| EVENT REPORT 11.29.07 1:40 PM |
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| Behind the Screens |
| IFP festooned its independent film awards with industrial production elements at the stripped-down Steiner Studios. |
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For 17 years, nonprofit filmmaker organization IFP has recognized the year's best independent films with its Gotham awards while also celebrating New York as an indie-film capital. Traditionally held at Chelsea Piers, Tuesday night's event moved to an even more appropriate venue this year, Brooklyn's Steiner Studios, the film production facilities that have hosted shoots for films such as Enchanted, Spider-Man 3, and American Gangster.
Hired to produce the awards for the first time, Usual Suspects chose to take full advantage of the film-friendly setting, a decision motivated by both creative and practical considerations. The evening's cocktails and awards dinner took over the lot's Stage 3, with a decor scheme that left the rough floors and wooden rafters exposed and incorporated many items from the studio's production warehouses. "It's cost-effective, but it's also so great to use Steiner for what it is and as part of the show," said Usual Suspects partner Lisa Ann Wilson. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | Production lights decorated the stage area.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash |
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 | Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz welcomed guests atop this production ladder.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash |
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 | Police barricades cordoned off the step-and-repeat area.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash |
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 | Items from the studio made up much of the decor.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash |
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 | Abigail Kirsch's offerings included a variety of bruschetta.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash |
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 | A giant fan added another production element to decor.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash |
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 | Sponsors' logos appeared on the walls of the dinner space.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash |
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Items adding an authentic touch ranged from giant fans and lights to police barricades, production lifts, and a towering model of the Statue of Liberty. A prop room served as the coat check for the evening. "Everything is being repurposed as something else," Wilson said.
The evening's program included a cocktail hour in a draped-off section of the cavernous space; following drinks, the curtain wall was raised to reveal the tables and stage for the dinner and awards portion of the night. Within the industrial dinner space, a large black-and-red banner printed with the Brooklyn Bridge—a graphic used on much of the event's printed materials—hung behind the stage, and a massive screen stood nearby. Projected logos of the event's sponsors, including The New York Times, Axium, and Steiner Studios, graced the walls. Abigail Kirsch, the in-house caterer for Stage 6, the event facility in another part of the complex (as well as the awards' caterer at Chelsea Piers), served appetizers and dinner to 800 guests.
Winners of the night included Into the Wild for best feature, Sicko for best documentary, and Frownland for "best film not playing at a theater near you." Additionally, six Gotham Tribute awards recognized individual contributions to the film community; recipients included Mayor Michael Bloomberg, actor Javier Bardem, and critic Roger Ebert. Actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, Uma Thurman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal were among those who came out.
—Mimi O'Connor
RELATED TOPICS
IFP, Gotham IFP Awards, Steiner Studios
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