The spirit of the indies crosses over to the Oscars

When Steven Spielberg received his nomination medallion at the Directors Guild of America’s awards ceremony last month for “Munich,” he quipped that he felt like he was actually at the Independent Spirit Awards.

And for good reason: Spielberg was the only filmmaker nominated for the DGA award whose movie was released by a major studio. The four other nominees -- George Clooney, Ang Lee (who won the DGA honor), Bennett Miller and Paul Haggis -- directed independent, low-budget productions, the kinds that are celebrated by the so-called Indie Spirit Awards.

When those awards are given in Santa Monica on Saturday, some filmmakers present could be forgiven if they feel like they’re actually at the Oscars.

In an unusual turn of events, three of the bestpicture nominees for the Independent Spirit Awards -- “Brokeback Mountain,” “Good Night, and Good Luck” and “Capote” -- are also vying for the Academy Award for best picture on the following day. And four of the Spirit Awards’ nominees for best actor -- Heath Ledger (“Brokeback Mountain”), Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”), Terrence Howard (“Hustle & Flow”) and David Strathairn (“Good Night, and Good Luck”) are also up for Oscars.

Granted, there has been some crossover in the past, but the similarities between the two groups’ nominations for the best of 2005 are groundbreaking. “I think that’s terrific that independent films are getting more and more mainstream press,” said Dawn Hudson, executive director of Film Independent, the group behind the Indie Spirit Awards.

But Hudson points out that the Spirit Awards shine a spotlight on the full spectrum of independent films.

“There are films that haven’t received distribution that are nominated,” she says. “Our mission is to give new filmmakers access to the contacts they need to get their next films made and to get publicity for their films.”

Hudson believes mainstream Americans are embracing indie films because their appetite for “this type of film is increasing and their access to this type of filmmaking is increasing.” She added: Studio “films are designed to be released on 3,000 screens. Indie films are not. That is not the impetus for making them. It is a passion to tell the story.” Over the years, the Independent Spirit Awards have become a hot ticket in Hollywood, attracting A-list celebrities and demonstrating a healthy irreverence for the glitz of the Oscars. (Celebrities, for example, often show up in jeans.)