Sean Penn film takes top honor at NY indie awards

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sean Penn's film "Into the Wild," which tells the true story of a 24-year-old adventurer's ill-fated trek to Alaska, won for best feature on Tuesday at the Gotham Awards, one of the highly coveted U.S. independent film awards.

Among other films that took out prizes at the top U.S East Coast awards focusing on low-budget and art-house films was Michael Moore's "Sicko" for best documentary. "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead," starring Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and "Talk to Me," starring Don Cheadle, tied for best ensemble cast.

The Gotham Awards are held annually by the Independent Feature Project, an nonprofit organization founded in 1979 that supports independent filmmaking. The awards give film fans an indication of the top independent movies of the year heading into Hollywood's film award season.

The breakthrough actor category went to newcomer Ellen Page for "Juno." She has been praised by critics for her portrayal of a quick-witted American teenager dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.

Craig Zobel won the breakthrough director category for his feature debut "Great World of Sound," which was also nominated for best feature.

"Sicko," which tells the stories of Americans who say they were denied life-saving treatment by insurers, has stoked U.S. debate over health care. It has been short-listed for an Academy Award for best documentary for 2007.

"Into The Wild" was also nominated in the breakthrough actor category for Emile Hirsch. He plays Chris McCandless, a college graduate who at 22 left behind all comforts to reconnect with nature and live on his own terms.

It took 10 years for Penn to persuade McCandless' family to let him make a film about their son. The film is an adaptation of a best-selling book by Jon Krakauer.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Mohammad Zargham)