Someone to Watch Award

The Someone to Watch Award is an emerging filmmaker award presented by Film Independent Spirit Awards that recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.

History

The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. The award was first given at the 1994 award ceremony.
Notable winners/nominees who would soon become recognized include Kelly Reichardt, Chris Smith, Tim Blake Nelson, Marc Forster, Andrew Bujalski, Ramin Bahrani & Barry Jenkins

Winners

1990s

1994: Lodge Kerrigan – Clean, Shaven1995: 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 - Fun1996: Larry Fessenden – Habit
*Joe Brewster - The Keeper
*Chris Smith - American Job1997: Scott Saunders – The Headhunter's Sister
*Erin Dignam - Loved
*Tim Blake Nelson - Eye of God1998: David D. Williams – Thirteen
*Tony Barbieri - One
*Lynn Hershman Leeson - Conceiving Ada
*Eric Tretbar - Snow1999: 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 - Bunny2001: Debra Eisenstadt - Daydream Believer
*DeMane Davis and Khari Streeter - Lift
*Michael Gilio - Kwik Stop
*David Maquiling - Too Much Sleep2002: Przemyslaw Reut - Paradox Lake
*Eric Eason - Manito
*Eitan Gorlin - The Holy Land2003: Andrew Bujalski - Funny Ha Ha
*Ben Coccio - Zero Day
*Ryan Eslinger - Madness and Genius2004: Jem Cohen - Chain
*Bryan Poyser - Dear Pillow
*Jennifer Reeves - The Time We Killed2005: Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana - Cavite
*Robinson Devor - Police Beat
*Jay Duplass - The Puffy Chair2006: Julia Loktev - Day Night Day Night
*So Yong Kim - In Between Days
*Richard Wong - Colma: The Musical2007: Ramin Bahrani - Chop Shop
*Ronald Bronstein - Frownland
*Lee Isaac Chung - Munyurangabo2008: Lynn Shelton - My Effortless Brilliance
*Barry Jenkins - Medicine for Melancholy
*Nina Paley - Sita Sings the Blues2009: 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 Knife2011: Mark Jackson - Without
*Simon Arthur - Silver Tongues
*Nicholas Ozeki - Mamitas2012: Adam Leon - Gimme the Loot
*David Fenster - Pincus
*Rebecca Thomas - Electrick Children2013: 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 Me2016: Anna Rose Holmer – The Fits
*Andrew Ahn – Spa Night
*Claire Carré – Embers
*Ingrid Jungermann – Women Who Kill
2017: Justin Chon — Gook
*Amman Abbasi — Dayveon
*Kevin Phillips — Super Dark Times
2018: Alexandre Moratto — Sócrates
*Ioana Uricaru — Lemonade
*Jeremiah Zagar — We the Animals
2019: Rashaad Ernesto Green — Premature
*Ash Mayfair — The Third Wife
*Joe Talbot — ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco''

2020s

2020: Ekwa Msangi – Farewell Amor

* David Midell – The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain

* Annie Silverstein – Bull2021: Alex Camilleri – Luzzu
* Gillian Wallace Horvat – I Blame Society
* Michael Sarnoski – Pig2022: Nikyatu Jusu – Nanny
* Adamma Ebo – Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
* Araceli Lemos – Holy Emy2023
* Monica Sorelle – Mountains
* Joanna Arnow – The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed
* Laura Moss – Birth/Rebirth2024
* Sarah Friedland - Familiar Touch
* Nicholas Colia - Griffin in Summer
* Pham Thien An - ''Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell''