Click through each award to see the full list of nominees and winners!
2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Uncut Gems Benny Safdie](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/uncut-gems-image.jpg)
Uncut Gems
Benny Safdie
2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![If Beale Street Could Talk Barry Jenkins](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/if-beale-street-could-talk-image.jpg)
If Beale Street Could Talk
Barry Jenkins
2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Get Out Jordan Peele](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/get-out-jordan-peele-image.jpg)
Get Out
Jordan Peele
2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Moonlight Barry Jenkins](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/moonlight-image.jpg)
Moonlight
Barry Jenkins
2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Spotlight Tom McCarthy](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/spotlight-tom-mccarthy-image.jpg)
Spotlight
Tom McCarthy
2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Boyhood Richard Linklater](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/boyhood-richard-linklater-image.jpg)
Boyhood
Richard Linklater
2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![12 Years a Slave Steve McQueen](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/12-years-a-slave-steve-mcqueen-image.jpg)
12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen
2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Silver Linings Playbook David O. Russell](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/silver-linings-playbook-david-o.-russell-image.jpg)
Silver Linings Playbook
David O. Russell
2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![The Artist Michel Hazanavicius](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-artist-michel-hazanavicius-image.jpg)
The Artist
Michel Hazanavicius
2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Black Swan Darren Aronofsky](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/black-swan-darren-aronofsky-image.jpg)
Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky
2010 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Precious Lee Daniels](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/precious-lee-daniels-image.jpg)
Precious
Lee Daniels
2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![The Visitor Tom McCarthy](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-visitor-tom-mccarthy-image.jpg)
The Visitor
Tom McCarthy
2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Julian Schnabel](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly-julian-schnabel-image.jpg)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Julian Schnabel
2007 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Little Miss Sunshine Jonathan Dayton](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/little-miss-sunshine-jonathan-dayton-valerie-faris-image.jpg)
Little Miss Sunshine
Jonathan Dayton
2006 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Brokeback Mountain Ang Lee](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/brokeback-mountain-image.jpg)
Brokeback Mountain
Ang Lee
2005 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Sideways Alexander Payne](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/sideways-image.jpg)
Sideways
Alexander Payne
2004 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Lost in Translation Sofia Coppola](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/lost-in-translation-sofia-coppola-image.jpg)
Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola
2003 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Far from Heaven Todd Haynes](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/far-from-heaven-todd-haynes-image.jpg)
Far from Heaven
Todd Haynes
2002 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Memento Christopher Nolan](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/memento-christopher-nolan-image.jpg)
Memento
Christopher Nolan
2001 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Ang Lee](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-image.jpg)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ang Lee
2000 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Election Alexander Payne](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/election-image.jpg)
Election
Alexander Payne
1999 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Rushmore Wes Anderson](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/rushmore-wes-anderson-image.jpg)
Rushmore
Wes Anderson
1998 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![The Apostle Robert Duvall](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-apostle-robert-duvall-image.jpg)
The Apostle
Robert Duvall
1997 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Fargo Joel Coen](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/fargo-joel-coen-ethan-coen-image.jpg)
Fargo
Joel Coen
1996 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Leaving Las Vegas Mike Figgis](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/leaving-las-vegas-mike-figgis-image.jpg)
Leaving Las Vegas
Mike Figgis
1995 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/pulp-fiction-quentin-tarantino-image.jpg)
Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino
1994 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Short Cuts Robert Altman](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/short-cuts-robert-altman-image.jpg)
Short Cuts
Robert Altman
1993 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![One False Move Carl Franklin](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/one-false-move-carl-franklin-image.jpg)
One False Move
Carl Franklin
1992 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Rambling Rose Martha Coolidge](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/rambling-rose-martha-coolidge-image.jpg)
Rambling Rose
Martha Coolidge
1991 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![To Sleep with Anger Charles Burnett](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/to-sleep-with-anger-charles-burnett-image.jpg)
To Sleep with Anger
Charles Burnett
1990 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Sex, Lies, and Videotape Steven Soderbergh](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/sex-lies-and-videotape-steven-soderbergh-image.jpg)
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Steven Soderbergh
1989 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Stand and Deliver Ramón Menéndez](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/stand-and-deliver-ramon-menendez-image.jpg)
Stand and Deliver
Ramón Menéndez
1988 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![The Dead John Huston](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-dead-john-huston-image.jpg)
The Dead
John Huston
1987 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Platoon Oliver Stone](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/platoon-oliver-stone-image.jpg)
Platoon
Oliver Stone
1986 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![After Hours Martin Scorsese](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/after-hours-martin-scorsese-image.jpg)
After Hours
Martin Scorsese
1986 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Director
![Blood Simple Joel Coen](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/blood-simple-joel-coen-ethan-coen-image.jpg)