Film Independent's Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo. Televised in millions of homes and covered internationally by the press, the Spirit Awards has become the vanguard event in independent film, recognizing the achievements of independent filmmakers and promoting independent film to a wider audience.

Sarah Silverman to serve as this year's Mistress of Ceremonies

Rightly considered one of the most talented rising young performers, Sarah Silverman will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the 2007 Spirit Awards. Best known for last year's feature length film version of her celebrated one-woman show Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic, as well as her appearance in the acclaimed 2005 documentary feature The Aristocrats, this will serve as Silverman's second time hosting the event, which will take place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday, February 24, 2007.

How The Spirit Awards Works

Selected from more than 250 submissions, awards are given in the following categories: Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, Best Director, Best Screenplay, John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for a budget under $500,000), Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male, Best Supporting Female, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Film, and Best Documentary. Spirit Awards winners are chosen by Film Independent members with voting privileges extended to IFP members. Voters attend nominee screenings and view nominated films through Netflix before selecting the Spirit Awards winners. Eligible films must be at least 70 minutes long, and the cost of the completed film, including post-production, must be under $20 million. Films must have been shown in a commercial theater for at least one week between January 1 and December 31, 2006 or shown at one of the following festivals in 2006: Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, New York, Sundance, Telluride, or Toronto.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committee applies the following guidelines in making its selections:
1. Uniqueness of vision
2. Original, provocative subject matter
3. Economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost and individual compensation)
4. Percentage of financing from independent sources

Last year's Spirit Award winners included Brokeback Mountain, which won Best Feature and Best Director (Ang Lee), Capote for Best Screenplay and Best Male Lead (Philip Seymour Hoffman); Crash for Best First Feature and Best Supporting Male (Matt Dillon); Transamerica for Best Female Lead (Felicity Huffman) and Best First Screenplay; and Junebug for Best Supporting Female (Amy Adams).

About Film Independent

Film Independent, the largest non-profit membership organization for independent filmmakers, cultivates the careers of independent filmmakers, builds the audience for independent films, and increases diversity in the film industry. Film Independent provides its members with more than 250 annual events and screenings, along with professional advice, educational programs, affordable camera and equipment rentals, and discounts to hundreds of industry-related businesses.

Film Independent also offers Filmmaker Labs, giving filmmakers the opportunity to develop their projects, and Project:Involve, a mentorship and job placement program that pairs filmmakers from culturally diverse communities with film industry professionals. Film Independent produces the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema. For more information, visit FilmIndependent.org.

About the Awards

Founded in 1984, Film Independent's Spirit Awards were the first awards show to exclusively honor independent film. They're also a hell of a party! Held in a beachfront tent in Santa Monica, the Spirit Awards are spontaneous, casual and fun -- everything certain other award shows aren't.

In addition to awards for overall films and performances, the Spirit Awards also honor up-and-coming filmmakers with awards for Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay and Best Feature Made for Under $500,000 (the John Cassavetes Award).

The host of the 2007 Spirit Awards will be Sarah Silverman.

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About Sarah Silverman

From stand-up comedy to film and television, Sarah Silverman has seen her share of success. Last year, the actress made an impressive splash when the feature-length film version of her one-woman show opened in theaters to rave reviews. The film, "Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic," directed by Liam Lynch and filmed before a live crowd in Los Angeles in 2004 garnered major attention at the Toronto Film Festival and created huge national buzz. Silverman was in turn named one of the Entertainers of 2005 by Entertainment Weekly and landed herself a spot as the Breakthrough Comedian of the Year in People. On the heels of the success of "Jesus is Magic," Comedy Central ordered six episodes of Silverman's television show, "The Sarah Silverman Programme." The show, about a detached and eccentric woman with no discernible goals whose tale will be told through an array of comedic scenes and songs that compose a single day of her life, is (loosely) based on her life and premiered this February. Silverman most recently co-starred in the feature film, "School For Scoundrels" opposite Billy Bob Thornton and John Heder.

Silverman also starred in Jeff Garlin's "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With," which premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. Last year, Sarah blew audiences away in the documentary feature, "The Aristocrats" in which 100 of the industry's most prominent comedians tell a version of the same joke. Before that, she co-starred opposite Jack Black, Mike White and Joan Cusack in "The School of Rock" for Paramount. She has also co-starred in a number of films, including the blockbuster "There's Something About Mary," "The Way of The Gun," Ivan Reitman's "Evolution," "The Bachelor" and "Say It Isn't So."

Sarah co-starred on the FOX comedy "Greg The Bunny" opposite Eugene Levy. She has also guest starred in a slew of acclaimed and notable television shows such as "The Larry Sanders Show," "Seinfeld" and "Mr. Show with Bob and David." Silverman also lends her voice to the hugely successful Comedy Central show, "Crank Yankers."

Sarah grew up in New Hampshire and attended New York University. It was around this time that she began to pursue the Manhattan comedy scene and logged as much time in the comedy clubs as she did in the classroom. In 1993 she joined "Saturday Night Live" and has not stopped working ever since.

Sarah currently resides in Los Angeles with her dog, Duck.

Location, Location, Location

Keeping with its roots and L.A. location, the Spirit Awards takes place each year inside a beachfront tent in Santa Monica. Currently in its 22nd year, the show is as original as the films and filmmakers it honors.

Winners are chosen by those in the know: Film Independent members, with voting privileges extended to IFP members. Voters attend nominee screenings and view nominated films through Netflix before selecting the Spirit Awards winners.