2006 INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS: SPREAD THE WEALTH
Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash and Transamerica each Take Two Top Awards
L.A. March 4, 2006–The hit independent films Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash and Transamerica split the big prizes equally at Film Independents 2006 Independent Spirit Awards, making the annual event honoring the best in independent cinema into a celebration of the diversity of the films which captured the publics attention this year.
The 2006 Independent Spirit Awards, were held Saturday, March 4, at a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo. This annual event, which began as a small grassroots program, has grown into one of the most anticipated events of the film year.
This years major category winners were Focus Features Brokeback Mountain, which won Best Feature, and Best Director (Ang Lee); Lionsgates Crash, which won Best First Feature, and Best Supporting Male (Matt Dillon); Sony Pictures Classics Capote which won Best Screenplay (Dan Futterman), and Best Male Lead (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and The Weinstein Companys Transamerica, taking Best First Screenplay (Duncan Tucker) and Best Female Lead (Felicity Huffman.)
This year's ceremony is sponsored by Premier Sponsors: IFC, Entertainment Weekly, Netflix and Pop Secret; and by Principal Sponsors: Acura, American Express, LOreal Paris, and Dockers San Francisco. On 3 Productions produced the Official 2006 Independent Spirit Awards General Attendee Gift Bag and Presenter Gift Lounge.
The Casa Del Mar, Sheraton Delfina, Shutters on the Beach, and Viceroy, are the Official Host Hotels; and WireImage is the Official Photographer of the Independent Spirit Awards. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner of Film Independent.
The ceremony aired live on IFC (Independent Film Channel), beginning at 5:00 pm EST, and was preceded by an exclusive half-hour red carpet show on WE: Womens Entertainment at 4:30 pm. An edited re-broadcast will air later this evening on AMC at 10:00 pm EST/PST.
Actor/Comedian Sarah Silverman served as Master of Ceremonies. Naomi Watts served as Honorary Chair. Music was by The Crystal Method. Diana Zahn-Storey produced the 2006 Independent Spirit Awards for the twelfth year.
Following is a complete list of the winners:
Best Feature:
Brokeback Mountain, producers: Diana Ossana and James Schamus
Best Director:
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Best Screenplay:
Dan Futterman, Capote
Best First Feature:
Crash, director Paul Haggis
Producers: Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle,
Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris, Bobby Moresco, Paul Haggis
Best First Screenplay:
Duncan Tucker, Transamerica
John Cassavetes Award
Cinema Libre Studio, for the Best Feature made for under $500,000
Director: Mora Stephens, Conventioneers Writers: Mora Stephens and Joel Viertel
Producer: Joel Viertel
Best Supporting Female:
Amy Adams, Junebug
Best Supporting Male:
Matt Dillon, Crash
Best Female Lead:
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Best Male Lead:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Best Cinematography Warner Independent Pictures
Robert Elswit Good Night, and Good Luck.
Best Foreign Film Warner Independent Pictures
Paradise Now Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Best Documentary Magnolia Pictures
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Director: Alex Gibney
Caroline Baron, producer of Capote and Monsoon Wedding, received the ninth annual AMC/American Express Producers Award, which honors producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films. The winner of the Producers Award received an unrestricted grant of $25,000 funded by AMC and American Express.
Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana directors of Cavite, won the twelfth annual IFC/Acura Someone To Watch Award, a $25,000 grant created to honor a director of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award is funded by IFC and Acura.
Ian Olds and the late Garrett Scott, directors of Occupation: Dreamland, won the tenth annual Truer Than Fiction Award, presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features. The award is accompanied by a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Film Independent.
2006 INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS BY DISTRIBUTOR
CINEMA LIBRE STUDIO 1
FOCUS FEATURES 2
LIONSGATE 2
MAGNOLIA 1
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS 3
WARNER INDEPENDENT PICTURES 2
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY 2
Attendees
Joining host Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, were Master of Ceremonies Sarah Silver, Honorary Chair Naomi Watts, and music by The Crystal Method
Presenters included: Billy Baldwin; Willem Dafoe; Julie Delpy; Zooey Deschanel; Matt Dillon; Vin Diesel; Michael Ealy; Aaron Eckhart; Peter Gallagher; Macy Gray; Maggie Gyllenhaal; Marcia Gay Harden; Terrence Howard; Richard Kind; Lisa Kudrow; Jennifer Jason Leigh; Laura Linney; Josh Lucas; Virginia Madsen; Sienna Miller; Alessandro Nivola; Sandra Oh; Rosie Perez; Jeremy Piven; Dennis Quaid; Henry Rollins; Peter Sarsgaard; Kevin Smith; Lili Taylor; Naomi Watts; Dwight Yoakam; and Ziyi Zhang
Celebrity Guests and Nominees included: Amy Adams; Sohreh Aghdashloo; Amy Brenneman; George Clooney; Judah Friedlander; Rodrigo Garcia; Carson Kressley; Philip Seymour Hoffman; Felicity Huffman, Allison Janney; Paul Haggis; Verner Hertzog; Catherine Keener; Heath Ledger; Ang Lee; Jason Lee; Ludacris; Debi Mazar; S. Epatha Merkerson; Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen; Alexander Payne; Elisabeth Pena; Robin Wright Penn; Sean Penn; Barry Pepper; Bobby Shriver; Molly Sims; John Singleton; David Strathairn; Larenz Tate; Michelle Trachtenberg; Jeffrey Wright; and many, many more
