The Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Director is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.
History It was first presented in 1985 with Joel Coen and Martin Scorsese being the first winners of the category for Blood Simple and After Hours, respectively.
Directors Barry Jenkins, Tom McCarthy, Joel Coen and Alexander Payne are the only winners who have received this award more than once, with two wins each. Todd Haynes holds the record of most nominations with six (winning one for Far from Heaven), followed by Gus Van Sant with five. Martha Coolidge was the first female director to win the award, receiving it in 1991. Chloé Zhao was the first female of color to win the category in 2020.
Winners and nominees
1980s YearRecipient(s)Film1985Film Independent Spirit Awards - 34 Years of Nominees and WinnersBarry Jenkins expected to join tiny group of double directing champs at Spirit Awards - GoldDerby Joel Coen Blood SimpleMartin Scorsese After Hours Joyce Chopra Smooth Talk Peter Masterson The Trip to Bountiful1986 Oliver Stone Platoon Jim Jarmusch Down by Law David Lynch Blue Velvet Rob Reiner Stand by Me Oliver Stone Salvador 1987 John Huston The Dead Jonathan Demme Swimming to Cambodia Tim Hunter River's Edge Jim McBride The Big Easy John Sayles Matewan1988 Ramon Menendez Stand and Deliver David Burton Morris Patti Rocks Errol Morris The Thin Blue Line Oliver Stone Talk Radio John Waters Hairspray1989 Steven Soderbergh Sex, Lies, and Videotape Jim Jarmusch Mystery Train Charles Lane Sidewalk Stories Nancy Savoca True Love Gus Van Sant Drugstore Cowboy
1990s YearRecipient(s)Film1990 Charles Burnett To Sleep with Anger Reginald Hudlin House Party John McNaughton Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Allan Moyle Pump Up the Volume Michael Roemer The Plot Against Harry1991 Martha Coolidge Rambling Rose Todd Haynes Poison Richard Linklater Slacker Gus Van Sant My Own Private Idaho Joseph Vásquez Hangin' with the Homeboys 1992 Carl Franklin One False Move Allison Anders Gas Food Lodging Abel Ferrara Bad Lieutenant Tom Kalin Swoon Quentin Tarantino Reservoir Dogs1993 Robert Altman Short Cuts Ang Lee The Wedding Banquet Victor Nuñez Ruby in Paradise Robert Rodriguez El Mariachi John Turturro Mac1994 Quentin Tarantino Pulp Fiction John Dahl Red Rock West Ang Lee Eat Drink Man Woman Roman Polanski Death and the Maiden Alan Rudolph Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle1995 Mike Figgis Leaving Las Vegas Michael Almereyda Nadja Ulu Grosbard Georgia Todd Haynes Safe John Sayles The Secret of Roan Inish1996 Joel Coen Fargo Abel Ferrara The Funeral David O. Russell Flirting with Disaster Todd Solondz Welcome to the Dollhouse Robert M. Young Caught1997 Robert Duvall The Apostle Larry Fessenden Habit Victor Nuñez Ulee's Gold Paul Schrader Touch Wim Wenders The End of Violence1998The 1999 Spirit Awards: Gods, Monsters, Sex and Dog Turds|IndieWire Wes Anderson Rushmore Todd Haynes Velvet Goldmine Lodge Kerrigan Claire Dolan Paul Schrader Affliction Todd Solondz Happiness1999 Alexander Payne Election Harmony Korine Julien Donkey-Boy Doug Liman Go David Lynch The Straight Story Steven Soderbergh The Limey
2000s YearRecipient(s)Film2000 Ang Lee Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Darren Aronofsky Requiem for a Dream Miguel Arteta Chuck & Buck Christopher Guest Best in Show Julian Schnabel Before Night Falls2001 Christopher Nolan Memento Michael Cuesta L.I.E. Cheryl Dunye Stranger Inside Richard Linklater Waking Life John Cameron Mitchell Hedwig and the Angry Inch 2002 Todd Haynes Far from Heaven Joe Carnahan Narc Nicole Holofcener Lovely & Amazing Bernard Rose Ivans Xtc Gus Van Sant Gerry2003 Sofia Coppola Lost in Translation Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini American Splendor Jim Sheridan In America Peter Sollett Raising Victor Vargas Gus Van Sant Elephant2004 Alexander Payne Sideways Shane Carruth Primer Joshua Marston Maria Full of Grace Walter Salles The Motorcycle Diaries Mario Van Peebles Baadasssss!2005 Ang Lee Brokeback Mountain Gregg Araki Mysterious Skin Noah Baumbach The Squid and the Whale George Clooney Good Night, and Good Luck Rodrigo García Nine Lives2006 Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Little Miss Sunshine Robert Altman A Prairie Home Companion Ryan Fleck Half Nelson Karen Moncrieff The Dead Girl Steven Soderbergh Bubble2007 Julian Schnabel The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Todd Haynes I'm Not There Tamara Jenkins The Savages Jason Reitman Juno Gus Van Sant Paranoid Park2008 Tom McCarthy The Visitor Ramin Bahrani Chop Shop Jonathan Demme Rachel Getting Married Lance Hammer Ballast Courtney Hunt Frozen River 2009 Lee Daniels Precious Joel Coen and Ethan Coen A Serious Man Cary Fukunaga Sin Nombre James Gray Two Lovers Michael Hoffman The Last Station
2010s YearRecipient(s)Film2010 Darren Aronofsky Black Swan Danny Boyle 127 Hours Lisa Cholodenko The Kids Are All Right Debra Granik Winter's Bone John Cameron Mitchell Rabbit Hole2011 Michel Hazanavicius The Artist Mike Mills Beginners Jeff Nichols Take Shelter Alexander Payne The Descendants Nicolas Winding Refn Drive2012 David O. Russell Silver Linings Playbook Wes Anderson Moonrise Kingdom Julia Loktev The Loneliest Planet Ira Sachs Keep the Lights On Benh Zeitlin Beasts of the Southern Wild 2013 Steve McQueen 12 Years a Slave Shane Carruth Upstream Color J. C. Chandor All Is Lost Jeff Nichols Mud Alexander Payne Nebraska2014 Richard Linklater BoyhoodDamien Chazelle WhiplashAva DuVernay SelmaAlejandro G. Iñárritu Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) David Zellner Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 2015 Tom McCarthy SpotlightSean Baker TangerineCary Joji Fukunaga Beasts of No NationTodd Haynes CarolCharlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson Anomalisa David Robert Mitchell It Follows 2016 Barry Jenkins Moonlight Andrea Arnold American HoneyPablo Larraín JackieJeff Nichols LovingKelly Reichardt Certain Women 2017 Jordan Peele Get OutSean Baker The Florida ProjectJonas Carpignano A CiambraLuca Guadagnino Call Me by Your NameSafdie Brothers Good TimeChloé Zhao The Rider 2018 Barry Jenkins If Beale Street Could TalkDebra Granik Leave No TraceTamara Jenkins Private LifeLynne Ramsay You Were Never Really HerePaul Schrader First Reformed 2019 Safdie Brothers Uncut GemsRobert Eggers The LighthouseAlma Har'el Honey BoyJulius Onah LuceLorene Scafaria Hustlers
2020s YearRecipient(s)Film 2020 Chloé Zhao Nomadland Lee Isaac Chung Minari Emerald Fennell Promising Young Woman Eliza Hittman Never Rarely Sometimes Always Kelly Reichardt First Cow2021 Maggie Gyllenhaal The Lost Daughter Janicza Bravo Zola Lauren Hadaway The Novice Mike Mills C'mon C'mon Ninja Thyberg Pleasure2022 Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert Everything Everywhere All at Once Todd Field Tár Kogonada After Yang Sarah Polley Women Talking Halina Reijn Bodies Bodies Bodies2023 Celine Song Past LivesAndrew Haigh All of Us Strangers Todd Haynes May December William Oldroyd Eileen Ira Sachs Passages2024Sean BakerAnoraAli AbbasiThe ApprenticeBrady CorbetThe BrutalistAlonso RuizpalaciosLa cocinaJane SchoenbrunI Saw the TV Glow2025Spirit Awards 2026 Nominations: Full List – VarietyClint BentleyTrain DreamsMary BronsteinIf I Had Legs I'd Kick YouLloyd Lee ChoiLucky LuIra SachsPeter Hujar's DayEva VictorSorry, Baby
Multiple nominations and wins Multiple nominations Wins Director Todd Haynes 5 Gus van Sant 4 Ang Lee Alexander Payne3 Joel Coen Richard Linklater Jeff Nichols Ira Sachs Paul Schrader Steven Soderbergh Oliver Stone Sean Baker
Multiple wins Wins Director 2 Barry Jenkins Tom McCarthy Joel Coen Ang Lee Alexander Payne
References