John Sayles is a second-generation American independent film director who is considered to have best inherited the spirit of the first-generation of American independent filmmakers represented by John Cassavetes. Before venturing into the film industry, Sayles wrote several novels with acute yet amusing analyses of race, gender and class conflict in American society, such as Pride of the Bimbos and Union Dues. Since his directorial debut in 1979 with Return of the Secaucus 7, Sayles has shared a number of socially engaging messages through various film genres. In terms of production, he stoutly rejects the huge Hollywood system, and makes low-budget independent films instead. To that end, not only does Sayles play a multiple role as a director, screenwriter and actor, but also he continues to write fiction. Many of his films carry his unique literary sentiments, and his screenplays show a high degree of completion. Sayles previously won Best Screenplay at Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards. At Tribute GIFF: John Sayles, audiences can view the exceptional work of Director Sayles: Lianna is about a married woman’s coming-out story and how she became independent; The Brother from Another Planet though masked as science fiction, reaches deeper and evokes racial issues in American society; Matewan deals with the oppression against labor unions in American modern history; Passion Fish is a story of healing through friendship and solidarity between two women; Men with Guns deals with the relationshipbetween power and violence.