For more information on the Spirit Awards, visit SpiritAwards.com

Spirit Award Deadlines:

2011 Spirit Awards submission rules and guidelines will be available in August.

About the Spirit Awards:

Now in its twenty-fifth year, Film Independent's Spirit Awards is a celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo. Televised in millions of homes and covered internationally by the press, Film Independent's Spirit Awards has become the vanguard event of the independent film community, recognizing the achievements of independent filmmakers and promoting independent film to a wider audience.

Awards are given in the following categories: Best Feature, Best First Feature, John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for a budget under $500,000), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best First Screenplay, Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male, Best Supporting Female, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Film, Best Documentary, and the Robert Altman Award (given to one film's director, casting director, and its ensemble cast).

Winners are unveiled at the Spirit Awards ceremony, which takes place in a tent on the Event Deck at LA Live, on Friday night March 5, 2010.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees apply the following guidelines in making its selections:

• Uniqueness of vision
• Original, provocative subject matter
• Economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost and individual compensation)
• Percentage of financing from independent sources