Slamdance, the independent film festival created nearly 30 years ago in response to Sundance’s cultural bloc, unveils its first-ever awards show franchise.
“Indies” will be an annual celebration that celebrates “the spirit of truly independent filmmaking,” according to organizers. The opening ceremony is scheduled for December 9 at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles. Comedians Nick Novicki (“Boardwalk Empire,” “The Sopranos”) and Steve Way (“Ramy”) will host.
Indies will focus on feature films and documentaries from North American filmmakers. Eligible films must have screened at one or more local film festivals held during the calendar year. There’s an additional guardrail to keep indies as sophisticated as possible: films that world premiere at Sundance, SXSW, or Tribeca are no Eligible for the cup.
“The U.S. independent film sector is facing difficulties, with only a handful of broadcasters and studios acquiring independent films — and that’s not enough,” he said. “American independent cinema and filmmakers will not survive unless support at home and in Hollywood returns to Levels we saw in the 70s, 80s and 90s, when bold independent American voices influenced world cinema with the right support from the industry.” Slamdance co-founder Paul Rachman. “This is the spark that the indies and Slamdance aim to reignite by coming to Los Angeles. We understand this landscape, and we are here to push for change.
The current awards industrial complex contains several shows aimed at promoting low-budget films that lack commercial stars, such as the Film Independent Spirit Awards and the annual Gotham Awards. Many in the independent film industry may complain that eligibility for these honors has been stretched to extremes. In 2022, the Indie Spirit Awards increased the maximum budget for films eligible for honors to $30 million (after tax incentives), citing undeniable increases in production cost.
Once films are deemed eligible for a Slamdance Indie Award, they will undergo a review process by a documentary or feature film nomination committee. These will consist of film critics and scholars who will select works across a range of categories “with a particular focus on the collaborative nature of cinema”.
Categories under consideration this year include: Best Feature Film, Outstanding Craft in Storytelling, Outstanding Artistic Achievement, Outstanding Ensemble and Cast, Outstanding Documentary Feature, Outstanding Craft in Storytelling, Outstanding Use of Archival Footage, and Outstanding Cinematography.
diverse The Indie Awards front-runners can also be revealed exclusively:
Best Narrative Feature
“Atikamiko Suns” (Chloé Leriche, director and producer)
“Free Time” (director Ryan Martin-Brown, directors and producers Mackenzie Jamison, Justin Zuckerman, Paula Gonzalez-Nasser, Nolan Kelly)
“The People’s Joker” (director Vera Drew and producer Joey Lyons)
Outstanding Storytelling Candidates (screenwriter and editor)
Chloe Leriche (writer, editor) and Nathalie Lamoureux (editor), Atikamiko Suns
Ryan Martin Brown (writer and editor) and Byron Lyon (editor), “Free Time”
Vera Drew (writer and editor) and Bree LeRose (writer) “The People’s Joker”
Nominees for Outstanding Technical Achievement (Nominees may include: production design, score, sound design, special/visual effects, cinematography)
Gluco Bermudez (DP), “Atikamiko Suns”
Cooper Vacheron (visual effects artist), “Free Time”
Courtney McIntosh (production designer), “The People’s Joker”
Outstanding cast and crew (entire actors and casting directors)
Mirutansa Shelton, Jack Nyuashish, Yekwasa Nyuashish, Carl David Ottawa (cast) and Chloe Leriche (casting director), “Atikamiko Suns”
Colin Burgess, Rajat Suresh, Holmes, Jesse Penick, James Webb, Eric Yates, Alex Bliss, Michael Patrick Nicholson, Rebecca Rose Bolness, Steve Young (cast), “Free Time”
Kerris Hope Hill, Melanie Bray, Constant Bernard, Alex Trahan, Josie Young (cast), Melanie Bray, John Buchan and Jason Knight (cast), “Rosie”
Best Documentary Film (Director and Producer)
“All That We Carry” (director Cady Fogg, producers Laura Bellone, Laura Tatham, and Rachel Clara Reid)
“The Israeli” (directors Erin Axelman and Sam Elertsan, producers Daniel J. Chalfin, Nadia Sah, Erin Axelman)
“The Sweetheart Deal” (directors Elissa Levine and Gabrielle Miller, and producers Peggy Case, Elissa Levine, Alan Brozan)
Distinctive story craft (Editor, director, and writer if credited)
Cady Fogg (director and writer) and Rachel Clara Reid (editor and writer) for All We Carry
Christina Motwane (Editor), Kevin Duncan (Director), Todd Sills (Co-Director), Yar Tin Tham (Co-Director), “Home Is A Hotel”
Karen Sim (writer), Elissa Levine (director), Gabriel Miller (director), and Brittany Kaplan (editor), “Sweetheart Deal”
Outstanding use of archival footage (archivists, archive producers and/or editors)
James Codd (editor), “The Little Contest That Could”
Sarah Newens (editor) and Rebecca Kent (archive producer). “Racial Trees”
David Becker (editor) and National Geographic Society archivists Lila Sewell Williams, Sarah Manchu, Renee Braden, Karen Sirka, and Kelly Miner, “The Wonder And The Worry”
Outstanding cinematography (DP, Camera Driver, AC)
Luke Connor (Cinematography), Ben Giesbrecht (Cinematography), Joshua Manihands (Assistant Camera), Calvin Stimson (Assistant Camera), and Anthony Stengal (Additional Cinematography) / “Itamako Tamiscap Natusi: Before the Sun”
Jonathan Lacock (Director of Photography) / “Oh Pioneer”
George Hubka (Director of Photography), Andrew Mansky (Wildlife Cinematography), and Johnny Blerott (Additional Wildlife Cinematography), “Singing Back The Buffalo”
Special honorary awards
Indigenous Point of View Award – Outstanding Collaboration on an Indigenous Community Story
“Atikamiko Suns”
Indigenous Point of View Award – Best Overall Indigenous Film Critics’ Choice
“WaaPaKe” (Jules Costachin, director)
Renegade Award from the Narrative Features Committee
Vera Drew, “The People’s Joker”
Originality Award from the Narrative Features Committee
Kelly MacNeil (screenwriter and producer) / Daruma – Honoring excellence in authentic representation of disability on screen
Documentary Film Commission Spotlight Award
Emily Shishkin (director) and the Silva family in honor of Jesslyn Silva, “JessZilla”