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Francesca Woodman was ahead of her time. Unfortunately, she didn't live long enough to find out. The photographer committed suicide in 1981 at age 22, jumping from the top of her apartment building in New York City after not finding the success she'd hoped for after graduating from art school four years earlier.

Tonight, December 22, PBS' Independent Lens will air The Woodmans, a documentary about Francesca and her parents, who are artists as well. It's largely a look at Francesca's genius as a black-and-white photographer whose generally Nsfw nude portraits are what you're likely to see in high fashion photography today: The drama, the themes, the posing — Francesca had an eye for the things that could not have been appreciated until years after her untimely death.

The Woodmans, directed by C. Scott Willis, includes video Francesca shot of her process, interviews with those who knew her in youth and in school and vignettes from her diaries.

Getty Alec Baldwin at the Gotham Awards

Thank goodness it’s warm. That was the standard opening greeting between the actors, directors and producers who attended the 21st annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street last night.

The balmy weather allowed for more smoke breaks, two press lines (one outdoors) and time to walk between the ceremony venue and the undisclosed after party location (two blocks away).

The night began with a two-floored cocktail party where we spoke with Felicity Jones,...

"The Tree of Life" and "Beginners" emerged as the big winners for the 21st Gotham Independent Film Awards. "The Descendants" and "Martha Marcy May Marlene" led the pack with three nominations each but in the end, Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" and Mike Mills' "Beginners" ruled the night.

Related Posts:

Ewan McGregor interview for "Beginners" right here

Mike Mills interview for "Beginners right here

The Gotham Independent Film Awards officially kicks off the 2011-12 award season which of course, leads to the granddaddy of the awards season, the Academy Awards!

Hosted by Edie Falco and Oliver Platt, the Gotham Awards also gave career tributes to Charlize Theron, Gary Oldman, David Cronenberg and Tom Rothman.

"Beginners" also took home the Best Ensemble Performance Award, "Better This World" won Best Documentary, Dee Rees who gave us the wonderful "Pariah" won Breakthrough Director, Felicity Jones for "Like Crazy" won Breakthrough Actor,...

What an odd way to open this year's awards season: Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life and Mike Mills's Beginners have tied for Best Feature at Monday night's Gotham Independent Film Awards, though I suppose one could say that Beginners came out of the evening with a slight edge in that it's also taken the Best Ensemble prize. The other films nominated for Best Feature were Jeff Nichols's Take Shelter, Alexander Payne's The Descendants and Kelly Reichardt's Meek's Cutoff.

Best Ensemble Performance: Beginners (Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos). Also nominated: The Descendants (George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel), Margin Call (Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Aasif Mandvi), Martha Marcy May Marlene (Elizabeth Olsen,...

The 21st Gotham Awards ended with a hung jury: Mike Mills' “Beginners” and Terrence Malick's “The Tree of Life” are both crowned with Best Feature film beating out fellow noms “The Descendants”, “Meek’s Cutoff” and “Take Shelter”. Best Doc went to (a film which I don't even remember having had a theatrical release) in Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega's “Better This World”. It beat “Bill Cunningham New York” by Richard Press, “Hell and Back Again” by Danfung Dennis, “The Interrupters” by Steve James and “The Woodmans” by C Scott Willis. In the Best Ensemble Performance, it was Mike Mills' Beginners crew of Ewan McGregor, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos and Christopher Plummer, the veteran actor who should get ready for Best Supporting Actor speeches for the Indie Spirits and Oscars. Beginners beat out several films that had stornger one,...

Brad Pitt in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life Alexander Payne, Terrence Malick In; Woody Allen Out: Gotham Awards 2011 Best Feature (tie) * Beginners Mike Mills, director; Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Miranda de Pencier, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, producers (Focus Features) The Descendants Alexander Payne, director; Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Meek’s Cutoff Kelly Reichardt, director; Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani, Elizabeth Cuthrell, David Urrutia, producers (Oscilloscope Laboratories) Take Shelter Jeff Nichols, director; Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin, producers (Sony Pictures Classics) * The Tree of Life Terrence Malick, director; Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Best Documentary * Better This World Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega, directors; Katie Galloway, Kelly Duane de la Vega, Mike Nicholson, producers (Loteria Films, Picturebox, Motto Pictures and Passion Pictures; Itvs in association with American Documentary | Pov) Bill Cunningham New York Richard Press,...

Sure, The Oscars are what everyone pays attention to, but over the past few years, the awards known as The Gotham Awards have become more and more influential, and more and more intriguing.

With last year’s winner Winter’s Bone becoming the indie darling of last year’s awards season, it remains to be seen as to what this year’s award darling will be, but we know who it may very well end up being. The nominees for this year’s awards have been revealed, and they are not only interesting, but even have a big time Criterion connection amongst them.

Obviously the biggest winners here are the films The Descendants and Martha Marcy May Marlene, both of which walk away with the most nods respectively. Terrence Malick’s Tree Of Life is up for Best Feature, as is one of this writer’s other favorite 2011 releases, Steve James’ The Interrupters.

Like it or not, here comes awards season. It kicked off in earnest this morning with the announcement of the 21st annual Gotham Awards, where "Martha Marcy May Marlene" and "The Descendants" each scored three nominations. That doesn't sound like much, but at an awards show with just six categories total -- including two they were ineligible for -- it's pretty damn good.

"The Descendants," the new film from "Sideways" director Alexander Payne, is up for Best Feature, Best Ensemble Performance, and Best Breakthrough Actor (Shailene Woodley), while "Martha Marcy May Marlene," earned nominations for Best Ensemble Performance, Breakthrough Director (Sean Durkin -- my interview with him goes up later this afternoon), and Breakthrough Actor (Elizabeth Olsen -- read our interview with her here).

I was personally pleased to see two of my favorite movies of the year so far -- "Take Shelter" and "Beginners" -- up for Best Feature...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: Nominees for the 21st Gotham Independent Film Awards were revealed this morning, and Fox Searchlight’s bound to be pleased.

Two films the studio will be pushing through the awards season – Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” and Sean Durkin’s “Martha March May Marlene” – lead the pack with three nominations apiece, including Best Feature (for “Descendants”) and Best Ensemble Performance (for both films).

The studio’s “The Tree of Life,” director Terrence Malick’s rumination on creation and destruction, also scored a Best Feature nomination. All told, Searchlight nabbed eight Gotham nominations. The closest competitor was Focus Features and Sony Pictures Classics, each with three nominations to their names.

The remaining Best Feature nominees were Mike Mills’ “Beginners,” Jeff Nichols’ “Take Shelter” and Kelly Reichardt’s “Meek’s Cutoff.”

The Gotham Awards’ ceremony will be held on Nov. 28 … the same day the New York...

Continuing with their policy of spreading the joy in across all categories, the Gotham independent film award nominations has Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene and Alexander Payne’s The Descendantsleading the pack with three noms each, but mysteriously it is Durkin's gem that is pushed aside in a Best Feature category that includes Payne's film and Tree of Life, the other best indie film of the year in Jeff Nichols's Take Shelter, and a pair of films that many of us associate to 2010 in Meek's Cutoff and Beginners. The 21st gala will take place in late November. It would be a huge surprise if Martha Marcy May Marlene doesn't take home Breakthrough Actor (Elizabeth Olsen) and Breakthrough Director (the category see Durkin measure himself up against four other Sundance Film Festival newbies - he claimed the Best Directing prize at the festival), but in the Best Ensemble...

The Ifp have announced the nominees for their 21st Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Considered the kick off to awards season, this year’s leaders in nominations are Alexander Payne‘s The Descendants and Sean Durkin‘s Martha Marcy May Marlene with three nominations each.

Along with the competitive awards, Charlize Theron, Gary Oldman, David Cronenberg and Tom Rothman will each be presented with career tributes.

The full list of nominees are below. The awards will be handed out on Monday, November 28th at Cipriani Wall Street.

And from Nov. 18-21 be sure to check out the nominees of the Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You (selected by us at Filmmaker) when they screen at MoMA.

The nominees for the 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards are:

Best Feature

Beginners

Mike Mills, director; Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Miranda de Pencier, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, producers (Focus Features)

The Descendants

Alexander Payne,...

The heavy awards onslaught is gearing up and it is a good year to be Fox Searchlight. The 21st Gotham Independent Film Award Nominations have been announced and two of the studio’s films happen to lead the pack. Alexander Payne‘s The Descendants picked up nominations for Best Feature, Best Ensemble Performance and Best Breakthrough Actor. Their Sundance hit (and one of my personal favorites of the year) Martha Marcy May Marlene picked up Ensemble, Breakthrough Actor and Breakthrough Director for Sean Durkin.

That latter award is a great pack including Mike Cahill for Another Earth, Vera Farmiga for Higher Ground, Evan Glodell for Bellflower and Dee Rees for Pariah. It is also great to see my frontrunner for #1 film of 2011, Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life get a Best Feature nomination. Check out the noms below via indieWIRE.

New York, NY (October 20, 2011) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp...

Director: Scott Willis Death and art are hardly strangers to one another. In fact, one could argue cases were they have been tragically complimentary. Death often becomes the very catalyst for success, recognition or even acceptance artists were unable to achieve in life. (The tortured artist concept is so cliché, I almost feel ridiculous just having written it down.) The Woodmans, directed by C. Scott Willis, is, thankfully, not so much a documentary about the tortured (was she always?) young soul of Francesca Woodman; rather it is a documentary about her life and how she lived it. Most importantly, it focuses on what it means to be a member of the Woodman family. Interviews with George and Betty Woodman provide the bulk of information on their family as well as interviews with Charlie Woodman, their eldest child, childhood friends of Francesca’s and college classmates. All are pieced together to...

Artist Francesca Woodman committed suicide in 1981 at age 22, leaving behind a collection of photographs, videos, and books that have since been exhibited around the world. Scott Willis’ documentary The Woodmans isn’t just about Francesca and her alternately beautiful and shocking black-and-white nude self-portraits. It’s also about the guardians of her legacy: her parents George and Betty, artists who share mixed feelings of guilt and pride over what became of their daughter. George and Betty Woodman would be an exceptional couple even if they hadn’t spawned Francesca. Long before it was fashionable, the Woodmans lived as ...

It's one of the fundamental questions of art. Who is a work of art ultimately about, the artist or the audience? In film we have the auteur theory, which argues that a movie is the creation of a single author, and that to understand that author is to better understand that movie. Our interpretation of Alfred Hitchcock's filmography and its recurring theme of wrongful imprisonment is enhanced by our knowledge of a story from Hitchcock's childhood; his father had him locked up in a local jail for a couple hours to teach him a lesson. Hitchcock was scarred for life, but that scar produced some wonderful movies. So that brings in a second fundamental question: are the best artists the ones who are the most emotionally damaged?

Both of these questions are at the core the new documentary "The Woodmans," a thought-provoking look at one troubled family of artists...

One of the best parts of any film festival is when a film with a small story and a seemingly low profile connects with the audience and makes a big impact. Such was the case at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival with The Woodmans, the first feature documentary by director C. Scott Willis. A true New York story, The Woodmans introduces us to a unique family of visual artists: parents Betty and George, son Charlie, and daughter Francesca Woodman. Their family dynamic is particularly unusual because Francesca committed suicide in 1981, yet she is still very much a part - to varying degrees - of their everyday lives. A gifted and prolific photographer, Francesca has achieved a certain level of fame since her death, and the film explores, among other things, her family's reaction to that fame. We caught up with Willis as his film makes his way to theaters - it opens on Wednesday,...

North American rights for "The Woodmans," C. Scott Willis' documentary that focuses on a highly influential family of artists, have gone to Lorber Films. Winner of the Best New York Documentary award at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, the film is set to open in New York City at Film Forum on January 19, 2011, followed by a national rollout. Willis' documentary traces the story of George and Betty Woodman, ...

The Vancouver International Film Festival is my baby. In its 29th year, this is the event I look forward to every year. The lists I've kept through the year come out and I eagerly look through the list of titles in search of those little gems and every year Viff responds with a huge assortment of titles. This year's festival is no different.

Some of the titles we're most eagerly anticipating include Tsumetai Nettaigyo’s Cold Fish (trailer), Gareth Edwards’ Monsters (trailer, review), Jo Sung-Hee’s apocalyptic road movie End of Animal, Carl Bessai’s Repeaters (trailer) and Xavier Dolan's Heartbeats (trailer, review).

There's loads more so be sure to check the titles (so far) after the break. Many more to be announced in the coming days.

Canadian Images

Altitude (Kaare Andrews), B.C.

View trailer

A weekend getaway aboard a small plane turns deadly for a rookie pilot and four teenage friends.

Fresh off his success at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, the director of the award-winning documentary The Woodmans (not to be confused with the 2004 Kevin Bacon film The Woodsman) shared his experience with Collider to help aspiring filmmakers. C. Scott Willis took home the festival’s Best New York Documentary along with a fair share of critical and audience buzz. He’s an Emmy-Award winning producer with an extensive news background (CNN, ABC News’ Nightline & PBS’ Frontline), so it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The Woodmans tracks the life of Francesca Woodman, whose inventive photography became celebrated, only after her tragic death in 1981. She came from a family of artists (parents Betty & George Woodman & brother Charlie) & they tell most of her story in the film.

Hit the jump for the full audio and transcription. He has advice on every phase of filmmaking that ranges from ethical questions to the festival submission process.

2010 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Awards

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When We Leave (Die Fremde), Dog Pound, Monica & David, And The Arbor Win Top Awards In Juried World Competitions

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More Than $150,000 Handed Out In Cash Prizes

[April 29, 2010 – New York, NY] –The ninth annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by founding sponsor American Express, announced the winners of its world competition categories tonight at a ceremony hosted at the W Union Square in New York City.

The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 20 countries. Two awards were given to honor New York films, which were chosen from seven narrative and six documentary features. Awards were also given for the best narrative, best documentary and student visionary films in the short film competitions. This year’s Festival included 85 features and 47 short films from 38 countries.

Also announced at the awards were the...

The ninth annual Tribeca Film Festival announced its winners Thursday night at a ceremony hosted at the W Union Square in New York City.

“The award winning films selected by the jury each features strong characters and subjects; these films challenge you to see the world from another perspective,” said Jane Rosenthal. “I wish all the filmmakers continued success and hope that they will bring their work back to Tribeca in the years to come.”

Following are the winners and their awards:

The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – When We Leave (Die Fremde), directed and written by Feo Aladag. (Germany).

Special Jury Mention: Loose Cannons, directed by Ferzan Ozpetek and written by Ferzan Ozpetek and Ivan Cotroneo.

Best New Narrative Filmmaker – Kim Chapiron for Dog Pound, written by Kim Chapiron and Jeremie Delon. (France).

Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Eric Elmosnino as Serge Gainsbourg in Gainsbourg, Je t’Aime … Moi Non Plus,...

Tonight, as the Tribeca Film Festival comes to an end, the Festival Awards were announced. This year the jury was comprised of Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, Cheryl Hines, America Ferrera, Justin Bartha, Brooke Shields, Alicia Keys, Zach Braff, Aidan Quinn, Hope Davis, Gary Ross, Selma Blair, Peter Facinelli, Whoopi Goldberg and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey were among the 35 festival jurors.

The big prize for Best Narrative Feature went to, “When We Leave” (Germany), written and directed by Feo Aladag. Also Best Documentary Feature went to, “Monica & David” (USA) directed by Alexandra Codina. You can read my review of “Monica & David”. The film follows a married couple with Down Syndrome, learning to live together and wanting to gain more adult responsiblities was the most charming film I’ve seen during the festival. The couple accepted the award in New York City.

Although I am personally disappointed my favorite documentary, “The Arbor” didn’t get the award,...

In director C. Scott Willis' Tribeca World Documentary Feature Competition film, "The Woodmans," a family's turn with tragedy and art comes is in the spotlight. The Woodmans is an inspiring portrait of one family's fall and redemption in the often brutal world of art. Family patriarch George is a professor and painter. Wife and mother Betty is a ceramicist who earns her own show at The Met. Charlie, their son, is ...

In director C. Scott Willis' Tribeca World Documentary Feature Competition film, "The Woodmans," a family's turn with tragedy and art comes is in the spotlight. The Woodmans is an inspiring portrait of one family's fall and redemption in the often brutal world of art. Family patriarch George is a professor and painter. Wife and mother Betty is a ceramicist who earns her own show at The Met. Charlie, their son, is ...

For tonight’s installment, we’ve chosen to feature the trailer for what looks to be a charming documentary, highlighting a family of artists. The Woodmans is C. Scott Willis’ first film, and looks to be a creative approach to a genre often looked at through less artistic eyes.

The Woodmans will screen on April 25th, 27th, 28th, and May 1st. For a complete list of screening times and locations, visit the official Tribeca Page. You can also visit the film’s website and become a fan on Facebook.

What do you think of these Tribeca previews? Are you enjoying the trailers? Are you planning on attending any screenings at the Film Festival? Leave your comments below.

The Woodmans is an inspiring portrait of one family’s fall and redemption in the often brutal world of art. Family patriarch George is a professor and painter. Wife and mother Betty is...