The Independent Spirit Award for Best Film (or Best Feature) is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards, presented to recognize the best in independent filmmaking, it was first awarded in 1985 with Martin Scorsese's film After Hours being the first recipient of the award.
| Independent Spirit Award for Best Film |
|---|
| Awarded for | Best Independent Film |
|---|
| Country | United States |
|---|
| Presented by | Film Independent |
|---|
| First award | 1985 |
|---|
| Currently held by | Anora (2024) |
|---|
| Website | filmindependent.org |
|---|
Criteria
In order to be considered as an independent film and therefore being eligible to this category, nomination committees base their decision on four criteria, "uniqueness of vision, original, provocative subject matter, percentage of financing from independent sources and economy of means"; the latter refers to a budget ceiling of $22.5 million. In 2022, Film Independent increased the budget cap for eligible films to $30 million to account for the rising cost of production.
In the following lists, the first titles listed are winners. These are also in bold and in blue background; those not in bold are nominees.
Winners and nominees
1980s
| Year | Winner | Director(s) | Distributing company(s) |
1985
| After Hours | Martin Scorsese | The Geffen Film Company/Warner Bros. |
| Blood Simple | Joel Coen and Ethan Coen | Circle Films |
| Smooth Talk | Joyce Chopra | Goldcrest Films |
| The Trip to Bountiful | Peter Masterson | Island Pictures |
| 1986 | Platoon | Oliver Stone | Orion Pictures |
| Blue Velvet | David Lynch | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group |
| Down by Law | Jim Jarmusch | Island Pictures |
| On Valentine's Day | Ken Harrison | Angelika Films |
| Salvador | Oliver Stone | Hemdale Film Corporation |
| Stand by Me | Rob Reiner | Columbia Pictures |
| 1987 | River's Edge | Tim Hunter | Island Pictures |
| The Big Easy | Jim McBride | Columbia Pictures |
| The Dead | John Huston | Vestron Pictures |
| Matewan | John Sayles | Cinecom Pictures |
| Swimming to Cambodia | Jonathan Demme | Cinecom Pictures |
| Tough Guys Don't Dance | Norman Mailer | The Cannon Group, Inc. |
| 1988 | Stand and Deliver | Ramon Menendez | American Playhouse/Warner Bros. |
| Hairspray | John Waters | New Line Cinema |
| Patti Rocks | David Burton Morris | FilmDallas Pictures |
| The Thin Blue Line | Errol Morris | Miramax Films |
| Torch Song Trilogy | Paul Bogart | New Line Cinema |
| 1989 | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Steven Soderbergh | Miramax Films |
| Drugstore Cowboy | Gus Van Sant | International Video Entertainment |
| Heat and Sunlight | Rob Nilsson | Silverlight Pictures |
| Mystery Train | Jim Jarmusch | Orion Classics |
| True Love | Nancy Savoca | United Artists |
1990s
| Year | Winner | Director(s) | Distributing company(s) |
| 1990 | The Grifters | Stephen Frears | Miramax Films |
| Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer | John McNaughton | Greycat Films |
| The Plot Against Harry | Michael Roemer | New Yorker Films |
| Pump Up the Volume | Allan Moyle | New Line Cinema |
| To Sleep with Anger | Charles Burnett | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 1991 | Rambling Rose | Martha Coolidge | New Line/Seven Arts |
| City of Hope | John Sayles | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| Hangin' with the Homeboys | Joseph Vasquez | New Line Cinema |
| Homicide | David Mamet | Triumph Films |
| My Own Private Idaho | Gus Van Sant | Fine Line Features |
| 1992 | The Player | Robert Altman | Fine Line Features |
| Bad Lieutenant | Abel Ferrara | Aries Films |
| Gas Food Lodging | Allison Anders | Cineville |
| Mississippi Masala | Mira Nair | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| One False Move | Carl Franklin | I.R.S. Releasing |
| 1993 | Short Cuts | Robert Altman | Fine Line Features |
| Equinox | Alan Rudolph | IRS Media |
| Much Ado About Nothing | Kenneth Branagh | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| Ruby in Paradise | Victor Nuñez | October Films |
| The Wedding Banquet | Ang Lee | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 1994 | Pulp Fiction | Quentin Tarantino | Miramax Films |
| Bullets over Broadway | Woody Allen | Miramax Films |
| Eat Drink Man Woman | Ang Lee | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | Alan Rudolph | Fine Line Features |
| Wes Craven's New Nightmare | Wes Craven | New Line Cinema |
| 1995 | Leaving Las Vegas | Mike Figgis | United Artists |
| The Addiction | Abel Ferrara | October Films |
| Living in Oblivion | Tom DiCillo | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Safe | Todd Haynes | Sony Pictures Classics |
| The Secret of Roan Inish | John Sayles | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 1996 | Fargo | Joel Coen | Gramercy Pictures |
| Dead Man | Jim Jarmusch | Miramax Films |
| The Funeral | Abel Ferrara | October Films |
| Lone Star | John Sayles | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Welcome to the Dollhouse | Todd Solondz | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 1997 | The Apostle | Robert Duvall | October Films |
| Chasing Amy | Kevin Smith | Miramax Films |
| Loved | Erin Dignam | MDP Worldwide |
| Ulee's Gold | Victor Nuñez | Orion Pictures |
| Waiting for Guffman | Christopher Guest | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 1998 | Gods and Monsters | Bill Condon | Lionsgate Films |
| Affliction | Paul Schrader | Lionsgate Films |
| Claire Dolan | Lodge Kerrigan | New Yorker Films |
| A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries | James Ivory | October Films |
| Velvet Goldmine | Todd Haynes | Miramax Films |
1999
| Election | Alexander Payne | Paramount Pictures/MTV Films |
| Cookie's Fortune | Robert Altman | October Films |
| The Limey | Steven Soderbergh | Artisan Entertainment |
| The Straight Story | David Lynch | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Sugar Town | Allison Anders and Kurt Voss | October Films/USA Films |
2000s
| Year | Winner | Director(s) | Distributing company(s) |
2000
| Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Ang Lee | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Before Night Falls | Julian Schnabel | Fine Line Features |
| George Washington | David Gordon Green | ContentFilm International |
| Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai | Jim Jarmusch | Artisan Entertainment |
| Requiem for a Dream | Darren Aronofsky |
2001
| Memento | Christopher Nolan | Newmarket Films |
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch | John Cameron Mitchell | Fine Line Features |
| L.I.E. | Michael Cuesta | New Yorker Films |
| Things Behind the Sun | Allison Anders | Showtime Networks |
| Waking Life | Richard Linklater | Fox Searchlight |
2002
| Far from Heaven | Todd Haynes | Focus Features |
| The Good Girl | Miguel Arteta | Fox Searchlight |
| Lovely & Amazing | Nicole Holofcener | Lionsgate Films |
| Secretary | Steven Shainberg |
| Tully | Hilary Birmingham | Small Planet Pictures |
2003
| Lost in Translation | Sofia Coppola | Focus Features |
| American Splendor | Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini | Fine Line Features/HBO Films |
| In America | Jim Sheridan | Fox Searchlight |
| Raising Victor Vargas | Peter Sollett | Samuel Goldwyn Films |
| Shattered Glass | Billy Ray | Lions Gate Films |
2004
| Sideways | Alexander Payne | Fox Searchlight |
| Baadasssss! | Mario Van Peebles | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Kinsey | Bill Condon | Fox Searchlight |
| Maria Full of Grace | Joshua Marston | Fine Line Features |
| Primer | Shane Carruth | THINKFilm |
2005
| Brokeback Mountain | Ang Lee | Focus Features |
| Capote | Bennett Miller | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Good Night, and Good Luck | George Clooney | Warner Independent Pictures |
| The Squid and the Whale | Noah Baumbach | Samuel Goldwyn Films |
| The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada | Tommy Lee Jones | Sony Pictures Classics |
2006
| Little Miss Sunshine | Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris | Fox Searchlight |
| American Gun | Aric Avelino | IFC Films |
| The Dead Girl | Karen Moncrieff | First Look International |
| Half Nelson | Ryan Fleck | THINKFilm |
| Pan's Labyrinth | Guillermo del Toro | Picturehouse |
2007
| Juno | Jason Reitman | Fox Searchlight |
| The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | Julian Schnabel | Miramax Films |
| I'm Not There | Todd Haynes | The Weinstein Company |
| A Mighty Heart | Michael Winterbottom | Paramount Vantage |
| Paranoid Park | Gus Van Sant | IFC Films |
2008
| The Wrestler | Darren Aronofsky | Fox Searchlight |
| Ballast | Lance Hammer | Alluvial Film Company |
| Frozen River | Courtney Hunt | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Rachel Getting Married | Jonathan Demme |
| Wendy and Lucy | Kelly Reichardt | Oscilloscope Pictures |
2009
| Precious | Lee Daniels | Lionsgate |
| (500) Days of Summer | Marc Webb | Fox Searchlight |
| Amreeka | Cherien Dabis | National Geographic Entertainment |
| The Last Station | Michael Hoffman | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Sin Nombre | Cary Fukunaga | Focus Features |
2010s
| Year | Winner | Director(s) | Distributing company(s) |
2010
| Black Swan | Darren Aronofsky | Fox Searchlight |
| 127 Hours | Danny Boyle | Fox Searchlight |
| Greenberg | Noah Baumbach | Focus Features |
| The Kids Are All Right | Lisa Cholodenko |
| Winter's Bone | Debra Granik | Roadside Attractions |
2011
| The Artist | Michel Hazanavicius | The Weinstein Company |
| 50/50 | Jonathan Levine | Summit Entertainment |
| Beginners | Mike Mills | Focus Features |
| The Descendants | Alexander Payne | Fox Searchlight |
| Drive | Nicolas Winding Refn | FilmDistrict |
| Take Shelter | Jeff Nichols | Sony Pictures Classics |
2012
| Silver Linings Playbook | David O. Russell | The Weinstein Company |
| Beasts of the Southern Wild | Benh Zeitlin | Fox Searchlight |
| Bernie | Richard Linklater | Millennium Entertainment |
| Keep the Lights On | Ira Sachs | Music Box Films |
| Moonrise Kingdom | Wes Anderson | Focus Features |
2013
| 12 Years a Slave | Steve McQueen | Fox Searchlight |
| All Is Lost | J. C. Chandor | Lionsgate |
| Frances Ha | Noah Baumbach | IFC Films |
| Inside Llewyn Davis | Joel Coen and Ethan Coen | CBS Films |
| Nebraska | Alexander Payne | Paramount Vantage |
2014
| Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) | Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Fox Searchlight |
| Boyhood | Richard Linklater | IFC Films |
| Love Is Strange | Ira Sachs | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Selma | Ava DuVernay | Paramount Pictures |
| Whiplash | Damien Chazelle | Sony Pictures Classics |
2015
| Spotlight | Tom McCarthy | Open Road Films |
| Anomalisa | Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson | Paramount Pictures |
| Beasts of No Nation | Cary Joji Fukunaga | Bleecker Street/Netflix |
| Carol | Todd Haynes | The Weinstein Company |
| Tangerine | Sean Baker | Magnolia Pictures |
2016
| Moonlight | Barry Jenkins | A24 |
| American Honey | Andrea Arnold | A24 |
| Chronic | Michel Franco | Monument Releasing |
| Jackie | Pablo Larraín | Fox Searchlight |
| Manchester by the Sea | Kenneth Lonergan | Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions |
2017
| Get Out | Jordan Peele | Universal Pictures/Blumhouse Productions |
| Call Me by Your Name | Luca Guadagnino | Sony Pictures Classics |
| The Florida Project | Sean Baker | A24 |
| Lady Bird | Greta Gerwig |
| The Rider | Chloé Zhao | Sony Pictures Classics |
2018
| If Beale Street Could Talk | Barry Jenkins | Annapurna Pictures |
| Eighth Grade | Bo Burnham | A24 |
| First Reformed | Paul Schrader |
| Leave No Trace | Debra Granik | Bleecker Street |
| You Were Never Really Here | Lynne Ramsay | Amazon Studios |
2019
| The Farewell | Lulu Wang | A24 |
| A Hidden Life | Terrence Malick | Fox Searchlight |
| Clemency | Chinonye Chukwu | Neon |
| Marriage Story | Noah Baumbach | Netflix |
| Uncut Gems | Benny Safdie and Joshua Safdie | A24 |
2020s
| Year | Winner | Director(s) | Distributing company(s) |
2020
| Nomadland | Chloé Zhao | Searchlight Pictures |
| First Cow | Kelly Reichardt | A24 |
| Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | George C. Wolfe | Netflix |
| Minari | Lee Isaac Chung | A24 |
| Never Rarely Sometimes Always | Eliza Hittman | Focus Features |
2021
| The Lost Daughter | Maggie Gyllenhaal | Netflix |
| A Chiara | Jonas Carpignano | Neon |
| C’mon C’mon | Mike Mills | A24 |
| The Novice | Lauren Hadaway | IFC Films |
| Zola | Janicza Bravo | A24 |
2022
| Everything Everywhere All at Once | Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert | A24 |
| Bones and All | Luca Guadagnino | MGM/United Artists Releasing |
| Our Father, the Devil | Ellie Foumbi | Resolve Media |
| Tár | Todd Field | Focus Features |
| Women Talking | Sarah Polley | MGM/United Artists Releasing |
2023
| Past Lives | Celine Song | A24 |
| All of Us Strangers | Andrew Haigh | Searchlight Pictures |
| American Fiction | Cord Jefferson | Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios |
| May December | Todd Haynes | Netflix |
| Passages | Ira Sachs | Mubi |
| We Grown Now | Minhal Baig | Sony Pictures Classics |
2024
| Anora | Sean Baker | Neon |
| I Saw the TV Glow | Jane Schoenbrun | A24 |
| Nickel Boys | RaMell Ross | Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios |
| Sing Sing | Greg Kwedar | A24 |
| The Substance | Coralie Fargeat | Mubi |
2025
| Peter Hujar's Day | Ira Sachs | Janus Films/Sideshow |
| The Plague | Charlie Polinger | Independent Film Company |
| Sorry, Baby | Eva Victor | A24 |
| Train Dreams | Clint Bentley | Netflix |
| Twinless | James Sweeney | Lionsgate Films/Roadside Attractions |
Distributors with most wins and nominations (2 or more)
- Columbia/Sony Pictures Classics - 20 (one win)
- Fox Searchlight/Searchlight Pictures - 17 (eight wins)
- A24 - 15 (four wins)
- Universal/Focus Features - 13 (four wins)
- Miramax - 9 (three wins)
- Samuel Goldwyn - 8 (no wins)
- Lionsgate - 8 (two wins)
- Fine Line Features - 7 (two wins)
- October Films - 7 (one win)
- IFC Films - 6 (no wins)
- MGM/United Artists/Amazon - 6 (one win)
- New Line Cinema - 6 (one win)
- Netflix - 6 (one win)
- Paramount/Paramount Vantage - 5 (one win)
- The Weinstein Company - 4 (two wins)
- Orion Pictures - 4 (one win)
- Warner Bros/Warner Independent Films - 3 (two wins)
- Island Pictures - 3 (one win)
- Neon - 3 (one win)
- Artisan Entertainment - 3 (no wins)
- New Yorker Films - 3 (no wins)
- Bleecker Street - 2 (no wins)
- Mubi - 2 (no wins)
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about Independent Spirit Award for Best Film, What is Independent Spirit Award for Best Film? What does Independent Spirit Award for Best Film mean?