Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay#2014

{{Infobox award

| name = Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay

| awarded_for = Best First Screenplay

| presenter = Film Independent

| country = United States

| year = 1994

| holder = Sean Wang for Dìdi (2024)

| website = {{url|https://www.filmindependent.org}}

}}

The Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay is one of the annual awards given by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It was first presented in 1994 with David O. Russell being the first recipient of the award for Spanking the Monkey, a film he also directed.

Winners and nominees

File:Paul Auster BBF 2010 Shankbone.jpg won for Smoke.]]

File:Neil LaBute 2010 photo cropped.jpg won for In the Company of Men.]]

File:OIFF 2015-07-17 193547 - Darren Aronofsky.jpg won for Pi.]]

File:Charlie Kaufman Fantastic Fest 2015-0257 (27441349145) (cropped).jpg won for Being John Malkovich.]]

=1990s=

width="100"\|Year !width="450"\|Recipient(s) !width="450"\|Film
class="wikitable" width="80%" cellpadding="5"
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|1994 [https://www.filmindependent.org/blog/ten-groundbreaking-film-independent-spirit-awards-wins/ Ten Groundbreaking Film Independent Spirit Awards Wins - Film Independent] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| David O. Russell \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Spanking the Monkey*
Paul Zehrer	Blessing
Kevin Smith	Clerks
James Bosley	Fun
Tom Noonan	What Happened Was
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|1995 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Paul Auster \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Smoke*
Harmony Korine	Kids
James Gray	Little Odessa
Steve McLean	Postcards from America
Kelly Reichardt	River of Grass
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|1996 [https://www.purchase.edu/live/profiles/1800-stanley-tucci Stanley Tucci · Conversatory of Theatre Arts · Purchase College] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Joseph Tropiano and Stanley Tucci \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Big Night*
Suzan-Lori Parks	Girl 6
Lisa Krueger	Manny & Lo
Michael Scott Myers	The Whole Wide World
Steve Buscemi	Trees Lounge
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|1997 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Neil LaBute \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*In the Company of Men*
Steven Schwartz	Critical Care
Paul Thomas Anderson	Hard Eight
Miguel Arteta	Star Maps
Daniel Harris	The Bible and Gun Club
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|1998 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Darren Aronofsky \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|Pi
Lisa Cholodenko	High Art
Matthew Weiss	Niagara, Niagara
Tamara Jenkins	Slums of Beverly Hills
Sherman Alexie	Smoke Signals
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|1999 [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120601/awards?ref_=tt_awd Being John Malkovich - Awards - IMDb] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Charlie Kaufman \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Being John Malkovich*
Kimberly Peirce and Andy Bienen	Boys Don't Cry
Anne Rapp	Cookie's Fortune
Tod Williams	The Adventures of Sebastian Cole
John Roach and Mary Sweeney	The Straight Story

=2000s=

File:Gina Prince-Bythewood by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg won for Love & Basketball.]]

File:2012-09-27 Portrait Terry Zwigoff with Lilypads (melanieTZ3) UNC 715x861.jpg won for Ghost World alongside Daniel Clowes.]]

File:Michael Arndt, 2007.jpg won for Little Miss Sunshine.]]

File:Diablo Cody at TIFF 2009 cropped 2.jpg won for Juno.]]

File:Dustin Lance Black on Forum Stage at Web Summit 2017 (24373767078).jpg won for Milk.]]

width="100"\|Year !width="450"\|Recipient(s) !width="450"\|Film
class="wikitable" width="80%" cellpadding="5"
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2000 [https://www.loc.gov/item/event-394141/love-and-basketball-new-line-cinema-2000/2018-12-01/ "Love and Basketball" (New Line Cinema, 2000)\|Library of Congress] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Gina Prince-Bythewood \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Love & Basketball*
Ben Younger	Boiler Room
David Gordon Green	George Washington
Jordan Walker-Pearlman	The Visit
Ross Klavan and Michael McGruther	Tigerland
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2001 [https://mubi.com/films/ghost-world Ghost World (2001) - MUBI] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Ghost World*
Richard Kelly	Donnie Darko
John Cameron Mitchell	Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Stephen M. Ryder, Michael Cuesta and Gerald Cuesta	L.I.E.
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming	The Anniversary Party
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2002 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Erin Cressida Wilson \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Secretary*
Laura Cahill	Hysterical Blindness
Burr Steers	Igby Goes Down
Neil Burger	Interview with the Assassin
Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt	Kissing Jessica Stein
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2003 [https://www.filmindependent.org/blog/ten-groundbreaking-film-independent-spirit-awards-wins/ Ten Groundbreaking Film Independent Spirit Awards Wins - Film Independent] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Tom McCarthy \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*The Station Agent*
Karen Moncrieff	Blue Car
Patty Jenkins	Monster
Peter Sollett and Eva Vives	Raising Victor Vargas
Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed	Thirteen
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2004 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Joshua Marston \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Maria Full of Grace*
Rodney Evans	Brother to Brother
Zach Braff	Garden State
Shane Carruth	Primer
Mario de la Vega	Robbing Peter
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2005 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Duncan Tucker \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Transamerica*
Kenneth Hanes	Fixing Frank
Angus MacLachlan	Junebug
Miranda July	Me and You and Everyone We Know
Sabina Murray	The Beautiful Country
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2006 [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83726/14-big-facts-about-little-miss-sunshine 14 Big Facts About 'Little Miss Sunshine' - Mental Floss] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Michael Arndt \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Little Miss Sunshine*
Dito Montiel	A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Gabrielle Zevin	Conversations with Other Women
Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden	Half Nelson
Goran Dukić	Wristcutters: A Love Story
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2007 [https://drafthouse.com/show/juno JUNO\|Alamo Drafthouse Cinema] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Diablo Cody \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Juno*
Jeffrey Blitz	Rocket Science
Zoe Cassavetes	Broken English
Kelly Masterson	Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
John Orloff	A Mighty Heart
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2008 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Dustin Lance Black \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Milk*[http://seattlegayscene.com/event/pride-film-series-milk-2008/ PRIDE Film Series: MILK (2008) Seattle Gay Scene\|Your Daily Gay in Seattle]
Lance Hammer	Ballast
Courtney Hunt	Frozen River[https://mubi.com/films/frozen-river Frozen River (2008) - MUBI]
Jonathan Levine	The Wackness
Jenny Lumet	Rachel Getting Married
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2009 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Geoffrey Fletcher \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Precious*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929632/awards?ref_=tt_awd Precious - Awards - IMDb]
Sophie Barthes	Cold Souls
Scott Cooper	Crazy Heart
Cherien Dabis	Amreeka
Tom Ford and David Scearce	A Single Man

=2010s=

File:Justin Simien at Sundance 2014 speaking.jpg won for Dear White People.]]

File:Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue.JPG won for Room.]]

File:Robert Eggers - The Witch,Fantastic Fest 2015-1667 (28894993650) (cropped).jpg won for The Witch.]]

File:Emily Gordon in 2012.jpg won for The Big Sick.]]

File:Kumail Nanjiani by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg won for The Big Sick.]]

File:Bo Burnham Montaclair Film Festival (cropped).jpg won for Eighth Grade.]]

width="100"\|Year !width="450"\|Recipient(s) !width="450"\|Film
class="wikitable" width="80%" cellpadding="5"
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2010 [http://filmadelphia.org/events/tiny-furniture/ Tiny Furniture - Philadelphia Film Society] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Lena Dunham \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Tiny Furniture*
Robert Glaudini	Jack Goes Boating
Nik Fackler	Lovely, Still
Dana Adam Shapiro and Evan M. Wiener	Monogamy
Diane Bell	Obselidia
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2011 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Will Reiser \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*50/50*
Mike Cahill and Brit Marling	Another Earth
J. C. Chandor	Margin Call[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1170855/awards?ref_=nm_awd J.C. Chandor - Awards - IMDb]
Patrick deWitt	Terri
Phil Johnston	Cedar Rapids
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2012 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Derek Connolly \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Safety Not Guaranteed*
Rama Burshtein	Fill the Void
Christopher D. Ford	Robot & Frank
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack	Celeste and Jesse Forever
Jonathan Lisecki	Gayby
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2013 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Bob Nelson \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Nebraska*
Lake Bell	In a World...
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	Don Jon
Jill Soloway	Afternoon Delight
Michael Starrbury	The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2014 [https://news.chapman.edu/2015/02/23/justin-simien-05-wins-independent-spirit-award-for-best-first-screenplay/ Justin Simien '05 wins Independent Spirit Award \|\| Best First Screenplay\|Chapman Newsroom] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Justin Simien \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Dear White People*
Desiree Akhavan	Appropriate Behavior
Sara Colangelo	Little Accidents
Justin Lader	The One I Love
Anja Marquardt	She's Lost Control
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \| 2015 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Emma Donoghue \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Room*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3170832/awards?ref_=tt_awd Room - Awards - IMDb]
Jesse Andrews	Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Jonas Carpignano	Mediterranea
Marielle Heller	The Diary of a Teenage Girl
John Magary; Russell Harbaugh and Myna Joseph (story by)	The Mend
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \| 2016 [https://www.indiewire.com/2017/02/robert-eggers-independent-spirit-best-first-screenplay-award-witch-1201787020/ Robert Eggers Wins Independent Spirit First Screenplay Award\|IndieWire] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Robert Eggers \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*The Witch*
Chris Kelly	Other People
Adam Mansbach	Barry
Stella Meghie	Jean of the Joneses
Craig Shilowich	Christine
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \| 2017 [https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/the-big-sick-wins-indie-spirit-award-best-screenplay-1201935015/ 'The Big Sick' Wins Indie Spirit Award \|\| Best First Screenplay\|IndieWire] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*The Big Sick*
Kris Avedisian, Kyle Espeleta (story by), and Jesse Wakeman (story by)	Donald Cried
Ingrid Jungermann	Women Who Kill
Kogonada	Columbus
David Branson Smith & Matt Spicer	Ingrid Goes West
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \| 2018 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Bo Burnham \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Eighth Grade*
Christina Choe	Nancy
Cory Finley	Thoroughbreds
Jennifer Fox	The Tale
Laurie & Quinn Shephard	Blame
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \| 2019 [https://ew.com/awards/2020/02/08/film-independent-spirit-awards-2020-winners-list/ Film Independent Spirit Awards 2020:See the winners list\|EW.com] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Fredrica Bailey and Stefon Bristol \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*See You Yesterday*
Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen	Driveways
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy	Blow the Man Down
Jocelyn Deboer and Dawn Luebbe	Greener Grass
James Montague and Craig W. Sanger	The Vast of Night

=2020s=

width="100"\|Year !width="450"\|Recipient(s) !width="450"\|Film
class="wikitable" width="80%" cellpadding="5"
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \| 2020 [https://www.indiewire.com/2021/04/2021-independent-spirit-awards-winners-list-1234630882/ 2021 Independent Spirit Awards Winner's List\|IndieWire] \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Andy Siara \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Palm Springs*
Kitty Green	The Assistant
Noah Hutton	Lapsis
Channing Godfrey Peoples	Miss Juneteenth
James Sweeney	Straight Up
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2021 {{cite web \|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/spirit-awards-2022-lost-daughter-1235105514/ \|title=Spirit Awards: 'The Lost Daughter,' 'Reservation Dogs' Win Big as Ukraine Fuels Onstage Remarks \|last=Galuppo \|first=Mia \|work=The Hollywood Reporter \|date=March 6, 2022 \|access-date=March 6, 2022}} \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Michael Sarnoski and Vanessa Block \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Pig*
Sheldon D. Brown and Matthew Fifer	Cicada
Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.	Wild Indian
Shatara Michelle Ford	Test Pattern
Fran Kranz	Mass
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2022 {{cite web \|url=https://variety.com/2022/awards/awards/2023-independent-spirit-awards-nominations-1235438877/ \|title=Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: ‘Everything Everywhere’ Leads With Eight Noms \|first=Clayton\|last=Davis\|work=Variety \|date=November 22, 2022 \|access-date=November 22, 2022}} \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| John Patton Ford \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Emily the Criminal*
Joel Kim Booster	Fire Island
Jamie Dack and Audrey Findlay, story by Jamie Dack	Palm Trees and Power Lines
K.D. Dávila	Emergency
Sarah DeLappe, story by Kristen Roupenian	Bodies Bodies Bodies
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \|2023 {{Cite web \|title=Film Independent Spirit Awards (2024) \|url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000349/2024/1/ \|access-date=2024-02-25 \|website=IMDb}} \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Samy Burch; story by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik \|\|style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*May December*
Tomás Gómez Bustillo	Chronicles of a Wandering Saint
Laurel Parmet	The Starling Girl
Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, and Ben Platt	Theater Camp
Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez	Upon Entry
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" \| 2024 \| style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Sean Wang \|\| style="background:#B0C4DE" \|*Dìdi*
Joanna Arnow	The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed
Annie Baker	Janet Planet
India Donaldson	Good One
Julio Torres	Problemista

References

Category:Screenwriting awards for film

Category:Awards established in 1995