The annual gathering of the year’s best and brightest in independent film, FILM INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS CLOSE-UP, returns this year with a virtual format featuring in-depth chats with the directors, screenwriters, and producers who brought us this year’s Spirit Awards nominees. Taking place from January 27 – February 6, 2025, Directors Close-Up is sponsored by SAGindie, Directors Guild of America, and IMDbPro, with additional support from Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, Fiji Water, and Miraval.
Check out the full Directors Close-Up schedule, and find video highlights from each event below!
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January 27 – The Spirit of Independence
- Ali Abbasi (The Apprentice)
- Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)
- Greg Kwedar (Sing Sing)
- RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys)
- Alonso Ruizpalacios (La Cocina)
- Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow)
- Moderated by Jennifer Wilson (Senior Programmer, Film Independent)
January 28 – Best New Scripted Series
- Brian Jordan Alvarez (English Teacher)
- Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer)
- Diarra Kilpatrick (Diarra from Detroit)
- Rachel Kondo (Shōgun)
- Justin Marks (Shōgun)
- Julio Torres (Fantasmas)
- Moderated by Wendy Calhoun (writer/executive producer, Prodigal Son)
January 29 – Best International Film
- Agnieszka Holland (Green Border)
- Guan Hu (Black Dog)
- Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light)
- Mike Leigh (Hard Truths)
- Gints Zilbalodis (Flow)
- Moderated by Robert Abele (president, Los Angeles Film Critics Association)
January 30 – Best Documentary
- Estefania Contreas (Hummingbirds)
- Silvia Del Carmen Castaños (Hummingbirds)
- Michael Dweck (Guacho Gaucho)
- Johan Grimoprez (Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat)
- Gregory Kershaw (Gaucho Gaucho)
- Ted Passon (Patrice: The Movie)
- Moderated by David Wilson (festival director, True/False Film Fest)
January 31 – Best First Feature
- Annie Baker (Janet Planet)
- Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio (In the Summers)
- Julio Torres (Problemista)
- Sean Wang (Dìdi)
- Malcolm Washington (The Piano Lesson)
- Moderated by Shelby Stone (executive producer, The Chi)
February 3 – John Cassavetes Award
- Vera Drew (The People’s Joker)
- Morissa Maltz (Jazzy)
- Kelly O’Sullivan (Ghostlight)
- Corey Sherman (Big Boys)
- Shuchi Talati (Girls Will Be Girls)
- Alex Thompson (Ghostlight)
- Moderated by Darrien Michele Gipson (Executive Director, SAGindie)
February 4 – Best New Non-Scripted/Documentary Series
- Lauren Greenfield (Social Studies)
- David Gauvey Herbert (Ren Faire)
- Pagan Harleman (Photographer)
- Lance Oppenheim (Ren Faire)
- Justin Simien (Hollywood Black)
- Chai Vasarhelyi (Photographer)
- Johanna Woolford Gibbon (Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color)
- Moderated by PJ Raval (director, Who We Become)
February 5 – Best Screenplay
- Scott Beck (Heretic)
- Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)
- Megan Park (My Old Ass)
- Aaron Schimberg (A Different Man)
- Bryan Woods (Heretic)
- Moderated by Daniel Waters (writer, Heathers)
February 5 – Best First Screenplay
- Joanna Arnow (The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed)
- Annie Baker (Janet Planet)
- India Donaldson (Good One)
- Julio Torres (Problemista)
- Sean Wang (Dìdi)
- Moderated by Ritesh Mehta (critic, IndieWire)
THANKS TO FILM INDEPENDENT FOR A GREAT DCU LINEUP!
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