Independent Film & Television Alliance Marks 30th Anniversary by Selecting the 30 ‘Most Significant Independent Films™’ since 1981

Director Jim Sheridan, ‘My Left Foot’ to Launch 30-Week American Cinematheque Series

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), marking its 30^th anniversary, has selected the 30 Most Significant Independent Films™ from around the world produced over the past three decades. IFTA Chairman Lloyd Kaufman and President-CEO Jean Prewitt jointly made the announcement today.

“From Oscar winners to controversial and visionary game changers, independent films have shaped and defined the film industry and popular culture over the last 30 years”

IFTA (originally, the American Film Marketing Association) members constitute the vast majority of the world’s most important companies in independent film and television. Since 1981, IFTA members have produced and distributed 18 of 30 films that have won the “Best Picture” Academy Award®. Overall, IFTA members produce more than 400 films annually.

In selecting the Most Significant Independent Films from the past three decades, IFTA’s 27-member Board of Directors considered independently financed films produced worldwide and a variety of factors, including features that introduced new cinematic styles; garnered awards; achieved critical acclaim; launched the careers of notable producers, directors and actors; or had other standout qualities.

“From Oscar winners to controversial and visionary game changers, independent films have shaped and defined the film industry and popular culture over the last 30 years,” Kaufman said.

Prewitt stated, “IFTA’s Board, an international and diverse group, considered a vast number of tremendous, imaginative films. The 30 Most Significant Independent Films truly reflects our industry’s breadth of vision and we encourage the discussion that the selection will spark.”

The Most Significant Independent Films from each of the past three decades follows:

1980s: Amadeus; Blue Velvet; Dances With Wolves; Das Boot (The Boat); Gandhi; My Left Foot; A Nightmare On Elm Street; Platoon; Sex, Lies and Videotape; The Terminator (Honorary mentions: The Killing Fields; The Last Emperor; The Toxic Avenger)

1990s: Braveheart; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Fargo; Four Weddings and a Funeral; Life Is Beautiful; Pulp Fiction; Reservoir Dogs; The Silence of the Lambs; The Usual Suspects; Where the Day Takes You (Honorary mentions: Basic Instinct, Good Will Hunting; Trainspotting)

2000s: Brokeback Mountain; Crash; The Hurt Locker; Inglourious Basterds; Juno; Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring; Million Dollar Baby; Monster; The Pianist; Slumdog Millionaire (Honorary mentions: Bowling for Columbine; Memento; Twilight)

American Cinematheque has partnered with IFTA for the screening series, “30 Most Significant Independent Films.” The series will launch Wednesday, Sept. 29, at American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood with a reception, screening of the acclaimed 1989 Irish film My Left Foot, winner of two Oscars for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Best Supporting Actress (Brenda Fricker), followed by a Q&A with director Jim Sheridan (schedule permitting).

American Cinematheque and IFTA will announce the screenings schedule, details of which are below, as well as special guests slated to appear at specific screenings. The series will alternate between the Egyptian and Aero Theatres in Santa Monica.

About The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA)

The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) is the global trade association of the independent motion picture and television programming industry. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization represents and provides significant entertainment industry services to more than 150 member companies from 23 countries, consisting of independent production and distribution companies, sales agents, television companies, studio-affiliated companies, and financial institutions engaged in content finance.

Collectively, the Independent Film & Television Alliance’s members produce more than 400 independent films and countless hours of television programming each year and generate more than $4 billion in distribution revenues annually. The organization’s premiere event, the American Film Market, held in conjunction with AFI FEST, takes place every year in November in Santa Monica.

As the voice and advocate for the independent film and television industry worldwide, the Alliance speaks out on matters of critical importance and, where appropriate, actively lobbies governments around the world in regard to measures directly affecting the independent industry. For more information on IFTA and the American Film Market, please visit www.ifta-online.org.

About American Cinematheque

Established in 1981, the American Cinematheque is a 501 C 3 non-profit viewer-supported film exhibition and cultural organization dedicated to the celebration of the Moving Picture in all of its forms. At the Egyptian Theatre, the Cinematheque presents daily film and video programming which ranges from the classics of American and international cinema to new independent films and digital work. Exhibition of rare works, special and rare prints, etc., combined with fascinating post-screening discussions with the filmmakers who created the work, are a Cinematheque tradition that keep audiences coming back for once-in-a-lifetime cinema experiences.

The American Cinematheque renovated and reopened (on Dec. 4, 1998) the historic 1922 Hollywood Egyptian Theatre. This includes a state-of-the-art 616-seat theatre housed within Sid Grauman's first grand movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard. The exotic courtyard is fully restored to its 1922 grandeur. The Egyptian was the home of the very first Hollywood movie premiere in 1922. In January 2005 the American Cinematheque expanded its programming to the 1940 Aero Theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.

About the Screening Series

The screening of My Left Foot will be at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Tickets can be purchased online at www.fandango.com. Tickets are $11 general admission. Parking is four hours for $2 at the Hollywood & Highland Complex with validation, or $5-$10 behind the Egyptian Theatre.

For more information, visit the American Cinematheque website at www.americancinematheque.com or call 1.323.466.FILM.