Independent Spirit Award for Best Director | |
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![]() The 2023 recipient: Celine Song | |
Awarded for | Best Director |
Country | United States |
Presented by | Film Independent |
First award | 1985 |
Currently held by | Celine Song for Past Lives (2023) |
Website | filmindependent |
The Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Director is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.
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.