2006 Independent Spirit Awards

Airs March 4, 2006 on AMC, IFC and WE: Women's Entertainment

On March 4, Film Independent's 21st INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS - the yin to the Oscar�s yang - will be hosted by actress/comedienne Sarah Silverman. Held annually on the Saturday before the Oscars�, this ceremony has become the vanguard event in independent film, honoring filmmakers who bring a unique vision and spirit of independence to filmmaking.

This year, Rainbow Media offers television viewers an unprecedented, multi-faceted experience of the Awards show: the LIVE, uncensored broadcast on IFC; the re-broadcast on AMC; and the red carpet arrivals on WE: Women's Entertainment. Last year, the 20th Anniversary ceremony was hosted by Samuel L. Jackson and honored such films as Sideways, Garden State and Mean Creek.

IFC

5pm - 7pm ET

For the tenth year, IFC renews a long-standing commitment to Hollywood's "Un-Oscars" to exclusively broadcast the ceremony LIVE from Santa Monica. As usual, the show will air uncut, uncensored and without commercial interruption (no 7-second delays!). Visit ifc.com for video clips of this year's nominated films.

AMC

10:00pm - Midnight ET/PT.

In 2006, the re-broadcast makes its debut on AMC - the ceremony's largest basic cable platform ever. The Independent Spirit Awards provides a new addition to AMC's awards show lineup, which includes American Cinemateque and Premiere Women in Hollywood.

WE: Women's Entertainment

4:30pm ET (re-airs at 7:30pm ET)

WE will broadcast an exciting live red carpet welcome: RED CARPET ARRIVALS FROM THE 2006 INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS to highlight the fashions, the personalities and spontaneous interactions of the ceremony's celebrity honorees and attendants.

THE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS nominees are chosen on the basis of original, provocative subject matter; uniqueness of vision; economy of means, with particular attention paid to total budget and individual compensation; and percentage of independent financing. 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 Debut Performance, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Film, and Best Documentary. For this year's nominees,visit www.filmindependent.org