Awards & Winners

Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay

Independent Spirit Awards

The Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Screenplay is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.
Date Established : 1986

Check all the winners of Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay presented under Independent Spirit Awards since 1986 .


Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, Nat Faxon

Honored for : The Descendants

Nominations 2012 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Joseph Cedar Footnote
Michel Hazanavicius The Artist
Thomas McCarthy Win Win
Mike Mills Beginners
Alexander Payne The Descendants
Jim Rash The Descendants
Nat Faxon The Descendants

Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko

Honored for : The Kids Are All Right

Nominations 2011 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Stuart Blumberg The Kids Are All Right
Lisa Cholodenko The Kids Are All Right
Anne Rosellini Winter\u2019s Bone
Debra Granik Winter\u2019s Bone
Todd Solondz Life During Wartime
David Lindsay-Abaire Rabbit Hole
Nicole Holofcener Please Give

Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber

Honored for : (500) Days of Summer

Nominations 2010 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Michael Hoffman The Last Station
Alessandro Camon The Messenger
Oren Moverman The Messenger
Greg Mottola Adventureland
Lee Toland Krieger The Vicious Kind
Scott Neustadter (500) Days of Summer
Michael H. Weber (500) Days of Summer

Woody Allen

Honored for : Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Nominations 2009 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Christopher Zalla Our Father
Howard A. Rodman Savage Grace
Ryan Fleck Sugar
Anna Boden Sugar
Charlie Kaufman Synecdoche, New York
Woody Allen Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Tamara Jenkins

Honored for : The Savages

Nominations 2008 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Andrew Wagner Starting Out in the Evening
Fred Parnes Starting Out in the Evening
Ronald Harwood The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tamara Jenkins The Savages
Adrienne Shelly Waitress
Mike White Year of the Dog

Jason Reitman

Honored for : Thank You for Smoking

Nominations 2007 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Nicole Holofcener Friends with Money
Jeff Stanzler Sorry, Haters
Jason Reitman Thank You for Smoking
Neil Burger The Illusionist
Ron Nyswaner The Painted Veil

Dan Futterman

Honored for : Capote

Nominations 2006 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Dan Futterman Capote
Rodrigo García Nine Lives
Noah Baumbach The Squid and the Whale
Guillermo Arriaga The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Tom Glynn The War Within
Ayad Akhtar The War Within
Joseph Castelo The War Within

Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

Honored for : Sideways

Nominations 2005 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Dennis Haggerty Baadasssss!
Mario Van Peebles Baadasssss!
Richard Linklater Before Sunset
Ethan Hawke Before Sunset
Julie Delpy Before Sunset
Bill Condon Kinsey
Alexander Payne Sideways
Jim Taylor Sideways
Tod Williams The Door in the Floor

Sofia Coppola

Honored for : Lost in Translation

Nominations 2004 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Christopher Guest A Mighty Wind
Eugene Levy A Mighty Wind
Shari Springer Berman American Splendor
Robert Pulcini American Splendor
Sofia Coppola Lost in Translation
Peter Hedges Pieces of April
Billy Ray Shattered Glass

Mike White

Honored for : The Good Girl

Nominations 2003 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Nicole Holofcener Lovely & Amazing
Dylan Kidd Roger Dodger
Mike White The Good Girl
Karen Sprecher Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
Jill Sprecher Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
Hilary Birmingham Tully
Matt Drake Tully

Christopher Nolan

Honored for : Memento

Nominations 2002 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Rob Festinger In the Bedroom
Todd Field In the Bedroom
Christopher Nolan Memento
Milo Addica Monster's Ball
Will Rokos Monster's Ball
Henry Bean The Believer
Richard Linklater Waking Life

Kenneth Lonergan

Honored for : You Can Count on Me

Nominations 2001 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Mike White Chuck & Buck
Valerie Breiman Love & Sex
Raymond De Felitta Two Family House
Robert Dillon Waking the Dead
Kenneth Lonergan You Can Count on Me

Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

Honored for : Election

Nominations 2000 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Kevin Smith Dogma
Alexander Payne Election
Jim Taylor Election
Audrey Wells Guinevere
James Merendino SLC Punk!
Lem Dobbs The Limey

Don Roos

Honored for : The Opposite of Sex

Nominations 1999 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Paul Schrader Affliction
Frank Military Blind Faith
Bill Condon Gods and Monsters
Don Roos The Opposite of Sex
David Mamet The Spanish Prisoner

Kevin Smith

Honored for : Chasing Amy

Nominations 1998 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Kevin Smith Chasing Amy
Robert Duvall The Apostle
Paul Schrader Touch
Victor Nuñez Ulee's Gold
Christopher Guest Waiting for Guffman
Eugene Levy Waiting for Guffman

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Honored for : Fargo

Nominations 1997 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Jim Jarmusch Dead Man
Joel Coen Fargo
Ethan Coen Fargo
David O. Russell Flirting with Disaster
John Sayles Lone Star
Nicholas St. John The Funeral

Christopher McQuarrie

Honored for : The Usual Suspects

Nominations 1996 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Mike Figgis Leaving Las Vegas
Tom DiCillo Living in Oblivion
Todd Haynes Safe
John Sayles The Secret of Roan Inish
Christopher McQuarrie The Usual Suspects

Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary

Honored for : Pulp Fiction

Nominations 1995 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Woody Allen Bullets Over Broadway
Douglas McGrath Bullets Over Broadway
Wang Hui-Ling Eat Drink Man Woman
James Schamus Eat Drink Man Woman
Ang Lee Eat Drink Man Woman
Alan Rudolph Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
Randy Sue Coburn Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
Quentin Tarantino Pulp Fiction
Roger Avary Pulp Fiction
John Dahl Red Rock West
Rick Dahl Red Rock West

Robert Altman, Frank Barhydt

Honored for : Short Cuts

Nominations 1994 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Tony Chan Combination Platter
Edwin Baker Combination Platter
Richard Guay Household Saints
Nancy Savoca Household Saints
Victor Nuñez Ruby in Paradise
Robert Altman Short Cuts
Frank Barhydt Short Cuts
Ang Lee The Wedding Banquet
Neil Peng The Wedding Banquet
James Schamus The Wedding Banquet

Neal Jimenez

Honored for : The Waterdance

Nominations 1993 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Keith Gordon A Midnight Clear
Allison Anders Gas Food Lodging
Paul Schrader Light Sleeper
Billy Bob Thornton One False Move
Neal Jimenez The Waterdance

Gus Van Sant

Honored for : My Own Private Idaho

Nominations 1992 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Joseph Vásquez Hangin' with the Homeboys
Lem Dobbs Kafka
Floyd Byars Mindwalk
Fritjof Capra Mindwalk
Gus Van Sant My Own Private Idaho
Michael Tolkin The Rapture

Charles Burnett

Honored for : To Sleep with Anger

Nominations 1991 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John McNaughton Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Richard Fire Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Whit Stillman Metropolitan
Allan Moyle Pump Up the Volume
Michael Roemer The Plot Against Harry
Charles Burnett To Sleep with Anger

Gus Van Sant, Daniel Yost

Honored for : Drugstore Cowboy

Nominations 1990 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Patrick Sheane Duncan 84C MoPic
Gus Van Sant Drugstore Cowboy
Daniel Yost Drugstore Cowboy
Daniel Waters Heathers
Steve De Jarnatt Miracle Mile
Jim Jarmusch Mystery Train

Ramón Menéndez, Tom Musca

Honored for : Stand and Deliver

Nominations 1989 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John Patrick Shanley Five Corners
John Waters Hairspray
John Jenkins Patti Rocks
Karen Landry Patti Rocks
David Burton Morris Patti Rocks
Chris Mulkey Patti Rocks
Ramón Menéndez Stand and Deliver
Tom Musca Stand and Deliver
John Bradshaw The Moderns
Alan Rudolph The Moderns

Neal Jimenez

Honored for : River's Edge

Nominations 1988 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Agnieszka Holland Anna
John Sayles Matewan
Neal Jimenez River's Edge
Spalding Gray Swimming to Cambodia
Tony Huston The Dead

Oliver Stone

Honored for : Platoon

Nominations 1987 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Shirley Sun A Great Wall
Peter Wang A Great Wall
David Lynch Blue Velvet
Oliver Stone Platoon
Oliver Stone Salvador
Richard Boyle Salvador
Raynold Gideon Stand by Me
Bruce A. Evans Stand by Me

Horton Foote

Honored for : The Trip to Bountiful

Nominations 1986 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Joseph Minion After Hours
Ethan Coen Blood Simple
Joel Coen Blood Simple
Tom Cole Smooth Talk
Horton Foote The Trip to Bountiful