Jordana Mollick, Anna Rose Holmer and Nanfu Wang received $25,000 grants at the 2017 Film Independent Filmmaker Grant and Spirit Award Nominees Brunch on Saturday in Los Angeles.
Finalists for the three grants were announced simultaneously with the Spirit Awards nominations on Nov. 22, but the winners received their awards at the Nominees Brunch rather than on the main show on Feb. 25.
The Piaget Producers Award goes to a producer who demonstrates “creativity, tenacity and vision” on a limited budget. The Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award honors “a filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.” And the Truer Than Fiction Award goes to an emerging documentary filmmaker.
The winners were selected by Film Independent committees. Past winners include Errol Morris (“Fast, Cheap and Out of Control”), Marc Forster (“Everything Put Together”) and Effie Brown (“Real Women Have Curves”).
The nominees and winners:
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Lisa Kjerulff
Jordana Mollick* WINNER
Melody C. Roscher & Craig Shilowich
KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Andrew Ahn, director of “Spa Night”
Claire Carré, director of “Embers”
Anna Rose Holmer, director of “The Fits” *WINNER
Ingrid Jungermann, director of “Women Who Kill”
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Kristi Jacobson, director of “Solitary”
Sara Jordenö, director of “Kiki”
Nanfu Wang, director of “Hooligan Sparrow” *WINNER