18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards

Glancing around the room, you would have thought you were at the Oscars – Penélope Cruz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sean Penn, Dennis Hopper, Harvey Weinstein, Ethan Hawke, Mickey Rourke, Debra Winger, Rachel Weiz, Jeff Goldblum, Marisa Tomei just to name a few. But this was the 2008 Gotham Independent Film Awards, an elegant and buzzworthy New York Independent Film event. Presented by Independent Feature Project (IFP), the Gothams are New York's most prestigious independent film awards program and are considered by many industry insiders as an early indicator of what the Oscar landscape will look like in the Spring.

This year's Gotham Awards kicked off with a celebrity red carpet event at 48 Wall Street, heavily attended by the media. Afterwards, the 750 or so attendees -- a who's who of the independent film world -- made their way across the street to Cipriani Wall Street for a sumptuous dinner. The main event began with an acoustic guitar performance by Academy Award nominated actor Terrence Howard. Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi then took the stage as the night's emcee and warmed up the audience with topical humor. Guest DJ Biz Markie spun through the night, as a cavalcade of Hollywood's finest doled out awards like "Best Film NOT Playing At a Theater Near You".

This year's awards paid special tribute to four iconic figures - Penelope Cruz, "Good Will Hunting" director Gus Van Sant, Melvin Van Peebles and HBO Documentary Film Head Sheila Nevins. Penelop Cruz's tribute was accompanied by a special videotaped message from Woody Allen. Empire Entertainment had the opportunity to produce this year's Gothams because IFP wanted to streamline the nearly two decade-old event without losing any of the relaxed, informal "vibe" that makes the event so special to the A-listers who attend. New York Magazine was among the first to point out that Gotham's partnership with Empire was a success: "If last night's Gotham Awards ceremony at were any indication, the upcoming spate of year-end prize-giving will be a series of smooth, well-oiled affairs. With machinelike precision — are we sure these are independent filmmakers? — the unofficial kickoff to the 2008 movie-awards season began on time, ended on time, and pretty much went without a hitch."

For this program, Empire handled all event logistics, planning, budgeting and coordination, technical production, graphic design of event materials and print advertisments, video roll-ins & scripting, and stage management.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of cutting-edge award programs like the Gotham and Webby Awards.