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Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
Annual US film award
Summary
Annual US film award
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay |
| awarded_for | Best First Screenplay |
| presenter | Film Independent |
| country | United States |
| year | 1994 |
| holder | Sean Wang for Dìdi (2024) |
| website |
The Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay is one of the annual awards given by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It was first presented in 1994 with David O. Russell being the first recipient of the award for Spanking the Monkey, a film he also directed.
Winners and nominees
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1990s
| Year | Recipient(s) | Film | 1994 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1996 | |||||||
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | ||||||
| David O. Russell | *Spanking the Monkey* | |||||||
| Paul Zehrer | Blessing | |||||||
| Kevin Smith | Clerks | |||||||
| James Bosley | Fun | |||||||
| Tom Noonan | What Happened Was | |||||||
| Paul Auster | *Smoke* | |||||||
| Harmony Korine | Kids | |||||||
| James Gray | Little Odessa | |||||||
| Steve McLean | Postcards from America | |||||||
| Kelly Reichardt | River of Grass | |||||||
| Joseph Tropiano and Stanley Tucci | *Big Night* | |||||||
| Suzan-Lori Parks | Girl 6 | |||||||
| Lisa Krueger | Manny & Lo | |||||||
| Michael Scott Myers | The Whole Wide World | |||||||
| Steve Buscemi | Trees Lounge | |||||||
| Neil LaBute | *In the Company of Men* | |||||||
| Steven Schwartz | Critical Care | |||||||
| Paul Thomas Anderson | Hard Eight | |||||||
| Miguel Arteta | Star Maps | |||||||
| Daniel Harris | The Bible and Gun Club | |||||||
| Darren Aronofsky | *Pi* | |||||||
| Lisa Cholodenko | High Art | |||||||
| Matthew Weiss | Niagara, Niagara | |||||||
| Tamara Jenkins | Slums of Beverly Hills | |||||||
| Sherman Alexie | Smoke Signals | |||||||
| Charlie Kaufman | *Being John Malkovich* | |||||||
| Kimberly Peirce and Andy Bienen | Boys Don't Cry | |||||||
| Anne Rapp | Cookie's Fortune | |||||||
| Tod Williams | The Adventures of Sebastian Cole | |||||||
| John Roach and Mary Sweeney | The Straight Story |
2000s
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| Year | Recipient(s) | Film | 2000 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | ||||||||||||
| 2002 | ||||||||||||
| 2003 | ||||||||||||
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | ||||||||||
| 2007 | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | 2009 | |||||||||||
| Gina Prince-Bythewood | *Love & Basketball* | |||||||||||
| Ben Younger | Boiler Room | |||||||||||
| David Gordon Green | George Washington | |||||||||||
| Jordan Walker-Pearlman | The Visit | |||||||||||
| Ross Klavan and Michael McGruther | Tigerland | |||||||||||
| Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff | *Ghost World* | |||||||||||
| Richard Kelly | Donnie Darko | |||||||||||
| John Cameron Mitchell | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | |||||||||||
| Stephen M. Ryder, Michael Cuesta and Gerald Cuesta | L.I.E. | |||||||||||
| Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming | The Anniversary Party | |||||||||||
| Erin Cressida Wilson | *Secretary* | |||||||||||
| Laura Cahill | Hysterical Blindness | |||||||||||
| Burr Steers | Igby Goes Down | |||||||||||
| Neil Burger | Interview with the Assassin | |||||||||||
| Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt | Kissing Jessica Stein | |||||||||||
| Tom McCarthy | *The Station Agent* | |||||||||||
| Karen Moncrieff | Blue Car | |||||||||||
| Patty Jenkins | Monster | |||||||||||
| Peter Sollett and Eva Vives | Raising Victor Vargas | |||||||||||
| Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed | Thirteen | |||||||||||
| Joshua Marston | *Maria Full of Grace* | |||||||||||
| Rodney Evans | Brother to Brother | |||||||||||
| Zach Braff | Garden State | |||||||||||
| Shane Carruth | Primer | |||||||||||
| Mario de la Vega | Robbing Peter | |||||||||||
| Duncan Tucker | *Transamerica* | |||||||||||
| Kenneth Hanes | Fixing Frank | |||||||||||
| Angus MacLachlan | Junebug | |||||||||||
| Miranda July | Me and You and Everyone We Know | |||||||||||
| Sabina Murray | The Beautiful Country | |||||||||||
| Michael Arndt | *Little Miss Sunshine* | |||||||||||
| Dito Montiel | A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints | |||||||||||
| Gabrielle Zevin | Conversations with Other Women | |||||||||||
| Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden | Half Nelson | |||||||||||
| Goran Dukić | Wristcutters: A Love Story | |||||||||||
| Diablo Cody | *Juno* | |||||||||||
| Jeffrey Blitz | Rocket Science | |||||||||||
| Zoe Cassavetes | Broken English | |||||||||||
| Kelly Masterson | Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | |||||||||||
| John Orloff | A Mighty Heart | |||||||||||
| Dustin Lance Black | *Milk* | |||||||||||
| Lance Hammer | Ballast | |||||||||||
| Courtney Hunt | Frozen River | |||||||||||
| Jonathan Levine | The Wackness | |||||||||||
| Jenny Lumet | Rachel Getting Married | |||||||||||
| Geoffrey Fletcher | *Precious* | |||||||||||
| Sophie Barthes | Cold Souls | |||||||||||
| Scott Cooper | Crazy Heart | |||||||||||
| Cherien Dabis | Amreeka | |||||||||||
| Tom Ford and David Scearce | A Single Man |
2010s
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| Year | Recipient(s) | Film | 2010 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |||||||||
| 2015 | ||||||||||||
| 2016 | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||||||
| 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||
| Lena Dunham | *Tiny Furniture* | |||||||||||
| Robert Glaudini | Jack Goes Boating | |||||||||||
| Nik Fackler | Lovely, Still | |||||||||||
| Dana Adam Shapiro and Evan M. Wiener | Monogamy | |||||||||||
| Diane Bell | Obselidia | |||||||||||
| Will Reiser | *50/50* | |||||||||||
| Mike Cahill and Brit Marling | Another Earth | |||||||||||
| J. C. Chandor | Margin Call | |||||||||||
| Patrick deWitt | Terri | |||||||||||
| Phil Johnston | Cedar Rapids | |||||||||||
| Derek Connolly | *Safety Not Guaranteed* | |||||||||||
| Rama Burshtein | Fill the Void | |||||||||||
| Christopher D. Ford | Robot & Frank | |||||||||||
| Rashida Jones and Will McCormack | Celeste and Jesse Forever | |||||||||||
| Jonathan Lisecki | Gayby | |||||||||||
| Bob Nelson | *Nebraska* | |||||||||||
| Lake Bell | In a World... | |||||||||||
| Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Don Jon | |||||||||||
| Jill Soloway | Afternoon Delight | |||||||||||
| Michael Starrbury | The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete | |||||||||||
| Justin Simien | *Dear White People* | |||||||||||
| Desiree Akhavan | Appropriate Behavior | |||||||||||
| Sara Colangelo | Little Accidents | |||||||||||
| Justin Lader | The One I Love | |||||||||||
| Anja Marquardt | She's Lost Control | |||||||||||
| Emma Donoghue | *Room* | |||||||||||
| Jesse Andrews | Me and Earl and the Dying Girl | |||||||||||
| Jonas Carpignano | Mediterranea | |||||||||||
| Marielle Heller | The Diary of a Teenage Girl | |||||||||||
| John Magary; Russell Harbaugh and Myna Joseph (story by) | The Mend | |||||||||||
| Robert Eggers | *The Witch* | |||||||||||
| Chris Kelly | Other People | |||||||||||
| Adam Mansbach | Barry | |||||||||||
| Stella Meghie | Jean of the Joneses | |||||||||||
| Craig Shilowich | Christine | |||||||||||
| Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani | *The Big Sick* | |||||||||||
| Kris Avedisian, Kyle Espeleta (story by), and Jesse Wakeman (story by) | Donald Cried | |||||||||||
| Ingrid Jungermann | Women Who Kill | |||||||||||
| Kogonada | Columbus | |||||||||||
| David Branson Smith & Matt Spicer | Ingrid Goes West | |||||||||||
| Bo Burnham | *Eighth Grade* | |||||||||||
| Christina Choe | Nancy | |||||||||||
| Cory Finley | Thoroughbreds | |||||||||||
| Jennifer Fox | The Tale | |||||||||||
| Laurie & Quinn Shephard | Blame | |||||||||||
| Fredrica Bailey and Stefon Bristol | *See You Yesterday* | |||||||||||
| Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen | Driveways | |||||||||||
| Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy | Blow the Man Down | |||||||||||
| Jocelyn Deboer and Dawn Luebbe | Greener Grass | |||||||||||
| James Montague and Craig W. Sanger | The Vast of Night |
2020s
| Year | Recipient(s) | Film | 2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2025 | |||||||
| Andy Siara | *Palm Springs* | |||||||
| Kitty Green | The Assistant | |||||||
| Noah Hutton | Lapsis | |||||||
| Channing Godfrey Peoples | Miss Juneteenth | |||||||
| James Sweeney | Straight Up | |||||||
| Michael Sarnoski and Vanessa Block | *Pig* | |||||||
| Sheldon D. Brown and Matthew Fifer | Cicada | |||||||
| Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr. | Wild Indian | |||||||
| Shatara Michelle Ford | Test Pattern | |||||||
| Fran Kranz | Mass | |||||||
| John Patton Ford | *Emily the Criminal* | |||||||
| Joel Kim Booster | Fire Island | |||||||
| Jamie Dack and Audrey Findlay, story by Jamie Dack | Palm Trees and Power Lines | |||||||
| K.D. Dávila | Emergency | |||||||
| Sarah DeLappe, story by Kristen Roupenian | Bodies Bodies Bodies | |||||||
| Samy Burch; story by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik | *May December* | |||||||
| Tomás Gómez Bustillo | Chronicles of a Wandering Saint | |||||||
| Laurel Parmet | The Starling Girl | |||||||
| Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, and Ben Platt | Theater Camp | |||||||
| Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez | Upon Entry | |||||||
| Sean Wang | *Dìdi* | |||||||
| Joanna Arnow | The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed | |||||||
| Annie Baker | Janet Planet | |||||||
| India Donaldson | Good One | |||||||
| Julio Torres | Problemista | |||||||
| Andrew DeYoung | Friendship | |||||||
| Elena Oxman | Outerlands | |||||||
| Alex Russell | Lurker | |||||||
| Syreeta Singleton | One of Them Days | |||||||
| Constance Tsang | Blue Sun Palace |
References
References
- [https://www.filmindependent.org/blog/ten-groundbreaking-film-independent-spirit-awards-wins/ Ten Groundbreaking Film Independent Spirit Awards Wins - Film Independent]
- [https://www.purchase.edu/live/profiles/1800-stanley-tucci Stanley Tucci · Conversatory of Theatre Arts · Purchase College]
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120601/awards?ref_=tt_awd Being John Malkovich - Awards - IMDb]
- [https://www.loc.gov/item/event-394141/love-and-basketball-new-line-cinema-2000/2018-12-01/ "Love and Basketball" (New Line Cinema, 2000). Library of Congress]
- [https://mubi.com/films/ghost-world Ghost World (2001) - MUBI]
- [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83726/14-big-facts-about-little-miss-sunshine 14 Big Facts About 'Little Miss Sunshine' - Mental Floss]
- [https://drafthouse.com/show/juno JUNO. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema]
- [http://seattlegayscene.com/event/pride-film-series-milk-2008/ PRIDE Film Series: MILK (2008) Seattle Gay Scene. Your Daily Gay in Seattle]
- [https://mubi.com/films/frozen-river Frozen River (2008) - MUBI]
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929632/awards?ref_=tt_awd Precious - Awards - IMDb]
- [http://filmadelphia.org/events/tiny-furniture/ Tiny Furniture - Philadelphia Film Society]
- [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1170855/awards?ref_=nm_awd J.C. Chandor - Awards - IMDb]
- [https://news.chapman.edu/2015/02/23/justin-simien-05-wins-independent-spirit-award-for-best-first-screenplay/ Justin Simien '05 wins Independent Spirit Award. Best First Screenplay. Chapman Newsroom]
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3170832/awards?ref_=tt_awd Room - Awards - IMDb]
- [https://www.indiewire.com/2017/02/robert-eggers-independent-spirit-best-first-screenplay-award-witch-1201787020/ Robert Eggers Wins Independent Spirit First Screenplay Award. IndieWire]
- [https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/the-big-sick-wins-indie-spirit-award-best-screenplay-1201935015/ 'The Big Sick' Wins Indie Spirit Award. Best First Screenplay. IndieWire]
- [https://ew.com/awards/2020/02/08/film-independent-spirit-awards-2020-winners-list/ Film Independent Spirit Awards 2020:See the winners list. EW.com]
- [https://www.indiewire.com/2021/04/2021-independent-spirit-awards-winners-list-1234630882/ 2021 Independent Spirit Awards Winner's List. IndieWire]
- Galuppo, Mia. (March 6, 2022). "Spirit Awards: 'The Lost Daughter,' 'Reservation Dogs' Win Big as Ukraine Fuels Onstage Remarks". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
- Davis, Clayton. (November 22, 2022). "Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: ‘Everything Everywhere’ Leads With Eight Noms". [[Variety (magazine).
- "Film Independent Spirit Awards (2024)".
- [https://variety.com/2025/film/news/spirit-awards-2026-nominations-1236596640/ Spirit Awards 2026 Nominations: Full List – Variety]
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