From 1986 to 1996, the American Film Institute (AFI) presents the annual Maya Deren Independent Film and Video Artists Award to celebrate achievements in underground and non-commercial independent filmmaking. Each year, between two and four filmmakers are honored, mostly individually, but some filmmaking teams receive the award together. The inaugural recipients are video artist Nam June Paik, experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage, and animator Sally Cruikshank. The award includes a $5,000 grant.