Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award

The Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award is presented to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $500,000 by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It is named after actor/screenwriter/director John Cassavetes, a pioneer of American independent film.

History

Created for the 15th Independent Spirit Awards, it was originally called the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature (Under $500,000). After that, the rules changed so that any feature film budgeted under $500,000 could be eligible (regardless of how many films the director has made), hence the new name.

Winners

1990s

* 1999: ''The Blair Witch Project'' – Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, directors; Gregg Hale and Robin Cowie, producers
** ''La Ciudad ( The City)'' – David Riker, director and producer; Paul S. Mezey, producer
** '' Compensation'' – Zeinabu irene Davis, director and producer; Marc Arthur Chery, producer
** ''Judy Berlin'' – Eric Mendelsohn, director; Rocco Caruso, producer
** ''Treasure Island'' – Scott King, director; Adrienne Gruben, producer

2000s

* 2000: ''Chuck & Buck'' – Miguel Arteta, director; Matthew Greenfield; producer; Mike White, screenwriter
** ''Bunny'' – Mia Trachinger, director/screenwriter/producer; Rebecca Sonnenshine, producer
** ''Everything Put Together'' – Marc Forster, director/screenwriter; Adam Forgash, screenwriter; Sean Furst and Catherine Lloyd Burns, producers
** ''Groove'' – Greg Harrison, director/screenwriter; Danielle Renfrew, producer
** '' Our Song'' – Jim McKay, director/screenwriter/producer; Paul S. Mezey and Diana E. Williams, producers
* 2001: ''Jackpot'' – Michael Polish, screenwriter/director; Mark Polish, screenwriter/producer
** ''Acts of Worship''
** ''Kaaterskill Falls''
** ''Punks''
** ''Virgil Bliss''
* 2002: '' Personal Velocity'' – Rebecca Miller, screenwriter/director; Lemore Syvan, Alexis Alexanian, and Gary Winick, producers
** '' Charlotte Sometimes''
** '' Dahmer''
** '' ivans xtc.''
** ''The Slaughter Rule''
* 2003: ''The Station Agent'' – Tom McCarthy, screenwriter/director; Mary Jane Skalski, Robert May, and Kathryn Tucker, producers
** ''Anne B. Real''
** '' Better Luck Tomorrow'' - Justin Lin, screenwriter/director/producer; Julie Asato and Ernesto Foronda, producers
** '' Pieces of April'' - Peter Hedges, screenwriter/director; Gary Winick, producer
** ''Virgin''
* 2004: ''Mean Creek'' – Jacob Aaron Estes, screenwriter/director; Hagai Shaham, Rick Rosenthal, and Susan Johnson, producers
** '' Down to the Bone''
** ''On the Outs''
** ''Robbing Peter''
** ''Unknown Soldier''
* 2005: '' Conventioneers'' – Mora Stephens, screenwriter/director; Joel Viertel, screenwriter/producer
** ''Brick'' - Rian Johnson, director/screenwriter
** ''Jellysmoke''
** ''The Puffy Chair'' - Mark and Jay Duplass, director/producer/screenwriters
** ''Room''
* 2006: ''Quinceañera'' - Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland, directors/screenwriters, Anne Clements, producer
** ''12 and Holding''
** ''Chalk''
** ''Four Eyed Monsters''
** ''Old Joy''- Kelly Reichardt, director/screenwriter
* 2007: ''August Evening'' – Chris Eska, screenwriter/director; Connie Hill and Jason Wehling, producers
** '' Owl and the Sparrow''
** '' The Pool''
** '' Quiet City''
** ''Shotgun Stories''
* 2008: '' In Search of a Midnight Kiss'' – Alex Holdridge, screenwriter/director; Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy, producers
** ''Prince of Broadway'' - Sean Baker - director/screenwriter/producer
** '' The Signal''
** ''Take Out'' - Sean Baker, director/screenwriter/producer
** '' Turn the River''
* 2009: ''Humpday'' – Lynn Shelton, screenwriter/director; Steven Schardt and Jennifer Maas, producers
** '' Big Fan'' - Robert D. Siegel, screenwriter/director
** '' The New Year Parade''
** '' Treeless Mountain''
** ''Zero Bridge''

2010s

* 2010: '' Daddy Longlegs'' – Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie, screenwriters/directors; Casey Neistat and Tom Scott, producers
** '' The Exploding Girl''
** '' Lbs.''
** ''Lovers of Hate''
** ''Obselidia''
* 2011: '' Pariah'' – Dee Rees, screenwriter/director, Nekisa Cooper, producer
** '' Bellflower''
** '' Circumstance''
** '' The Dynamiter''
** '' Hello Lonesome''
* 2012: '' Middle of Nowhere'' – Ava DuVernay, screenwriter/director, Paul Garnes and Howard Barish, producers
** '' Breakfast with Curtis''
** '' The Color Wheel'' - Alex Ross Perry, director/screenwriter/producer
** ''Mosquita y Mari''
** ''Starlet'' - Sean Baker, director/screenwriter/producer
* 2013: '' This Is Martin Bonner'' – Writer/Director: Chad Hartigan, Producer: Cherie Saulter
** ''Computer Chess'' – Writer/Director: Andrew Bujalski, Producers: Houston King and Alex Lipschultz
** ''Crystal Fairy'' – Writer/Director: Sebastián Silva, Producers: Juan de Dios Larraín and Pablo Larraín
** '' Museum Hours'' – Writer/Director: Jem Cohen, Producers: Paolo Calamita and Gabriele Kranzelbinder
** ''Pit Stop'' – Writer/Director: Yen Tan, Writer: David Lowery, Producers: Jonathan Duffy, James M. Johnston, Eric Steele, and Kelly Williams
* 2014: ''Land Ho!'' – Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz and Martha Stephens, Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie and Sara Murphy
** ''Blue Ruin'' – Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier, Producers: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino and Anish Savjani
** ''It Felt Like Love'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman, Producers: Shrihari Sathe and Laura Wagner
** '' Man from Reno'' – Writer/Director: Dave Boyle, Writers: Joel Clark and Michael Lerman, Producer: Ko Mori
** ''Test'' – Writer/Director: Chris Mason Johnson, Producer: Chris Martin
* 2015: ''Krisha'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Trey Edward Shults; Producers: Justin R. Chan, Chase Joliet, and Wilson Smith
** ''Advantageous'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Jennifer Phang; Writer/Producer: Jacqueline Kim; Producers: Robert Chang, Ken Jeong, Moon Molson, Theresa Navarro
** ''Christmas, Again'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Charles Poekel
** ''Heaven Knows What'' – Directors: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie; Writers: Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie; Producers: Oscar Boyson and Sebastian Bear McClard
** '' Out of My Hand'' – Writer/Director: Takeshi Fukunaga; Writer/Producer: Donari Braxton; Producer: Mike Fox
* 2016: ''Spa Night'' – Writer/Director: Andrew Ahn; Producers: David Ariniello, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Kelly Thomas
** ''Free In Deed'' – Writer/Director: Jake Mahaffy; Producers: Mike Bowes, Mike S. Ryan, Brent Stiefel
** ''Hunter Gatherer'' – Writer/Director: Josh Locy; Producers: Michael Covino, April Lamb, Sara Murphy, Isaiah Smallman
** '' Lovesong'' – Writer/Director: So Yong Kim; Writer/Producer: Bradley Rust Gray; Producers: David Hansen, Alex Lipschultz, Johnny Mac
** '' Nakom'' – Writer/Director/Producer: T.W. Pittman; Director/Producer: Kelly Daniela Norris; Writer/Producer: Isaac Adakudugu; Producer: Giovanni Ximėnez
* 2017: ''Life and Nothing More'' – Writer/Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza; Producers: Amadeo Hernández Bueno, Alvaro Portanet Hernández, Pedro Hernández Santos
** ''Dayveon'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Amman Abbasi; Writer: Steven Reneau; Producers: Lachion Buckingham, Alexander Uhlmann
** ''A Ghost Story'' – Writer/Director: David Lowery; Producers: Adam Donaghey, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston
** '' Most Beautiful Island'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Ana Asensio; Producers: Larry Fessenden, Noah Greenberg, Chadd Harbold, Jenn Wexler
** '' The Transfiguration'' – Writer/Director: Michael O’Shea; Producer: Susan Leber
* 2018: ''En el séptimo día'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Jim McKay; Producers: Alex Bach, Lindsey Cordero, Caroline Kaplan, Michael Stipe
** '' A Bread Factory'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Patrick Wang; Producers: Daryl Freimark, Matt Miller
** ''Never Goin' Back'' – Writer/Director: Augustine Frizzell; Producers: Liz Cardenas, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston
** ''Sócrates'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Alex Moratto; Writer: Thayná Mantesso; Producers: Ramin Bahrani, Jefferson Paulino, Tammy Weiss
**'' Thunder Road'' – Writer/Director: Jim Cummings; Producers: Natalie Metzger, Zack Parker, Benjamin Weissner
* 2019: ''Give Me Liberty'' – Writer/Director/Producer: Kirill Mikhanovsky; Writer/Producer: Alice Austen; Producers: Val Abel, Wally Hall, Michael Manasseri, George Rush, Sergey Shtern
**'' Burning Cane''
**'' Colewell''
**''Premature''
**''Wild Nights with Emily''

2020s

* 2020: ''Residue'' – Writer/Director: Merawi Gerima
** ''The Killing of Two Lovers''
** '' La Leyenda Negra''
** ''Lingua Franca''
** '' Saint Frances''
* 2021: ''Shiva Baby'' - Writer/Director/Producer: Emma Seligman; Producers: Kieran Altmann, Katie Schiller; Lizzie ShapiroSHIVA BABY wins the JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards on official YouTube channel
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**''Cryptozoo'' - Writer/Director: Dash Shaw
** ''Jockey''
** ''Sweet Thing''
**'' This Is Not a War Story''

Multiple nominees

* Sean Baker - 3 (no wins)
*Jim McKay - 2 (one win)
*Gary Winick - 2 (one win)
* Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie - 2 (one win)

References

External links

Homepage

{{IS Awards Chron

J
Awards established in 1999