What is an independent film, anyway? That was the big question last month when the nominees for the 2006 Gotham Awards were announced and big-budget studio-released films like The Departed and Marie Antoinette were among the honorees. The controversy wasn't over whether these films deserved to be recognized, but whether it was fair to recognize them alongside more under-the-radar films like Half Nelson and Man Push Cart. Just before the winners were announced this week, Michelle Byrd, executive director of the Gotham Awards' organizer, said:

I don't think the Gotham Awards are about independent film. We're celebrating almost a style of working, in all genres and budget levels.

Which kinda sounds disingenuous, since the Gotham Awards organizer is none other than the Independent Feature Project, which certainly sounds as if it might possibly be an entity that would want to recognize and reward, you know, independent film.

But what do I know?

It looks like indie triumphed, mostly, in the end, though: Half Nelson was the most honored film of the night, picking up Best Feature, Best Breakthrough Director for Ryan Fleck, and Best Breakthrough Performance for Shareeka Epps. If you haven't yet seen the film, you might luck out and find it still hanging around an arthouse theater, but your best bet for catching the film now is probably getting friendly with a member of the Academy or of a critics' organization -- distributor ThinkFilm is pushing the film hard for awards by sending screener DVDs to anyone with a vote.

And it's definitely worth a look, if you're into films that ask more of you than merely that you laugh or jump out of your seat in the right place. The always stunning Ryan Gosling plays a drug-addicted schoolteacher, and the young and very talented Epps is his student, and they navigate a story somewhat more challenging -- for the characters as well as for the audience -- than your typical afterschool special. I have no doubt we'll be hearing about more honors for the film and its creative team before the awards season is over with the Oscars.

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