‘First Cow’ Director Kelly Reichardt Wins $50,000 Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant

The award was one of four grants given out at the Spirit Awards’ annual nominees brunch

Kelly Reichardt
Kelly Reichardt / Getty Images

“First Cow” director Kelly Reichardt has been given a $50,000 Film Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant designed to recognize a mid-career female director.

Reichardt won the third annual Bonnie Award, named for Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, who became the first woman to pilot a major U.S. airline when she joined the award’s sponsor, American Airlines, in 1973.

Actress Alfre Woodard and filmmaker Jon M. Chu presented the award, one of four grants given out by Film Independent at its nominees brunch at the BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood on Saturday.

In addition to the $50,000 Bonnie Award, $25,000 unrestricted grants were given to an up-and-coming producer (Mollye Asher), director (Rashaad Ernesto Green) and documentary director (Nadia Shihab).

Winners in the rest of the Spirit Awards categories will be announced during the main Spirit Awards show on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The nominees and winners:

BONNIE AWARD
Recognizes a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.
Marielle Heller
Kelly Reichardt *WINNER
Lulu Wang

PRODUCERS AWARD
Includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Mollye Asher *WINNER
Krista Parris
Ryan Zacarias

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Rashaad Ernesto Green, director of “Premature” *WINNER
Ash Mayfair, director of “The Third Wife”
Joe Talbot, director of “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Khalik Allah, director of “Black Mother”
Davy Rothbart, director of “17 Blocks”
Nadia Shihab , director of “Jaddoland” *WINNER
Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside, director of “América”

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