The Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and honors feature film directorial debuts. Named after Bingham Ray since 2013, the breakthrough director award was first given in 1991 as the Open Palm Award, with Jennie Livingston being the first recipient of the award, for her work in Paris Is Burning. From 1991 to 1996 only the winner was announced, since 1997, a set of 5 to 6 nominees is presented annually.

Winners and nominees

1990s YearDirector(s)Film1991Jennie LivingstonParis Is Burning1992Tom KalinSwoon1993Leslie HarrisJust Another Girl on the I.R.T.1994Rose TrocheGo Fish1995Rebecca MillerAngela1996Lisa KruegerManny & Lo1997Macky AlstonFamily NameMorgan J. Freeman Hurricane StreetsJohn O'Hagan WonderlandIra Sachs The DeltaAlex Sichel All Over Me1998Darren AronofskyPiLisa Cholodenko High ArtChris Eyre Smoke SignalsVincent Gallo Buffalo '66Harmony Korine Gummo1999David RikerThe CityTim Kirkman Dear JesseEric Mendelsohn Judy BerlinMark Polish and Michael Polish Twin Falls IdahoFrank Whaley Joe the King

2000s YearDirector(s)Film2000Karyn KusamaGirlfightBruno de Almeida On the RunMyles Connell The OpportunistsTom Gilroy Spring ForwardKenneth Lonergan You Can Count on Me2001Henry BeanThe BelieverJohn Cameron MitchellHedwig and the Angry InchMichael Cuesta L.I.E.Daniel Minahan Series 7: The ContendersRandy Redroad The Doe BoyDavid Wain Wet Hot American Summer2002Eric EasonManitoBertha Bay-Sa Pan FaceEthan Hawke Chelsea WallsMoisés Kaufman The Laramie ProjectPeter Mattei Love in the Time of MoneyFisher Stevens Just a Kiss2003Shari Springer Berman and Robert PulciniAmerican SplendorAlfredo De Villa Washington HeightsPeter Hedges Pieces of AprilDylan Kidd Roger DodgerTom McCarthy The Station AgentPeter Sollett Raising Victor Vargas2004Joshua MarstonMaria Full of GraceRodney Evans Brother to BrotherDebra Granik Down to the BoneNicole Kassell The WoodsmanLori Silverbush and Michael Skolnik On the Outs2005Bennett MillerCapoteMiranda July Me and You and Everyone We KnowPhil Morrison JunebugAndrew Wagner The Talent Given UsAlice Wu Saving Face2006Ryan FleckHalf NelsonRamin Bahrani Man Push CartLaurie Collyer SherrybabySo Yong Kim In Between DaysJames Marsh The King2007Craig ZobelGreat World of SoundLee Isaac Chung MunyurangaboStephane Gauger Owl and the SparrowJulia Loktev Day Night Day NightDavid Von Ancken Seraphim Falls2008Lance HammerBallastAntonio Campos AfterschoolDennis Dortch A Good Day to Be Black and SexyBarry Jenkins Medicine for MelancholyAlex Rivera Sleep Dealer2009Robert D. SiegelBig FanCruz Angeles Don't Let Me DrownFrazer Bradshaw Everything Strange and NewNoah Buschel The Missing PersonDerick Martini Lymelife

2010s YearDirector(s)Film2010Kevin AschHoly RollersLena Dunham Tiny FurnitureGlenn Ficarra and John Requa I Love You Phillip MorrisTanya Hamilton Night Catches UsJohn Wells The Company Men2011Dee ReesPariahMike Cahill Another EarthSean Durkin Martha Marcy May MarleneVera Farmiga Higher GroundEvan Glodell Bellflower2012Benh ZeitlinBeasts of the Southern WildZal Batmanglij Sound of My VoiceBrian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky FrancineJason Cortlund and Julia Halperin Now, ForagerAntonio Méndez Esparza Aquí y allá2013Ryan Coogler Fruitvale StationAdam Leon Gimme the LootAlexandre Moors Blue CapriceStacie Passon ConcussionAmy Seimetz Sun Don't Shine2014Ana Lily Amirpour A Girl Walks Home Alone at NightJames Ward Byrkit CoherenceDan Gilroy NightcrawlerEliza Hittman It Felt Like LoveJustin Simien Dear White People2015Jonas Carpignano MediterraneaDesiree Akhavan Appropriate BehaviorMarielle Heller The Diary of a Teenage GirlJohn Magary The MendJosh Mond James White2016Trey Edward Shults KrishaRobert Eggers The WitchAnna Rose Holmer The FitsDaniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert Swiss Army ManRichard Tanne Southside with You2017Jordan Peele Get OutMaggie Betts NovitiateGreta Gerwig Lady BirdKogonada ColumbusJoshua Z Weinstein Menashe2018Bo Burnham Eighth GradeAri Aster HereditaryJennifer Fox The TaleCrystal Moselle Skate KitchenBoots Riley Sorry to Bother You2019Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre The MustangKent Jones DianeJoe Talbot The Last Black Man in San FranciscoOlivia Wilde BooksmartPhillip Youmans Burning Cane

2020s YearDirector(s)Film2020Andrew Patterson The Vast of NightRadha Blank The Forty-Year-Old VersionChanning Godfrey Peoples Miss JuneteenthCarlo Mirabella-Davis SwallowAlex Thompson Saint Frances2021Maggie Gyllenhaal The Lost DaughterShatara Michelle Ford Test PatternRebecca Hall PassingEdson Oda Nine DaysEmma Seligman Shiva Baby2022Charlotte Wells AftersunElegance Bratton The InspectionBeth de Araújo Soft & QuietOwen Kline Funny PagesAntoneta Alamat Kusijanović MurinaJane Schoenbrun We're All Going to the World's Fair2023A. V. Rockwell A Thousand and One Michelle Garza Cervera Huesera: The Bone WomanRaven Jackson All Dirt Roads Taste of SaltGeorgia Oakley Blue JeanCeline Song Past Lives2024Vera Drew The People's JokerIndia Donaldson Good OneMahdi Fleifel To a Land UnknownAlessandra Lacorazza In the SummersShuchi Talati Girls Will Be Girls2025 Akinola Davies Jr.My Father's ShadowConstance Tsang Blue Sun Palace Carson Lund EephusSarah Friedland Familiar TouchHarris Dickinson Urchin

See also John Cassavetes Award Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature

References