Independent Spirit Awards: All this Can Be Yours for the Low, Low Price of $20 Million

IFP/LA Film Independent head Dawn Hudson (Photo: indieWIRE)

Remember a few months ago when IFP boss Michelle Byrd admonished folks to not get too caught up in the word "independent," especially as it pertained to this year's Gotham Awards? And The Reeler surmised that IFP couldn't wait to have its cake with the likes of Fox Searchlight and Warner Independent and messily scarf it down, too?

Of course you do. With that in mind, do not say you did not see this shit coming down the pipe: Variety reports today that the budget ceiling for this fall's Independent Spirit Awards nominees has been locked in at $20 million. But not a penny more, OK?

That is not a misprint: If you cannot make your indie film for twenty fucking million dollars, then you are just going to have to settle for an Oscar or a Golden Globe or some other quotidian hardware that will defy and forever sully your carefully cultivated indie cred. Or as Variety's Pamela McClintock writes:

Film Independent [formerly IFP/Los Angeles?Ed.] executive director Dawn Hudson said the new budget ceiling would give the nominating committee "wide latitude in choosing original, provocative films that are still made with an economy of means.


"Having just celebrated our 20th anniversary ... we feel more focused and committed than ever that the Spirit Awards celebrate the best in original filmmaking and further increase an audience and awareness for these films," Hudson said.

Yes, Dawn, indeed we have long been deprived of awareness for films budgeted below $20 million--the "economy of means" that so hamstrung the likes of Sideways and that tiny DreamWorks pic House of Sand and Fog at the Spirit Awards a few years back. While we are at it, why don't we up the limit on budgets eligible for the John Cassavetes Award from $500,000 to $5 million? After all, Cassavetes did star in Rosemary's Baby, and that one was glued together with bubble gum at $3 million. Just an idea.

Meanwhile, to all you filmmakers who just dropped as much as $250 on this week's IFP Market pass? That is what they call paying your dues in 2005. And look on the bright side--you probably just bought a killer trophy for George Clooney.



Comments

It's great to see that someone else is seeing that the emperor has no clothes. Right on!


I've been a member of IFP since 1992, and nothing that our Hollywood Politburo does surprises me anymore. Like breaking up a national organization that promotes independent filmmaking because LA is more important than the rest of the country. Yes, our fearless leaders unilaterally decided to change our name to FI--Fucking Idiots. Or if you are from the midwest, you can call it Film Iowa, Film Illinois, or Film Indiana, but Fucking Idiots is more appropriate.

Back in January, I counted 30 members walking out of just one Spritit Award screening. The Nominating Committee does pick real crappy films. Maybe with the new and improved $20 million ceiling, fewer members will walk out of the screenings. Or more likely, more movie stars will be in these independent films and they will show up for our Spirit Awards cable show! Hollywood is so cool. FI.



Trackbacks

Anthony Kaufman's blog > Spirit's 20 million Popularity Contest - If you missed the news on Friday, FIND or "Film Independent" -- the group formerly known as IFP/Los Angeles -- raised the budgetary cap on elligible features to $20 million for its annual Spirit Awards. As my fellow blogger at The Reeler pointed out, "... (09/25/05)

UNDER A NEON SIGN - Jared Moshe's weblog > three point thursday - 1) Indie vs. indie vs. indie – yesterday I wrote that the Tribeca Film Center and IFC center were the go to place for indie premieres and events; And while that’s true for a certain type of independent film, with... (09/29/05)

The Reeler > Mahurin Goes About 'Killing Flies' in Nifty Village Restaurant Doc - This is not really news, but the phrase "independent film" has been co-opted, looted, plundered and pillaged in such a variety of ways by so many different parties that the indie brand has all but supplanted the indie practice in... (07/28/06)