Shane Carruth Nominated as Best Director for Upstream Color by Film Independent Spirit Awards

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Film Independent at LACMA Film Series, announced nominations for the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards this morning. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at the W Hollywood, with actresses Octavia Spencer and Paula Patton presenting the nominations. Nominees for Best Feature included 12 Years a Slave, All Is Lost, Frances Ha, Inside Llewyn Davis and Nebraska.

Among the nominees for Best Director is Shane Carruth for his masterpiece Upstream Color, which is also nominated for Best Editing.

Mud was selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast.

In its commitment to recognizing the importance of below the line contributions to the art of filmmaking, Film Independent has now introduced, for the first year, the Best Editing category in the Spirit Awards.

"The nominations this year are from such an amazing pool of talented film artists," said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent. "Their work demonstrates the deep originality and uniqueness of vision that are at the heart of independent film. At Film Independent, we work all year round to promote that spirit, and the nominees celebrated here today are tremendous ambassadors for their crafts, both in front of and behind the camera."

Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, March 1, 2014. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, with the premiere broadcast airing later that evening at 10:00 pm ET/PT exclusively on IFC.

Winners of the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants will be highlighted during the awards ceremony and announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch on Saturday, January 11, 2014, at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 325 submissions this year and applied the following guidelines in determining the nominations: uniqueness of vision, original and provocative subject matter, economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost & individual compensation) and percentage of financing from independent sources. The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees are comprised of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, festival programmers and other working film professionals.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a wine enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

The Unmistakable Mark of the True Artist

The other day I was flipping through the channels and stumbled upon a movie I had never seen before. After about 5 minutes a thought struck me - "this movie must have been directed by Robert Altman!" Did some checking and I found out that I was indeed watching an Altman film - Buffalo Bill and the Indians.

Aside from the question of whether it was a good movie or not, I was impressed by the fact that a director can have such a clear and unique vision that even a few minutes in you know who made it.

Many directors have shown this quality: Stanley Kubrick, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Terrence Malick, and now the new auteur Shane Carruth (among others). And of the course the genius who started it all, Orson Welles.

These filmmakers produce art that shouts to the world, "This Is Me...This Is My Contribution".

This sort of artistic fingerprint didn't begin with the advent of motion pictures.

If you came upon a painting by Vincent Van Gogh that you had never seen before, would you have any doubt whatsoever as to who had painted it? Obviously he was too bold and ahead of his time for 19th-century tastes, but how his work has held up! I had the great thrill a couple of years ago to visit the Orsay Museum in Paris, which contains a large number of famous Impressionist and Expressionist paintings. In that environment it's clear to see who had a clear vision. And when you get to the Van Gogh section - POW! Jumps out like no other.

I try to judge my own paintings in a similar way. I take a few steps back mentally and think, "if people saw this unlabeled on a museum wall, would they know I made it?"

This sort of thinking brings up a troubling problem: when does an artist cross the line from 'clear vision' into 'self-parody and gimmickry'? Notably, J.J. Abrams has caught flak for his signature 'lens flare'. But is this a valid attack? In certain ways, didn't Fellini repeat himself movie after movie? In how many films did Kubrick portray a character with head tilted downward and maniacal eyes staring through the top of his skull? How many times has Malick shown treetops? But these are some of the greatest artists of our time.

This challenge comes to musical artists as well. The Flaming Lips created a masterpiece with The Soft Bulletin. They built on that idea with Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. At this point the band obtained an unprecedented level of success and released their most accessible recording to date At War With The Mystics. I sense that they felt a backlash for 'selling out' or 'repeating themselves' or whatever (I completely disagree), but something compelled them to release the borderline unlistenable Embryonic.

I'm sure that some fans feel like it's the most Lips recording, but I don't think I've listened to it more than 5 times since it came out.

On the other hand, at least it's unique. And that should have some value, right?

Even with art that I personally find atrocious (and shall remain nameless), I have to give some points to the artist for being distinct.

In the end I guess the one thing an artist can do that is unforgivable is to be nondescript.

If you have nothing to say, better to keep quiet.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a world traveler, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

Movie Review: Shane Carruth's "Upstream Color" Is An Unqualified Masterpiece

When it comes to true art, sincerity is what separates genius from charlatan, master from poseur. But how do you define "sincere"? Hard to put a finger on it, but I know it when I see it. Van Gogh was sincere, Pollock was sincere, Monet was sincere. How do I know? Just do.

Which brings us to Shane Carruth.

After having seen "Primer" and now "Upstream Color", I am 100% convinced that this guy is genuine.

You might wonder why that matters so much. Well, it matters because of the nature of the film - which is very, very weird. Now some directors make weird movies because weirdness was the goal in and of itself (see: "Eraserhead".) But then there are weird movies that are strange because it was the way things played out in the mind and heart of the director (see: "The Tree of Life".)

And Terrence Malick is a good reference here - I see Carruth as a new version of the visionary poet.

I don't want to get too much into the storyline. It's like quantum physics: to discuss it is to alter it.

But at a high level the film's story involves mind control, a strange affinity between humans and swine via parasites, and a mysterious individual that may or may not even exist.

Nothing else needs to be said about this film because it needs to be experienced. It's like when someone asks me what "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "The Tree of Life" or even "Fantasia" is about. I want to say, "it's about 2 hours long...go see it!"

So why the glowing praise for this movie? Because Art with a capital "A" is vanishing in our society. For a filmmaker like Shane Carruth to be able to ply his trade and create visual masterpieces that are simultaneously mental puzzles is a glorious thing.

Another thing: only the director himself knows, but I suspect that "Upstream Color" is a highly autobiographical film. Like the best poems of ee cummings and the best works of Salvador Dali, I am convinced that every single frame in this movie means something to Carruth. The simple fact that he has his theme so firmly, deeply fixed in mind, and that he repeats it over and over and over gives the sense of someone reliving some sort of traumatic or at least significant moment from their past.

I get the feeling that making this movie was very cathartic for the director and we are all the beneficiaries. I just hope he has more stories to tell.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a world traveler, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.