Someone to Watch Award

The Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl's, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. The award was first given at the 1994 award ceremony. It is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.

Winners

1990s

• 1994: Lodge Kerrigan – Clean, Shaven
• 1995: Christopher Münch – Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day
  • Tim McCann – Desolation Angels
  • Jennifer Montgomery – Art for Teachers of Children
  • Kelly Reichardt – River of Grass
  • Rafal Zielinski – Fun
• 1996: Larry Fessenden – Habit
  • Joe Brewster – The Keeper
  • Chris Smith – American Job
• 1997: Scott Saunders – The Headhunter's Sister
  • Erin Dignam – Loved
  • Tim Blake Nelson – Eye of God
• 1998: David D. Williams – Thirteen
  • Tony Barbieri – One
  • Lynn Hershman Leeson – Conceiving Ada
  • Eric Tretbar – Snow
• 1999: Cauleen Smith – Drylongso
  • Dan Clark – The Item
  • Julian Goldberger – Trans
  • Lisanne Skyler – Getting to Know You

2000s

• 2000: Marc Forster – Everything Put Together
  • Dan McCormack – Other Voices
  • Mia Trachinger – Bunny
• 2001: Debra Eisenstadt – Daydream Believer
  • DeMane Davis and Khari Streeter – Lift
  • Michael Gilio – Kwik Stop
  • David Maquiling – Too Much Sleep
• 2002: Przemyslaw Reut – Paradox Lake
  • Eric Eason – Manito
  • Eitan Gorlin – The Holy Land
• 2003: Andrew Bujalski – Funny Ha Ha
  • Ben Coccio – Zero Day
  • Ryan Eslinger – Madness and Genius
• 2004: Jem Cohen – Chain
  • Bryan Poyser – Dear Pillow
  • Jennifer Reeves – The Time We Killed
• 2005: Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana – Cavite
  • Robinson Devor – Police Beat
  • Jay Duplass – The Puffy Chair
• 2006: Julia Loktev – Day Night Day Night
  • So Yong Kim – In Between Days
  • Richard Wong – Colma: The Musical
• 2007: Ramin Bahrani – Chop Shop
  • Ronald Bronstein – Frownland
  • Lee Isaac Chung – Munyurangabo
• 2008: Lynn Shelton – My Effortless Brilliance
  • Barry Jenkins – Medicine for Melancholy
  • Nina Paley – Sita Sings the Blues
• 2009: Kyle Patrick Alvarez – Easier with Practice
  • Asiel Norton – Redland
  • Tariq Tapa – Zero Bridge

2010s

• 2010: Mike Ott – Littlerock
  • Hossein Keshavarz – Dog Sweat
  • Laurel Nakadate – The Wolf Knife
• 2011: Mark Jackson – Without
  • Simon Arthur – Silver Tongues
  • Nicholas Ozeki – Mamitas
• 2012: Adam Leon – Gimme the Loot
  • David Fenster – Pincus
  • Rebecca Thomas – Electrick Children
• 2013: Shaka King – Newlyweeds
  • Madeline Olnek – The Foxy Merkins
  • Aaron Douglas Johnston – My Sister's Quinceañera
• 2014: Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia – H.
  • Ana Lily Amirpour – A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
  • Chris Eska – The Retrieval
• 2015: Felix Thompson – King Jack
  • Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck – God Bless the Child
  • Chloé Zhao – Songs My Brothers Taught Me
• 2016: Anna Rose Holmer – The Fits
  • Andrew Ahn – Spa Night
  • Claire Carré – Embers
  • Ingrid Jungermann – Women Who Kill

References