‘Spirit Awards’ will be aired live on cable TV
By KIM CALVERT Special to the Daily Press
SM BEACH — The day before Hollywood’s biggest stars walk down the red carpet for this Sunday’s Oscars, they’ll hit Santa Monica Beach to celebrate indie films and their makers.
“We have just as many stars as the Academy Awards,” said Diana Zahn-Storey, executive producer of the Independent Film Project’s 20th Annual Spirit Awards, which has set up a tent in the beach parking lot south of Bay Street where the event will take place on Saturday. “But in many ways we’re funner and more hip. We don’t want it to be just another awards show — the most important thing is to have a party first — to create that party feeling even during the show itself.”
Zahn-Storey said the awards did have a serious underpinning, however, as they pay homage to the courageous artists who follow their own vision rather than a Hollywood formula.
“The Spirit Awards support independent filmmakers and the growing audience for their films,” Zahn-Storey said. “They recognize an entire community of artists who embody the kind of independent spirit needed to make these films.”
Seventeen awards will be given out Saturday night, including three categories for Best Picture: Best Feature, Best First Feature and the John Cassavetes Award for the best film made with a budget under $500,000. Another category, not seen at the Academy Awards, is the Best First Screenplay category. Other categories include more traditional categories, such as best actress, best actor, supporting actor and actress, and best documentary.
Zahn-Storey said a Special Distinction Award will go to the ensemble cast of “Mean Creek.”
“All the leads in that movie were so incredible that the nominating committee couldn’t pull them apart,” Zahn-Storey said.
Zahn-Storey said the IFP holds its awards show in Santa Monica because it’s set in a beautiful location, there is space for the now traditional Spirit Awards tent and it’s held so close to the next day’s Academy Awards show.
“We want to be convenient,” she said. “Everyone’s in town for the Oscars and having the Spirit Awards the day before makes it easier for people in the business to come to our awards celebration too.”
This year’s Spirit Awards will be hosted by Samuel L. Jackson along with co-chairs Salma Hayek and Quentin Tarantino. Confirmed guests include Javier Bardem, Kevin Bacon, Cate Blanchette, Jeff Bridges, Kate Boswroth, Benjamin Bratt, Don Cheadle, David Duchovny, Jodie Foster, Jamie Fox, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Ewan McGreagor, Megan Mullally, Dennis Quaid, Christina Ricci, Marisa Tomei and Elijah Wood.
The Spirit Awards will be held at the parking lot at 2030 Barnard Way — also known as Beach Lot 4 South. City Hall raises revenue by renting city-owned property to such events which also require a variety of city permits and hiring of city personnel such as traffic control officers and parking lot attendants, according to Trinie Garcia-Valdez, City Hall’s community use administrator. She said neighbors within a 500-foot radius of the event were notified in advance about the event and that although the parking lot will not be available to the public, adjacent lots will be open. She said there won’t be any street closings.
The show will be broadcast live on the Independent Film Channel from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will be re-broadcast on Bravo at 10 p.m. with an hour-long pre-show starting at 9 p.m.
The IFP, which produces the Spirit Awards, is a nonprofit organization consisting of 9,000 members. The members vote for films and artists that have been nominated by the IFP nominating committee. The committee consists of writers, directors, casting directors and other professional film makers and are appointed by the IFP board of directors.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 24, 2005. Read the original PDF.