IFP, the Gotham Independent Film Awards is one of the leading awards for independent film and the first major honors of the film awards season. As previously announced, the awards ceremony streamed live in its entirety for the first time to a global audience via a partnership with Ustream.com.

A total of 22 films received nominations in six competitive categories, including: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You.

For the second year, the recipient of the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You award will receive a cash award of $5,000 provided by Reiff & Associates, a full service brokerage firm specializing in Arts & Entertainment Insurance.

In addition to the competitive awards, career tributes were presented to actors Natalie Portman and Stanley Tucci, filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow and producer/executives Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, Co-Chairman of Working Title Films. The awards ceremony was hosted by the up-and-coming comedian, Kumail Nanjiani.

And the winners are:

BEST FEATURE (presented by actress Shohreh Aghdashloo)

"The Hurt Locker," directed and produced by Kathryn Bigelow, written and produced by Mark Boal, produced by Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro. Released by Summit Entertainment. This film, set in Iraq, follows an elite Army bomb squad that has to play cat-and-mouse and make life-and-death decisions.

BEST DOCUMENTARY (presented by actor Melonie Diaz and filmmaker Brett Morgen)

"Food, Inc.," directed and produced by Robert Kenner, produced by Elise Pearlstein. Released by Magnolia Pictures. This film presents an honest look at processed foods in America.

BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR AWARD (presented by actors Rosie Perez and Anthony Mackie)

Robert Siegel, writer and director of "Big Fan," released by First Independent Pictures. "Big Fan" tells the story of a hardcore New York Giants fan who comes to a reckoning after he's beaten up by his favorite player.

BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR AWARD (presented by actors Ellen Burstyn and Oliver Platt)

Catalina Saavedra, "The Maid," released by Elephant Eye Films, tracks the life of a longtime maid who tries to hold onto her job.

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE AWARD (presented by actress and author Brooke Shields and writer/director Richard LaGravenese)

Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse and Evangeline Lilly
in "The Hurt Locker," released by Summit Entertainment, Mark Bennett, casting director.

BEST FILM NOT PLAYING AT A THEATER NEAR YOU AWARD (presented by actors Patricia Clarkson and Sam Rockwell)

"You Won't Miss Me," Ry Russo-Young, director, producer, and co-writer, tells the story of a 23-year-old misfit who ends up in a psychiatric hospital.

The recipient of The Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You™ award was determined by the editors of Filmmaker magazine, a publication of IFP, and a curator from The Museum of Modern Art.