The Film Panel Notetaker: Online Audience Voting Open For Cinema Eye Nonfiction Filmmaking Awards

The Cinema Eye Nonfiction Filmmaking Awards are only a few weeks away, but in the mean time, voting for the Audience Award is now open. You have till March 10 to vote. Here's all the details from Indiepix:

New York, US - 3 March, 2008 - IndiePixfilms, the Internet-based distributor of independent films, has opened the online voting for the Audience Choice Award at the upcoming 'Cinema Eye' Nonfiction Filmmaking Awards - the first ever awards that honor excellence in nonfiction filmmaking. Film enthusiasts from across the globe can now vote for their favourite nonfiction film from the nine nominations - see below - ahead of the awards which will be presented at the inaugural Cinema Eye Awards at the IFC Center Cinema in New York on March 18. Among the nine nominations for the award are Michael Moore's 'Sicko' and 'Into Great Silence' directed by Philip Gröning.

Until March 10, voters can find out more about each nominated title, including a synopsis and extended trailer of the film at http://www.cinemaeyeawards.com/awards/audience.html. Leading Film Festivals, including Boston IFF, LA Film Festival and Big Sky Film Festival, will be collaborating with IndiePix to achieve the biggest ever outreach into the independent film community that targets over 300,000 online voters.

In the words of Bob Alexander, President of IndiePix: "By teaming up with Film Festivals across the US, we have been able to reach out to literally hundreds of thousands of independent film fans who really are the heart and soul of the independent film community. The Audience Choice Award will be decided by votes cast by these independent film fans as well as the film-going public from across the world. Because of this, I believe the winner will feel especially honored, as it will be the only award of the night which solely reflects the opinion of the film-loving public."

In association with Netflix, the largest online DVD rental service, voters can "add to my queue" to rent the film from Netflix, or alternatively "buy this film", through IndiePix. In addition, IndiePix is also offering an industry leading streaming feature with the highest quality picture and sound available through BroadRamp, the fully-interactive multimedia content delivery system - with no requirements for a special player.

"The participation of Netflix and Broadramp provides the all important interaction between the voting public and the nominated films. The simplicity involved in renting, streaming or buying any one of these films through the Cinema Eye website is fantastic and it is technological advances like this which will continue to strengthen the independent film industry and help filmmakers achieve the recognition they deserve," added Bob Alexander.

The nine nominations for the Audience Choice Prize are: