Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced; $75,000 In Grants To Be Awarded To Filmmakers

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, have announced the Spirit Awards Nominations, with aspects of 44 films vying for the highly-coveted artists award, will be awarded live February 25, 2017.

The Spirit Awards are celebrating the 32nd annual awards presentation, which has grown from a fun stop in the awards season ride to a highly coveted and honorable award representing a spirit of independence and freedom in the film making machine.

The growth of the Spirit Awards is very much attributed to the support of our sponsors. This year we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Piaget Producers Award and IFC, the Independent Film Channel, will broadcast the 2017 Spirit Awards live.  

Our continued acceptance by the local Los Angeles artistic community, LACMA and the partnership with the Los Angeles Film Festival share in our continued success. And we are only as strong as the many independent writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, film festival programmers and other working and non-working film professionals who make up our membership.

"The Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants enable us to not only recognize great work but also to provide much needed direct financial support to filmmakers," said Josh Welsh. "We're so appreciative of our grant funders, Kiehl's Since 1851 and Piaget. Through their funding of the Producers Award, Piaget has been a steadfast supporter of film artists for the last decade."

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 382 submissions this year and applied the following guidelines in determining the nominations: uniqueness of vision, original and provocative subject matter, economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost and individual compensation) and percentage of financing from independent sources.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees are comprised of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, film festival programmers and other working film professionals.

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