Those who say independent film is dead are wrong -- but those who say it's no longer independent might be right. Film Independent's Spirit Award nominees were announced this morning, and Hollywood heavyweights (on both sides of the camera) are among them.

Rachel Getting Married, the dysfunctional-family pic directed by Jonathan Demme and starring former Disney darling Anne Hathaway, garnered six nominations, including best picture; little-known names Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) and Sean Penn (Milk) are on the best actor list; and the new leader in indie distribution is apparently Sony Pictures Classics, with 18 nominations. (Check out our video interview with Rourke on The Wrestler.)

Sarcasm aside, there are still some under-the-radar movies and artists getting well-deserved attention, including Ballast (about a single mother surviving on the rural Mississippi Delta), from first-time director Lance Hammer, and Frozen River (a border smuggling tale), from newcomer Courtney Hunt; both tied Rachel with six nominations.

The awards ceremony will take place on February 21, and will be broadcast on IFC and later in the evening on AMC.

Here's a full list of this year's nominees:

Continue reading "Spirit Award Nominees Announced; The Wrestler is a Heavy Weight Contender" »

Every year the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles honors an artist who has made a significant contribution to the motion picture arts. Tonight, George Lucas will present Samuel L. Jackson with the 23rd Annual American Cinematheque Award at this year's annual benefit gala. The award presentation features tributes from the likes of Vin Diesel, Andy Garcia, Sharon Stone, and Denzel Washington. AMC will air the tribute on December 9.

Continue reading "American Cinematheque Honors Samuel L. Jackson" »

Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy connect the dots to reveal the true meaning of Slumdog Millionaire.

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As the 33rd annual Toronto International Film Festival draws to a close, it's clear the festival is a major player when it comes to launching movies, specialty or big budget. In fact, says Shootout co-host Peter Bart, "there's a dependency on festivals like it's suddenly the only way to unveil a movie." But does that mean you should open your film at this festival, even if Canadians are as nice as the CN tower is tall?

"You can't just come to a festival," explains Bart. "It costs maybe a million bucks to mobilize the PR machine, you face negative critics who see four movies a day, there's an overall kind of downbeat feeling about the specialty films... and it's so easy for things to get lost." It's the second largest film festival in the world so, while audiences might be more receptive than those at Cannes, you still have to get their attention. "Sure, pictures can get discovered at festivals," notes Bart. "They can also disappear." On the other hand, there's a reason so many filmmakers and celebrities keep coming back and it's not just the gifting lounge.

Continue reading "Is a Film Festival the Best Place to Launch a Movie?" »

Check out red carpet photos of Brad Pitt, Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Thandie Newton, Zac Efron and more -- at the Toronto International Film Festival premieres, which included Burn While Reading, RocknRolla, and The Secret Life of Bees.

"This character went on a great journey." Director Rod Lurie, Kate Beckinsale, and Vera Farmiga stop to chat about Nothing But the Truth at the premiere party.

AMC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff gives us his last report from the Toronto International Film Festival 2008.

Well, this is it for me from Toronto. I'm headed to New York and then back to L.A. to start work on our next gig at AMC News. I spent the last day hanging around town and ran into two directors, Julian Schnabel and Ivan Reitman, outside the Maverick's Speaker Series at TIFF, where clips of movies in production are screened. Watch as I try to get up close and personal with the Flip cam! Be sure to stay tuned to AMC News on-air and online. I'll be out and about at film festivals, awards season and much more. If you haven't already, follow along with AMC News on Twitter as we report on "The Future of Classic." Talk to you guys soon.

Jamie Kennedy, Producer of the documentary Heckler, heckles AMC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff at the premiere party.

AMC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff goes behind the scenes of Shootout's set.

Here's a shout-out to the hosts and crew of Shootout for letting AMC News piggyback on a few interviews they had lined up at TIFF08. I got to hang out for two days and watch "The Peters" (Bart and Guber) interview Larry Charles, Bill Maher, Greg Kinnear, Marc Abraham, Marc Ruffalo, Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz -- and I also got to talk to all of them! Those interviews are coming soon. In the meantime, here's a behind the scenes look on the set, which is located high atop a Toronto hotel. 

"People should start to question the very foundation of their beliefs." Director Larry Charles discusses why he wanted to make the documentary, Religulous, and Bill Maher shares with AMC News why humor is key to the film.