Early Awards for Guardians, O. Russell and Matt Damon

It looks like The Silver Linings Playbook just got a nice boost, and The Promised Land too, as The Independent Filmmaker Project just announced they will be the recipients of career tributes at the 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards Monday, November 26, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York.

In the meantime, the Rise of the Guardians will receive the Rome Film Festival “Vanity Fair International Award for Cinematic Excellence” at the Festival Internazionale del Film di Roma (Rome Film Fest), November 9 – 17. The awards ceremony will be followed by the international theatrical premiere of Rise of the Guardians, distributed on November 21, 2012, and inspired by the series of illustrated books “The Guardians of Childhood” by William Joyce. The ceremony and screening will also be attended by DreamWorks Animation’s Chief Executive Officer JeffreyKatzenberg and Executive Producer Guillermo del Toro.

The Press Releases after the cut.

New York, NY (October 2, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization for independent filmmakers, announced today that Actor, Matt Damon; Director, David O. Russell along with Philanthropist and Social Entrepreneur Jeff Skoll will be presented with career tributes at the 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards™ on Monday, November 26th at Cipriani Wall Street, in New York City.

Signaling the official kick-off for the film awards season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ is one of the leading awards for independent film. Along with these three tributes, seven competitive awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You and Audience Award will be announced.

This year’s Tribute selection is a group of individuals involved in incredibly relevant work who have made an indelible cultural impact on the industry– all film veterans with indie roots who celebrate and support independent visions. These honorees represent some of the most highly anticipated films of 2012 including: Promised Land from Focus Features (featuring Matt Damon and directed by Gus Van Sant, produced by Participant Media); and the upcoming Weinstein Co. release Silver Linings Playbook (directed by David O. Russell and featuring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence).

“It is with pride and great pleasure that we give tribute to these three luminaries, each of whom plays an amazing role in expanding the language of film, breaking boundaries along the way,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP. “Each has a unique voice and clearly defined vision of cinema for today’s generation, bringing perspective and relevance to the film world today.”

Matt Damon has been honored for his work on both sides of the camera, most recently earning Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics’ Choice Award nominations for his portrayal of South African rugby hero Francois Pienaar in Clint Eastwood’s true-life drama Invictus. He was also recently a double Golden Globe Award nominee, for that performance and for his starring role in Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant! Earlier in his career, Mr. Damon won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, for his breakthrough feature Good Will Hunting, which he wrote and starred in with his lifelong friend Ben Affleck and which was directed by Gus Van Sant. The movie also brought him a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay as well as Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actor. He has since reteamed with Mr. Van Sant, acting in Finding Forrester; starring opposite Casey Affleck in Gerry, which the trio wrote together; and now making Promised Land, which Mr. Damon wrote with John Krasinski and which will be released in December.

Mr. Damon has also repeatedly teamed with Mr. Soderbergh. He was part of the ensembles in the Ocean’s trilogy and in Contagion; and recently completed his starring role as Scott Thorson opposite Michael Douglas as Liberace in the telefilm Behind the Candelabra. He played the title roles in Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, for which he was a Golden Globe Award nominee, and in Saving Private Ryan, which won five Academy Awards including Best Director (Steven Spielberg); and starred in The Departed, which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director (Martin Scorsese). With his fellow actors from the latter two movies, Mr. Damon shared Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Hailing from Boston, Mr. Damon attended Harvard University and gained his first acting experience with the American Repertory Theatre. He is partnered with Ben Affleck in the production company Pearl Street Films, developing projects for multiple mediums including film. He is a co-founder of H20 Africa, now known as www.water.org.

David O. Russell directed THE FIGHTER (2010), a film that earned seven Oscar nominations, including

Best Achievement in Directing (Russell) and Best Motion Picture of the Year. Two of THE FIGHTER’s stars

Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won Academy Awards for their performances. Russell’s prior films include

THREE KINGS (1999), starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube, which earned Russell a

nomination from the Writers Guild of America for Best Screenplay, in addition to appearing on over 100

critics’ top ten lists and being awarded the Boston Film Critics Society Film of the Year and Director of

the Year. Russell’s comedies I HEART HUCKABEES (2004) and FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (1996) appeared

on many top ten lists. The first film Russell wrote and directed, SPANKING THE MONKEY, won the 1994

Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award and won Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay at the

1994 Independent Spirit Awards.

In 2002, Russell joined the board of the Bronx’s Ghetto Film School, then abrand-new, all-volunteer local

summer project with a very small budget and no presence within the film industry. Today, GFS is New York’s first public high school for cinema, an award-winning program model that has helped over 500 teenagers tell their stories.

Jeff Skoll is a philanthropist and social entrepreneur. As founder and chairman of the Skoll Foundation, Participant Media and the Skoll Global Threats Fund, he is bringing life to his vision of a sustainable world of peace and prosperity.

Jeff founded Participant Media in 2004 with the belief that a story well told has the power to inspire and compel social change. Participant’s films are accompanied by social action and advocacy campaigns to engage people on the issues addressed in the films. Jeff has served as Executive Producer on over 33 films to date, which have collectively received a total of 5 Academy Awards® and 22 nominations. Participant’s films include, among others, Good Night, and Good Luck, North Country, Syriana, An Inconvenient Truth, The Kite Runner, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Visitor, The Cove, Countdown to Zero, Waiting for “Superman”, Food, Inc., The Help, Contagion, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Lincoln and Promised Land. In 2009, Participant launched its digital hub TakePart.com, an on-line Social Action Network™ that engages people in the major issues which shape their lives. TakePart launched a digital magazine on MSN and a YouTube network in 2012.

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Preferred Sponsors Directors Guild of America and PMC, Official Spirit Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings. The IFP fosters the development of 300 feature and documentary films each year. Recently, the organization licensed the popular Festival Genius software platform through which IFP now reaches over 200,000 film fans worldwide.

For more information: www.ifp.org

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards™

The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

For information on attending: http://gotham.ifp.org

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The Rome Film Festival (Festival Internazionale del Film di Roma, November 9 – 17, Auditorium Parco della Musica) and Vanity Fair will award the new “Vanity Fair International Award for Cinematic Excellence” this year to Rise of the Guardians, the latest 3D film by DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA). This new acknowledgment by the Festival is dedicated to a film that best expresses the innovative, artistic and strategic contribution made by production and distribution companies that have distinguished themselves in the world of contemporary cinema. Director Peter Ramsey will accept the award on behalf of the film and DreamWorks Animation.  The awards ceremony will be followed by the international theatrical premiere of Rise of the Guardians, distributed on November 21, 2012, and inspired by the series of illustrated books “The Guardians of Childhood” by William Joyce. The ceremony and screening will also be attended by DreamWorks Animation’s Chief Executive Officer JeffreyKatzenberg and Executive Producer Guillermo del Toro.

“It is exhilarating to receive this recognition from Vanity Fair and we are honored that they share in our excitement for what we believe is an incredible film in Rise of the Guardians,” said Bill Damaschke, Chief Creative Officer at DreamWorks Animation. “We couldn’t think of a more thrilling place at which to make our international theatrical debut at the Rome Film Festival as we look forward to presenting Rise of the Guardians to audiences worldwide starting this holiday season.”

“Rise of the Guardians has been an incredible journey for the entire creative team and we are humbled by this early accolade by Vanity Fair and the Rome Film Festival,” continued the film’s Director, Peter Ramsey. “We are looking forward to the film making its international debut here in Rome.”

Rise of the Guardians is an epic adventure that tells the story of a group of heroes – each with extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world. The film stars Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher and Hugh Jackman. Peter Ramsey directs a screenplay written by David Lindsay-Abaire. Rise of the Guardians is produced by Christina Steinberg and Nancy Bernstein. William Joyce and Guillermo del Toro serve as Executive Producers.

About DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation createshigh-quality entertainment, including CG animated feature films, televisionspecials and series and live entertainment properties, meant for audiences around the world. The Company has world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced filmmaking technology and techniques. DreamWorks Animation has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by FORTUNE® Magazine for four consecutive years. In 2012, DreamWorks Animationranks #14 on the list. All of DreamWorks Animation’s feature films are now being produced in 3D. The Company has theatrically released a total of 24 animated feature films, including the franchise properties of Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon. TheCompany’s theatrical releases for the current year are Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted on June 8, 2012 and Rise of the Guardians on November 21, 2012.