Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award
It is named after actor/screenwriter/director John Cassavetes, a pioneer of American independent film.The award is given to the directors, writers and producers of a film.[1] Created for the 15th Independent Spirit Awards, it was originally called the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature (Under $500,000).The first recipient of the award was the horror film The Blair Witch Project.In 2023, the rules changed to include any feature film budgeted under $1,000,000.