Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award
Encyclopedia
The Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award is presented to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $500,000 by 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.
During the first year, the award was given to a feature film that featured a first-time director with the film being budgeted under $500,000. Films budgeted higher were eligible for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
. In 2001, the award was given to any feature film budgeted under $500,000 regardless of how many films the director has made.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
/screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
/director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
, a pioneer of American independent film.
During the first year, the award was given to a feature film that featured a first-time director with the film being budgeted under $500,000. Films budgeted higher were eligible for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
The Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards. It is usually given to the director and producer . The "first feature" designation is applied to the director not the producer...
. In 2001, the award was given to any feature film budgeted under $500,000 regardless of how many films the director has made.
Winners
- 1999: The Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
- Daniel MyrickDaniel MyrickDaniel Myrick is an American director most famous for co-directing and writing the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project with Eduardo Sánchez, for which they won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.-Life and career:...
and Eduardo SanchezEduardo SánchezEduardo Miguel Sánchez-Quiros is a Cuban-born American director most famous for co-directing and writing the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project with Daniel Myrick....
, directors; Gregg Hale and Robin Cowie, producers- La Ciudad (The CityThe City (1998 film)The City is an American neo-realist film written and directed by David Riker, his first feature film, and shot in gritty black-and-white film stock. The drama features actor Joseph Rigano and, in neo-realist fashion, an ensemble cast of non-professional actors...
) - David RikerDavid RikerDavid Riker is an American screenwriter and film director.He was born in Boston, and at the age of five, his family moved to Brussels, Belgium, where he attended a French-speaking school...
, director and producer; Paul S. Mezey, producer - CompensationCompensation (film)Compensation is award-winning independent film about a young African American couple at the beginning and end of the twentieth century. The film is produced and directed by Zeinabu irene Davis and the screen play was written by Marc Arthur Chéry. It stars Michelle A. Banks and John Earl Jelks in...
- Zeinabu irene DavisZeinabu irene DavisZeinabu irene Davis is an African American filmmaker and professor of the Department of Communication at the University of California, San Diego. The filmmakers's husband and daughters inspire Davis' films and serve as the driving force for her career...
, director and producer; Marc Arthur Chery, producer - Judy BerlinJudy BerlinJudy Berlin is a 1999 American drama film directed by Eric Mendelsohn. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.Mendelsohn won the directing prize for Judy Berlin at the 1999 Sundance International Film Festival...
- Eric MendelsohnEric MendelsohnEric Mendelsohn is an American film director and screenwriter. Two of his films have been screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes: Through an Open Window in 1992 and Judy Berlin in 1999., which won the Directing Award at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival...
, director; Rocco Caruso, producer - Treasure Island - Scott King, director; Adrienne Gruben, producer
- La Ciudad (The City
- 2000: Chuck & BuckChuck & BuckChuck & Buck is a 2000 comedy-drama film written by and starring Mike White, and directed by Miguel Arteta. The title is a reference to the nickname that poet Charles Bukowski was known as in literary circles—Chuck Buk.-Plot:...
- Miguel ArtetaMiguel ArtetaMiguel Arteta is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film Chuck & Buck , for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.-Early life:...
, director; Matthew GreenfieldMatthew GreenfieldMatthew Greenfield a producer of independent films. He is senior vice-president of production at Fox Searchlight. He was formerly the associate director of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program....
; producer; Mike White, screenwriter- Bunny - Mia Trachinger, director/screenwriter/producer; Rebecca Sonnenshine, producer
- Everything Put TogetherEverything Put TogetherEverything Put Together is a 2000 film directed by Marc Forster starring Radha Mitchell and Megan Mullally....
- Marc ForsterMarc ForsterMarc Forster is a German-Swiss filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner, and Quantum of Solace.- Life and career :...
, director/screenwriter; Adam Forgash, screenwriter; Sean Furst and Catherine Lloyd Burns, producers - GrooveGroove (film)Groove is a movie released in the year 2000; it portrays one night in the San Francisco underground rave scene. Through a single email, the word spreads that a huge rave is going to take place in an abandoned warehouse...
- Greg HarrisonGreg HarrisonGreg Harrison is an American film director and editor.He graduated from Michigan State University.He has directed films such as Groove and November , both of which were produced by Danielle Renfrew....
, director/screenwriter; Danielle Renfrew, producer - Our Song - Jim McKayJim McKay (director)Jim McKay is an American film and television director, producer and writer.He has directed episodes of The Wire, Treme, Big Love, and Criminal Intent as well as writing and directing Everyday People and Angel Rodriguez.-Career:...
, director/screenwriter/producer; Paul S. Mezey and Diana E. Willliams, producers
- 2001: Jackpot - Michael Polish, screenwriter/director; Mark Polish, screenwriter/producer
- 2002: Personal Velocity - Rebecca MillerRebecca MillerRebecca Augusta Miller is an American film director, screenwriter and actress, most known for her films Personal Velocity: Three Portraits , The Ballad of Jack and Rose, and Angela,and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee all of which she wrote and directed.-Life and career:Born in Roxbury,...
, screenwriter/director; Lemore Syvan, Alexis AlexanianAlexis AlexanianAlexis Alexanian is an American producer, sister of David and cofounder of Elixir Films.Alexis started her career in production on larger budget studio films from Mississippi Burning to Jacob's Ladder, A League of Their Own and Striptease, and was named as one of Variety's "10 Producers to Watch"...
, and Gary WinickGary WinickGary Winick was an American film director and producer who directed films such as Tadpole and 13 Going on 30...
, producers
- 2003: The Station AgentThe Station AgentThe Station Agent is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Thomas McCarthy. McCarthy's script about a man who seeks solitude in an abandoned train station in Newfoundland, New Jersey won him the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.-Plot:Finbar McBride, a quiet,...
- Thomas McCarthyThomas McCarthy (actor)Thomas Joseph McCarthy is an American actor, writer, and film director who has appeared in several movies, including Meet the Parents and Good Night, and Good Luck, and television shows such as The Wire, Boston Public, Law & Order, and the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of Saint Maybe...
, screenwriter/director; Mary Jane SkalskiMary Jane SkalskiMary Jane Skalski is a film producer based in New York City and winner of the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for The Station Agent. She attended University of Michigan during the late 1980s and moved to New York, NY upon graduation...
, Robert May, and Kathryn TuckerKathryn Tucker (filmmaker)Kathryn Tucker is a divorced film producer and tech entrepreneur based in New York City. She's the winner of the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for The Station Agent, founder of the RedRover social network, and beta tester for Foursquare and Gmail.-Filmography:*The Truth About Business ...
, producers
- 2004: Mean CreekMean CreekMean Creek is a 2004 independent film produced by Susan Johnson, Rick Rosenthal, and Hagai Shaham, written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes and starring Rory Culkin and Josh Peck. The film concerns a group of teenagers and young adults who devise a plan to humiliate an overweight, troubled bully...
- Jacob Aaron EstesJacob Aaron EstesJacob Aaron Estes is an American screenwriter and film director.Estes wrote and directed his feature debut, Summoning, in 2001. With 2004's Mean Creek, his second offering as writer-director, he gained critical acclaim, receiving nominations at various film festivals and winning the Independent...
, screenwriter/director; Hagai Shaham, Rick RosenthalRick RosenthalRichard L. "Rick" Rosenthal, Jr. is an American film and television director. He is also a producer, actor, and writer.-Biography:...
, and Susan Johnson, producers
- 2005: ConventioneersConventioneers (film)Conventioneers is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Mora Stephens, depicting a romance between a delegate at the Republican National Convention and a member of the Democratic Party....
- Mora Stephens, screenwriter/director; Joel Viertel, screenwriter/producer
- 2006: QuinceaneraQuinceañera (film)Quinceañera is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. It was released as Echo Park, LA in UK. Set in Echo Park, Los Angeles, the film follows the lives of two young Mexican American cousins who become estranged from their families: Magdalena...
- 2007: August EveningAugust EveningAugust Evening is a 2008 film following the relationship between an aging illegal alien farm worker named Jaime and his young, widowed daughter-in-law, Lupe. It was written and directed by Chris Eska, and released on September 5, 2008...
- Chris Eska, screenwriter/director; Connie Hill and Jason Wehling, producers
- 2008: In Search of a Midnight KissIn Search of a Midnight KissIn Search of a Midnight Kiss is an American independent romantic comedy written and directed by Alex Holdridge. It is listed on the National Board of Review's Top 10 Independent Films of 2008, won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award in 2009 as well as having earned awards at festivals...
- Alex HoldridgeAlex HoldridgeAlex Holdridge is an American writer/director based in Venice, California.His first film, Wrong Numbers, was a low-budget comedy about two 18-year-old boys who set out to forget their girlfriend troubles and buy a six pack on the last night of school...
, screenwriter/director; Seth CaplanSeth CaplanSeth Caplan is an award-winning American film producer who lives in Los Angeles, CA. His works include, "In Search of a Midnight Kiss", "Flatland: The Movie", and "Teenage Dirtbag". Seth grew up in Chicago, Illinois where he attended the Francis W. Parker School...
and Scoot McNairyScoot McNairyScoot McNairy is an American actor from Dallas, Texas known for roles in In Search of a Midnight Kiss , Herbie Fully Loaded , and Mr. Fix It . He also plays the lead male role in the recently released film Monsters...
, producers
- 2009: HumpdayHumpdayHumpday is a 2009 American comedy film starring Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, and Alycia Delmore; and directed, produced, and written by Lynn Shelton. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance film festival. International distribution rights have been purchased by Magnolia Pictures for a mid-six figure sum...
- Lynn SheltonLynn SheltonLynn Shelton is an American director known for writing, directing, and producing the 2009 film Humpday.-Early life, and education:Shelton grew up in Seattle. She describes herself as having been audacious as a young girl, but having lost confidence in her creativity in adolescence...
, screenwriter/director; Steven Schardt and Jennifer Maas, producers
- 2010: Daddy LonglegsDaddy Longlegs (2009 film)Daddy Longlegs is a 2009 American independent film directed by the New York based brothers Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie. It premiered at the 2009 Directors' Fortnight section of the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival, under the title Go Get Some Rosemary. It premiered in the United States at the...
- Ben Safdie & Joshua Safdie, screenwriters/directors; Casey Neistat and Tom ScottTom ScottTom Scott may refer to:*Tom Scott , New Zealand cartoonist*Tom Scott , member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame*Tom Scott , coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball program...
, producers
- 2011:
- BellflowerBellflower (film)Bellflower is a 2011 American film written and directed by Evan Glodell. It was produced on a shoestring budget in Ventura, California and premiered in January 2011 at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival....
- Evan GlodellEvan GlodellEvan Glodell is an American feature film director, producer, writer, and actor, who directed the indie film Bellflower on a shoestring budget of $17,000...
, screenwriter/director/producer; Vincent Grashaw, producer - CircumstanceCircumstance (2011 film)Circumstance is a 2011 dramatic film written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz. It explores homosexuality in modern Iran.-Plot:Atafeh is the teenage daughter of a well-to-do Iranian family in Tehran...
- Maryam KeshavarzMaryam KeshavarzMaryam Keshavarz is Iranian-American filmmaker.Keshavarz studied Persian literature at the University of Shiraz before turning to filmmaking. She has a B.A...
, screenwriter/director/producer; Karin Chien and Melissa Lee, producers - The Dynamiter - Matthew Gordon, director/producer; Brad Inglesby, screenwriter; Kevin Abrams, Mike Jones, Nate Tuck, Amile Wilson, Art Jones and Merilee Holt, producers
- Hello Lonesome - Adam Reid, screenwriter/director/producer
- PariahPariah (2011 film)Pariah is a 2011 contemporary drama film written and directed by Dee Rees. It tells the story of Alike , a 17-year old African–American teenager embracing her identity as a lesbian....
- Dee Rees, screenwriter/director, Nekisa Cooper, producer
- Bellflower