The Circuit

Sean Penn and Sir Ben Kingsley have been tapped as presenters for the Gotham Awards.  Penn will present the Gotham Tribute to "Milk's" Gus Van Sant while Kingsley will honor his "Elegy" co-star, Penelope Cruz.

YouTube and Sundance are teaming again for "Project Direct," an online short film competition.  Winner gets a trip to the 2009 fest and a screening at a "non-theatre" festival event.  At the end of the submission period, Sundance programmers will trim down the submissions to 10 semifinalists, which will then be voted on by the YouTubers.  More info at youtube.com/projectdirect, including an address from "The Wrestler" helmer Darren Aronofsky filmed at a mysterious forest bunker.

Milan Intl Film Festival will now accept indie films for a new competition -- the Grand Audience Award, as MIFF calls it.  "“We want our films to be sold and distributed. With this in mind, I began thinking in reverse -- from the goal of releasing a film to understand the necessary steps,” said MIFF founder and director Andrea Galante.  Info at www.miff.it.

The Seattle Intl Film Festival got a grant from the Wallace Foundation to the tune of $750,000.  The cash, to be spent over four years, adds to the $30 grand they got from AMPAS.