An ode to last year's big winner Kathryn Bigelow, the 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards were announced this afternoon and Debra Granik’s backwoods drama “Winter’s Bone” leads all the nominations with a total of three, while Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture) and Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right) each end up with a pair of noms reminding us that there is some definite indiegrrrl power rising to the occasion this year.
It's one of those years where the great Atom Egoyan's contribution to cinema is totally insignificant (Adoration received 2 noms) and where Denis Villeneuve's Polytechnique, in my books the best Canadian film of the year, grabbed the high count total of eleven nominations for the 30th Genie Awards.
Call this a post-Oscars afterthought, but I think the inaugural 2005 blacklist for un-produced screenplays is working out to be a fairly good predictor/barometer in discriminating the output of quality films and misfires.
A little less than a week left until the Sundance film festival reveals its entire line-up (Wednesday & Thursday of next week) we here at IONCINEMA.com headquarters like to guestimate the films that have fabulous chances at preeming at the event. Keeping track on all U.S indie developments is the name of our game, so without much further ado – here is a potential list of 20 films comprised of long shots, low probabilities and a couple of no-brainer picks (including a clumping of docu projects) that should be clamoring for attention.