Film Independent Directors Close-Up Series: Mimi Cave, J.D. Dillard, Cord Jefferson, Lulu Wang and more

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization dedicated to fostering independence and inclusivity in visual storytelling, announced the return of the Film Independent’s Directors Close-Up (DCU) series, which began on January 17 and concludes with three live events at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles on February 12, February 21 and March 1. The signature program, now in its 23rd year, is dedicated to exploring the craft of directing, and celebrates the directors, writers and creators nominated at this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards with online and in-person panels featuring in-depth discussions.

Writer/Director Cord Jefferson, Jeffrey Wright and Erika Alexander dive into the making of American Fiction, with cinematographer Cristina Dunlap, editor Hilda Rasula and composer Laura Karpman. Mimi Cave (Fresh), J.D. Dillard (The Outsider), with additional panelists to be announced, share their secrets for directing dynamic genre films. Expats creator and showrunner Lulu Wang is joined by her Local Time producing partner Dani Melia and production designer Yong Ok Lee for an in-depth study into launching a new limited series. Wang served as a writer and directed all six episodes for Prime Video.

Past DCU panelists have included Ben Affleck, Sean Baker, Radha Blank, Alfonso Cuarón, Lee Isaac Chung, Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, Guillermo del Toro, Lena Dunham, Ava DuVernay, Emerald Fennell, David Fincher, Greta Gerwig, Emily V. Gordon, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, Eliza Hittman, Nicole Holofcener, Barry Jenkins, Richard Linklater, Steve McQueen, Kumail Nanjiani, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Issa Rae, Kelly Reichardt, Josh & Benny Safdie, Justin Simien, Joey Soloway, Denis Villeneuve, Chloé Zhao, Benh Zeitlin and many more.

This year’s DCU brings together a stellar lineup of highly acclaimed visual storytellers from around the globe. Following the success of last year’s format, the schedule features eight online and three in-person sessions, each devoted to a different Spirit Awards nominee category, plus additional special guests from the worlds of independent film and television. The series offers creators and enthusiasts of film and TV a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the inner workings of the art of storytelling, as acclaimed artists discuss specific aspects of their creative process.

“The Directors Close-Up is truly international, featuring a mix of veteran indie storytellers and new, diverse voices from around the world that reflect Film Independent’s global mission,” said Paul Cowling, Associate Director of Film Education. “In addition to our virtual Spirit Award nominee roundtables, this year’s Directors Close-Up includes three exciting nights at the Directors Guild of America, featuring Cord Jefferson, Jeffrey Wright, Lulu Wang and their key collaborators. We’re thrilled to have these visionary creators in film and television take part in the series to share their stories and expertise.”

Key dates and lineup below:

February 12
Writer/Director Cord Jefferson, actors Jeffrey Wright and Erika Alexander, cinematographer Cristina Dunlap, editor Hilda Rasula and composer Laura Karpman.

February 21
Mimi Cave (Fresh), J.D. Dillard (The Outsider), with additional panelists to be announced.

March 1
Expats creator and showrunner Lulu Wang, producer Dani Melia and production designer Yong Ok Lee.

All three in-person evenings begin at 7:30 pm PST.

Attendees are invited to join a celebratory reception immediately after each event on-site at the Directors Guild of America. Beverages are provided by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, FIJI Water, Stella Artois and Fleur de Miraval.

View the Directors Close-Up schedule and register to attend here. Upon the conclusion of the series on March 1, online sessions from the series will be available on the Film Independent YouTube channel.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)

• 2026 Critics Choice Awards Land Early January 2026 Date - April 25, 2025
• Adam Sandler in ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ Double Tyler Perry Headed to Netflix This Summer - April 25, 2025
• 2025 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations: ‘Death Becomes Her’ Leads with 12 - April 25, 2025