Guests of honor: Spirit Award Best Director nominees Lee Isaac Chung (Writer/Director, Minari), Emerald Fennell (Writer/Director, Promising Young Woman), Eliza Hittman (Writer/Director, Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Kelly Reichardt (Writer/Director, First Cow), Chloé Zhao (Writer/Director/Editor, Nomadland); moderated by Josh Welsh (President, Film Independent.) Read our full recap here. TV CREATORS Guests of honor: Spirit Award Best New Scripted Series nominees Lee Eisenberg (Creator, Little America), Emily V. Gordon (Creator, Little America), Steve McQueen (Creator, Small Axe), Kumail Nanjiani (Creator, Little America), Anna Winger (Creator, Unorthodox); moderated by Wendy Calhoun (Producer/Writer; Prodigal Son, Empire.) Read our full recap here. DOCUMENTARY FEATURES ROUNDTABLE Guests of honor: Spirit Award Best Documentary nominees Maite Alberdi (Writer/Director, The Mole Agent), Garrett Bradley (Director, Time), Kirsten Johnson (Writer/Director, Dick Johnson is Dead), James LeBrecht (Writer/Director, Crip Camp), Alexander Nanau (Writer/Director, Collective), Nicole Newnham (Writer/Director, Crip Camp); moderated by Morgan Neville (Director; Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) Read the full recap here. DOCUSERIES ROUNDTABLE Guests of honor: Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary series nominees Maro Chermayeff (Director/Executive Producer, Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children), Christine Clusiau (Co-Director, Immigration Nation), Heidi Ewing (Co-Director, Love Fraud), Rachel Grady (Co-Director, Love Fraud), Steve James (Director, City So Real), Peter LoGreco (Executive Producer/Director, We’re Here), Sam Pollard (Director/Executive Producer, Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children), Shaul Schwarz (Co-Director, Immigration Nation); moderated by Eric Deggans (TV Critic, National Public Radio.) Read the recap here. FIRST-TIME FILMMAKERS Guests of honor: Best First Feature nominees Radha Blank (Writer/Director/Actor, The Forty-Year-Old Version), Heidi Ewing (Co-Writer/Director, I Carry You With Me), Darius Marder (Co-Writer/Director, Sound of Metal), Edson Oda (Writer/Director, Nine Days), Channing Godfrey Peoples (Writer/Director, Miss Juneteenth); moderated by Darrien Michele Gipson (Executive Director, SAGindie.) Read our recap here. INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKERS Guests of honor: Spirit Award Best International Film nominees Juliano Dornelles (Co-Writer/Co-Director, Bacurau), Lili Horvát (Writer/Director, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time), Philippe Lacôte (Writer/Director, Night of the Kings), Kleber Mendonça Filho (Co-Writer/Co-Director, Bacurau), Chaitanya Tamhane (Writer/Director, The Disciple), Jasmila Žbanić (Writer/Director, Quo Vadis, Aida?); moderated by Javier Fuentes León (Writer/Director; The Vanished Elephant, Undertow.) Read the recap here. Coming Up: The Spirit of Cassavetes: Making a Low-Budget Movie Featuring Merawi Gerima (writer/director, Residue), Robert Machoian (writer/director, The Killing of Two Lovers), Kelly O’Sullivan (writer/actor, Saint Frances), Isabel Sandoval (writer/director, Lingua Franca), Alex Thompson (director, Saint Frances), Patricia Vidal Delgado (writer/director, La Leyenda Negra); moderated by Andrew Ahn (director, Driveways; writer/director, Spa Night.) Wednesday, April 21, 5:3opm PT. Watch the trailers here. Single session tickets are also available. The 2021 Directors Close-Up is sponsored by Premier Sponsors Directors Guild of America (DGA) and SAGindie, Supporting Sponsor Sony Cinema Line and Film Independent Spirit Awards Premier Sponsors Genesis and IFC. Bulleit Frontier Whiskey is the Official Spirit. FIJI Water is the Official Water. Getty Images is the Official Photographer. We’re also honored to be partnering with the Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) SeeHer, the leading global movement for gender equality in media, advertising, marketing and entertainment and AMC Networks to further celebrate and act as a catalyst for accurate and meaningful representation in storytelling. More Film Independent… Twitter Instagram Membership Spirit Awards YouTube (Header: Radha Blank in The Forty-Year-Old Version)
TV CREATORS
Guests of honor: Spirit Award Best New Scripted Series nominees Lee Eisenberg (Creator, Little America), Emily V. Gordon (Creator, Little America), Steve McQueen (Creator, Small Axe), Kumail Nanjiani (Creator, Little America), Anna Winger (Creator, Unorthodox); moderated by Wendy Calhoun (Producer/Writer; Prodigal Son, Empire.) Read our full recap here.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES ROUNDTABLE
Guests of honor: Spirit Award Best Documentary nominees Maite Alberdi (Writer/Director, The Mole Agent), Garrett Bradley (Director, Time), Kirsten Johnson (Writer/Director, Dick Johnson is Dead), James LeBrecht (Writer/Director, Crip Camp), Alexander Nanau (Writer/Director, Collective), Nicole Newnham (Writer/Director, Crip Camp); moderated by Morgan Neville (Director; Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) Read the full recap here.
DOCUSERIES ROUNDTABLE
Guests of honor: Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary series nominees Maro Chermayeff (Director/Executive Producer, Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children), Christine Clusiau (Co-Director, Immigration Nation), Heidi Ewing (Co-Director, Love Fraud), Rachel Grady (Co-Director, Love Fraud), Steve James (Director, City So Real), Peter LoGreco (Executive Producer/Director, We’re Here), Sam Pollard (Director/Executive Producer, Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children), Shaul Schwarz (Co-Director, Immigration Nation); moderated by Eric Deggans (TV Critic, National Public Radio.) Read the recap here.
FIRST-TIME FILMMAKERS
Guests of honor: Best First Feature nominees Radha Blank (Writer/Director/Actor, The Forty-Year-Old Version), Heidi Ewing (Co-Writer/Director, I Carry You With Me), Darius Marder (Co-Writer/Director, Sound of Metal), Edson Oda (Writer/Director, Nine Days), Channing Godfrey Peoples (Writer/Director, Miss Juneteenth); moderated by Darrien Michele Gipson (Executive Director, SAGindie.) Read our recap here.
INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKERS
Guests of honor: Spirit Award Best International Film nominees Juliano Dornelles (Co-Writer/Co-Director, Bacurau), Lili Horvát (Writer/Director, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time), Philippe Lacôte (Writer/Director, Night of the Kings), Kleber Mendonça Filho (Co-Writer/Co-Director, Bacurau), Chaitanya Tamhane (Writer/Director, The Disciple), Jasmila Žbanić (Writer/Director, Quo Vadis, Aida?); moderated by Javier Fuentes León (Writer/Director; The Vanished Elephant, Undertow.) Read the recap here.
Coming Up: The Spirit of Cassavetes: Making a Low-Budget Movie
Featuring Merawi Gerima (writer/director, Residue), Robert Machoian (writer/director, The Killing of Two Lovers), Kelly O’Sullivan (writer/actor, Saint Frances), Isabel Sandoval (writer/director, Lingua Franca), Alex Thompson (director, Saint Frances), Patricia Vidal Delgado (writer/director, La Leyenda Negra); moderated by Andrew Ahn (director, Driveways; writer/director, Spa Night.) Wednesday, April 21, 5:3opm PT. Watch the trailers here. Single session tickets are also available. The 2021 Directors Close-Up is sponsored by Premier Sponsors Directors Guild of America (DGA) and SAGindie, Supporting Sponsor Sony Cinema Line and Film Independent Spirit Awards Premier Sponsors Genesis and IFC. Bulleit Frontier Whiskey is the Official Spirit. FIJI Water is the Official Water. Getty Images is the Official Photographer. We’re also honored to be partnering with the Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) SeeHer, the leading global movement for gender equality in media, advertising, marketing and entertainment and AMC Networks to further celebrate and act as a catalyst for accurate and meaningful representation in storytelling.
More Film Independent…
Twitter Instagram Membership Spirit Awards YouTube
(Header: Radha Blank in The Forty-Year-Old Version)
