Film Independent's Spirit Awards
Awarded for	Best in independent films
Presented by	Film Independent
Country	United States
First awarded	1984
Official Website	http://spiritawards.com/

The Independent Spirit Awards (originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers.

Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit Awards. The Independent Spirit Awards are presented by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. In 2007 the ceremony was slightly changed to Film Independent's Spirit Awards. Since 2006, winners have received a trophy depicting a bird sitting atop of a pole with the shoestrings from the previous design wrapped around the pole.

The awards show is held inside a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, California, usually on the day before the Academy Awards (since 1999; originally the Saturday before). Since 1994, the show has been broadcast on the Independent Film Channel.

The 2009 awards took place on February 21, 2009.

[edit] Categories

• Best Film
• Best Director
• Best First Feature
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
• Best Screenplay
• Best First Screenplay
• Best Foreign Film
• Best Documentary Feature
• Best Cinematography
• John Cassavetes Award
• Robert Altman Award
• Acura Someone to Watch Award
• Piaget Producers Award
• Truer than Fiction Award

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Film Independent
• Independent Spirit Awards at Internet Movie Database