Saturday, December 21

FISA – Best Director

Click through each award to see the full list of nominees and winners!

2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Uncut Gems Benny Safdie

Uncut Gems

Benny Safdie

2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

If Beale Street Could Talk Barry Jenkins

If Beale Street Could Talk

Barry Jenkins

2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Get Out Jordan Peele

Get Out

Jordan Peele

2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Moonlight Barry Jenkins

Moonlight

Barry Jenkins

2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Spotlight Tom McCarthy

Spotlight

Tom McCarthy

2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Boyhood Richard Linklater

Boyhood

Richard Linklater

2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

12 Years a Slave Steve McQueen

12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen

2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Silver Linings Playbook David O. Russell

Silver Linings Playbook

David O. Russell

2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

The Artist Michel Hazanavicius

The Artist

Michel Hazanavicius

2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Black Swan Darren Aronofsky

Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky

2010 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Precious Lee Daniels

Precious

Lee Daniels

2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

The Visitor Tom McCarthy

The Visitor

Tom McCarthy

2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Julian Schnabel

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Julian Schnabel

2007 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Little Miss Sunshine Jonathan Dayton

Little Miss Sunshine

Jonathan Dayton

2006 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Brokeback Mountain Ang Lee

Brokeback Mountain

Ang Lee

2005 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Sideways Alexander Payne

Sideways

Alexander Payne

2004 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Lost in Translation Sofia Coppola

Lost in Translation

Sofia Coppola

2003 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Far from Heaven Todd Haynes

Far from Heaven

Todd Haynes

2002 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Memento Christopher Nolan

Memento

Christopher Nolan

2001 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Ang Lee

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Ang Lee

2000 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Election Alexander Payne

Election

Alexander Payne

1999 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Rushmore Wes Anderson

Rushmore

Wes Anderson

1998 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

The Apostle Robert Duvall

The Apostle

Robert Duvall

1997 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Fargo Joel Coen

Fargo

Joel Coen

1996 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Leaving Las Vegas Mike Figgis

Leaving Las Vegas

Mike Figgis

1995 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino

Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino

1994 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Short Cuts Robert Altman

Short Cuts

Robert Altman

1993 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

One False Move Carl Franklin

One False Move

Carl Franklin

1992 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Rambling Rose Martha Coolidge

Rambling Rose

Martha Coolidge

1991 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

To Sleep with Anger Charles Burnett

To Sleep with Anger

Charles Burnett

1990 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Steven Soderbergh

Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Steven Soderbergh

1989 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Stand and Deliver Ramón Menéndez

Stand and Deliver

Ramón Menéndez

1988 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

The Dead John Huston

The Dead

John Huston

1987 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Platoon Oliver Stone

Platoon

Oliver Stone

1986 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

After Hours Martin Scorsese

After Hours

Martin Scorsese

1986 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director

Blood Simple Joel Coen

Blood Simple

Joel Coen