Independent Spirit Award for Best Film
Independent Spirit Award for Best Film | |
---|---|
Awarded for | Best Independent Film |
Country | United States |
Presented by | Film Independent |
First awarded | 1985 |
Currently held by | Past Lives (2023) |
Website | filmindependent |
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.
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.[1] In 2022, Film Independent increased the budget cap for eligible films to $30 million to account for the rising cost of production.[2]
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 | Distributing company(s) | Director(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1985 [3] | After Hours | The Geffen Film Company/Warner Bros. | Martin Scorsese |
Blood Simple | Circle Films | Joel Coen and Ethan Coen | |
Smooth Talk | Goldcrest Films | Joyce Chopra | |
The Trip to Bountiful | Island Pictures | Peter Masterson | |
1986 | Platoon | Orion Pictures | Oliver Stone |
Blue Velvet | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group | David Lynch | |
Down by Law | Island Pictures | Jim Jarmusch | |
On Valentine's Day | Angelika Films | Ken Harrison | |
Salvador | Hemdale Film Corporation | Oliver Stone | |
Stand by Me | Columbia Pictures | Rob Reiner | |
1987 | River's Edge | Island Pictures | Tim Hunter |
The Big Easy | Columbia Pictures | Jim McBride | |
The Dead | Vestron Pictures | John Huston | |
Matewan | Cinecom Pictures | John Sayles | |
Swimming to Cambodia | Cinecom Pictures | Jonathan Demme | |
Tough Guys Don't Dance | The Cannon Group, Inc. | Norman Mailer | |
1988 | Stand and Deliver | American Playhouse/Warner Bros. | Ramon Menendez |
Hairspray | New Line Cinema | John Waters | |
Patti Rocks | FilmDallas Pictures | David Burton Morris | |
The Thin Blue Line | Miramax Films | Errol Morris | |
Torch Song Trilogy | New Line Cinema | Paul Bogart | |
1989 | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Miramax Films | Steven Soderbergh |
Drugstore Cowboy | International Video Entertainment | Gus Van Sant | |
Heat and Sunlight | Silverlight Pictures | Rob Nilsson | |
Mystery Train | Orion Classics | Jim Jarmusch | |
True Love | United Artists | Nancy Savoca |
1990s
2000s
2010s
Year | Winner | Distributing company(s) | Director(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2010 [16] | Black Swan | Fox Searchlight | Darren Aronofsky |
127 Hours | Fox Searchlight | Danny Boyle | |
Greenberg | Focus Features | Noah Baumbach | |
The Kids Are All Right | Lisa Cholodenko | ||
Winter's Bone | Roadside Attractions | Debra Granik | |
2011 [17] | The Artist | The Weinstein Company | Michel Hazanavicius |
50/50 | Summit Entertainment | Jonathan Levine | |
Beginners | Focus Features | Mike Mills | |
The Descendants | Fox Searchlight | Alexander Payne | |
Drive | FilmDistrict | Nicolas Winding Refn | |
Take Shelter | Sony Pictures Classics | Jeff Nichols | |
2012 [18] | Silver Linings Playbook | The Weinstein Company | David O. Russell |
Beasts of the Southern Wild | Fox Searchlight | Benh Zeitlin | |
Bernie | Millennium Entertainment | Richard Linklater | |
Keep the Lights On | Music Box Films | Ira Sachs | |
Moonrise Kingdom | Focus Features | Wes Anderson | |
2013 [19] | 12 Years a Slave | Fox Searchlight | Steve McQueen |
All Is Lost | Lionsgate | J. C. Chandor | |
Frances Ha | IFC Films | Noah Baumbach | |
Inside Llewyn Davis | CBS Films | Joel Coen and Ethan Coen | |
Nebraska | Paramount Vantage | Alexander Payne | |
2014 [20] | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) | Fox Searchlight | Alejandro G. Iñárritu |
Boyhood | IFC Films | Richard Linklater | |
Love Is Strange | Sony Pictures Classics | Ira Sachs | |
Selma | Paramount Pictures | Ava DuVernay | |
Whiplash | Sony Pictures Classics | Damien Chazelle | |
2015 [21] | Spotlight | Open Road Films | Tom McCarthy |
Anomalisa | Paramount Pictures | Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson | |
Beasts of No Nation | Bleecker Street/Netflix | Cary Joji Fukunaga | |
Carol | The Weinstein Company | Todd Haynes | |
Tangerine | Magnolia Pictures | Sean Baker | |
2016 [22] | Moonlight | A24 | Barry Jenkins |
American Honey | A24 | Andrea Arnold | |
Chronic | Monument Releasing | Michel Franco | |
Jackie | Fox Searchlight | Pablo Larraín | |
Manchester by the Sea | Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions | Kenneth Lonergan | |
2017 [23] | Get Out | Blumhouse/Universal Pictures | Jordan Peele |
Call Me by Your Name | Sony Pictures Classics | Luca Guadagnino | |
The Florida Project | A24 | Sean Baker | |
Lady Bird | Greta Gerwig | ||
The Rider | Sony Pictures Classics | Chloé Zhao | |
2018 [24] | If Beale Street Could Talk | Annapurna Pictures | Barry Jenkins |
Eighth Grade | A24 | Bo Burnham | |
First Reformed | Paul Schrader | ||
Leave No Trace | Bleecker Street | Debra Granik | |
You Were Never Really Here | Amazon Studios | Lynne Ramsay | |
2019 [25] | The Farewell | A24 | Lulu Wang |
A Hidden Life | Fox Searchlight | Terrence Malick | |
Clemency | Neon | Chinonye Chukwu | |
Marriage Story | Netflix | Noah Baumbach | |
Uncut Gems | A24 | Benny Safdie and Joshua Safdie |
2020s
Year | Winner | Distributing company(s) | Director(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2020 [26][27] | Nomadland | Searchlight Pictures | Chloé Zhao |
First Cow | A24 | Kelly Reichardt | |
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Netflix | George C. Wolfe | |
Minari | A24 | Lee Isaac Chung | |
Never Rarely Sometimes Always | Focus Features | Eliza Hittman | |
2021 [28] | The Lost Daughter | Netflix | Maggie Gyllenhaal |
A Chiara | Neon | Jonas Carpignano | |
C’mon C’mon | A24 | Mike Mills | |
The Novice | IFC Films | Lauren Hadaway | |
Zola | A24 | Janicza Bravo | |
2022 [29] | Everything Everywhere All at Once | A24 | Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert |
Bones and All | MGM/United Artists Releasing | Luca Guadagnino | |
Our Father, the Devil | Resolve Media | Ellie Foumbi | |
Tár | Focus Features | Todd Field | |
Women Talking | MGM/United Artists Releasing | Sarah Polley | |
2023 [30] | Past Lives | A24 | David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, and Christine Vachon |
All of Us Strangers | Searchlight Pictures | Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, and Sarah Harvey | |
American Fiction | Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios | Cord Jefferson, Jermaine Johnson, Nikos Karamigios, and Ben LeClair | |
May December | Netflix | Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, and Christine Vachon | |
Passages | Mubi | Michel Merkt and Saïd Ben Saïd | |
We Grown Now | Sony Pictures Classics | Minhal Baig and Joe Pirro |
Distributors with most wins and nominations (3 or more)
- Netflix - 4 (one win)
- A24 - 14 (four wins)
- Island Pictures - 3 (one win)
- Fox Searchlight/Searchlight Pictures - 17 (eight wins)
- Orion Pictures - 4 (one win)
- Columbia/Sony Pictures Classics - 20 (one win)
- The Weinstein Company - 4 (two wins)
- Miramax - 9 (three wins)
- Universal/Focus Features - 13 (four wins)
- Fine Line Features - 7 (two wins)
- IFC Films - 5 (no wins)
- Samuel Goldwyn - 8 (no wins)
- MGM/United Artists/Amazon - 6 (1 win)
- Artisan Entertainment - 3 (no wins)
- New Line Cinema - 6 (one win)
- October Films - 7 (one win)
- Lionsgate - 7 (two wins)
- New Yorker Films - 3 (no wins)
- Warner Bros/Warner Independent Films - 3 (two wins)
- Paramount/Paramount Vantage - 5 (one win)
References
- ^ "FAQ". Film Independent. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (2022-08-23). "Spirit Awards Set 2023 Date, Go Gender-Neutral And Increase Budget Cap". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ^ Film Independent Spirit Awards - 34 Years of Nominees and Winners
- ^ "'The Limey,' 'Election' Got the Spirit". Hollywood.com. January 14, 2000. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ "'Election' Elected by Spirit Awards". Hollywood.com. March 26, 2000. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ "Tiger Takes 3 Spirit Awards". ABC News. March 24, 2001. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ ""Memento" Has the Spirit". E! Online. March 23, 2002. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ Hernandez, Eugene; Brooks, Brian (March 22, 2003). ""Far From Heaven" Sweeps 2003 Independent Spirit Awards". IndieWire. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ Hernandez, Eugene (February 28, 2004). ""Lost In Translation" Tops Independent Spirit Awards, "Station Agent" Another Big Winner". IndieWire. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ Hernandez, Eugene (February 28, 2005). "Sideways Wins Six at Independent Spirit Awards". IndieWire. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- ^ Germain, David (March 4, 2006). "'Brokeback' named best independent film". USA Today. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- ^ McNary, Dave (February 24, 2007). "'Sunshine' brightens Spirit Awards". Variety. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (February 23, 2008). "'Juno' tops Spirit Awards". Variety. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ Brooks, Brian (February 21, 2009). ""The Wrestler" Leads 2009 Spirit Award Winners". IndieWire. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (March 6, 2010). "'Precious' dominates Spirit Awards with 5 prizes". USA Today. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
- ^ Knegt, Peter (February 27, 2011). ""Black Swan" Lead Spirit Award Winners". IndieWire. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
- ^ McNary, Dave (February 25, 2012). "'The Artist' dominates Spirit Awards". Variety. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ "Independent Spirit Awards 2013: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. February 23, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
- ^ Atkinson, Katie. "Independent Spirit Awards 2014: The winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Spirit Awards 2015: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Spirit Awards 2016: Complete Winners List". Variety. February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ Earl, William (February 26, 2017). "2017 Independent Spirit Awards: Full Winners List". IndieWire. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ Nyren, Erin (March 3, 2018). "2018 Independent Spirit Awards: Winners List (Updating Live)". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ Welk, Brian (February 24, 2019). "Independent Spirit Awards 2019: Complete Winners List". TheWrap. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Blyth, Antonia (February 8, 2020). "Independent Spirit Awards Redresses Female Balance With Wins For Lulu Wang, Olivia Wilde & Julia Reichert – Complete Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (April 22, 2021). "'Nomadland' Wins Independent Spirit Awards For Best Picture, Director, Editing & Cinematography, Further Solidifying Oscars Prospects". Deadline. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Sharf, Zack (April 23, 2021). "2021 Independent Spirit Awards Winner's List". IndieWire. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Long, Brent; Tangcay, Jazz (December 14, 2021). "Indie Spirit Awards 2022: Full List of Nominations". Variety. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (November 22, 2022). "Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: 'Everything Everywhere' Leads With Eight Noms". Variety. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ "Film Independent Spirit Awards (2024)". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
External links
- Every BEST FEATURE winner on the official Film Independent YouTube channel
- v
- t
- e
- Best Film
- Best Director
- Best Lead Performance
- Best Supporting Performance
- Best Breakthrough Performance
- Best Cinematography
- Best Editing
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best First Feature
- Best International Film
- Best Screenplay
- Best First Screenplay
- Best New Scripted Series
- Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
- Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series
- John Cassavetes Award
- Robert Altman Award