Film Pertama Terbaik (Independent Spirit Award)

Pemenang dan nominee

1980an

1986: She's Gotta Have It – Spike Lee, sutradara dan produser
- Belizaire the Cajun – Glen Pitre, sutradara; Allan L. Durand, produser
- A Great Wall – Peter Wang, sutradara
- Hoosiers – David Anspaugh, sutradara; John Daly, Carter DeHaven, Derek Gibson dan Angelo Pizzo, produser
- True Stories – David Byrne, sutradara; Gary Kurfirst, produser
1987: Dirty Dancing – Emile Ardolino, sutradara; Linda Gottlieb, produser
- Anna – Yurek Bogayevicz, sutradara; Zanne Devine, produser
- Hollywood Shuffle – Robert Townsend, sutradara dan produser; Carl Craig, produser
- Siesta – Mary Lambert, sutradara; Gary Kurfirst, produser
- Waiting for the Moon – Jill Godmilow, sutradara; Sandra Schulberg, produser
1988: Mystic Pizza – Donald Petrie, sutradara; Mark Levinson dan Scott M. Rosenfelt, produser
- Border Radio – Allison Anders, Dean Lent dan Kurt Voss; Marcus DeLeon, produser
- The Chocolate War, Keith Gordon, sutradara; Jonathan D. Krane, produser
- The Prince of Pennsylvania – Ron Nyswaner, sutradara; Jonathan D. Krane, produser
- The Wash – Michael Toshiyuki Uno, sutradara; Calvin Skaggs, produser
1989: Heathers – Michael Lehmann, sutradara; Denise Di Novi, produser
- 84 Charlie Mopic – Patrick Sheane Duncan, sutradara; Michael Nolan, producer
- Powwow Highway – Jonathan Wacks, director; Jan Wieringa, producer
- Sidewalk Stories – Charles Lane, director; Howard M. Brickner, produser
- Talking to Strangers – Rob Tregenza, sutradara; J.K. Eareckson, produser

1990an

1990: Metropolitan – Whit Stillman, sutradara dan produser
- House Party – Reginald Hudlin, sutradara; Warrington Hudlin, produser
- Lightning Over Braddock – Tony Buba, sutradara dan produser
- The Natural History of Parking Lots – Everett Lewis, sutradara; Aziz Ghazal, produser
- Twister – Michael Almereyda, sutradara; Wieland Schulz-Keil, produser
1991: Straight Out of Brooklyn – Matty Rich, sutradara dan produser
- Chameleon Street – Wendell B. Harris Jr., sutradara dan produser
- Poison – Todd Haynes, sutradara; Christine Vachon, produser
- The Rapture – Michael Tolkin, sutradara; Karen Koch, Nancy Tenenbaum dan Nick Wechsler, produser
- Slacker – Richard Linklater, sutradara dan produser
1992: The Waterdance – Neal Jimenez dan Michael Steinberg, sutradara; Gale Anne Hurd, Marie Cantin dan Guy Riedel, produser eksekutif
- Laws of Gravity – Nick Gomez, sutradara; Bob Gosse dan Larry Meistrich, produser
- My New Gun – Stacy Cochran, sutradara; Michael Flynn, produser
- Reservoir Dogs – Quentin Tarantino, sutradara; Lawrence Bender, produser
- Swoon – Tom Kalin, sutradara; Christine Vachon, produser
1993: El Mariachi – Robert Rodriguez, sutradara dan produser; Carlos Gallardo, produser
- American Heart – Martin Bell, sutradara; Jeff Bridges dan Rosilyn Heller, produser
- Combination Platter – Tony Chan, sutradara dan produser; Judy Moy, produser
- Mac – John Turturro, sutradara; Brenda Goodman dan Nancy Tenenbaum, produser
- Menace II Society – Allen dan Albert Hughes, sutradara; Darin Scott, produser
1994: Spanking the Monkey – David O. Russell, sutradara; Dean Silvers, produser
- Clean, Shaven – Lodge Kerrigan, sutradara dan produser
- Clerks – Kevin Smith, sutradara dan produser; Scott Mosier, produser
- I Like It Like That – Darnell Martin, sutradara; Lane Janger, produser
- Suture – David Siegel dan Scott McGehee, sutradara dan produser; Michele Petin, produser
1995: The Brothers McMullen – Edward Burns, sutradara; Dick Fisher, produser
- Kids – Larry Clark, sutradara; Cary Woods, produser
- Little Odessa – James Gray, sutradara; Paul Webster, produser
- Picture Bride – Kayo Hatta, sutradara; Diane Mei Lin Mark dan Lisa Onodera, produser
- River of Grass – Kelly Reichardt, sutradara
1996: Sling Blade – Billy Bob Thornton, sutradara; David L. Bushell dan Brandon Rosser, produser
- Big Night – Campbell Scott dan Stanley Tucci, sutradara; Jonathan Filley, produser
- I Shot Andy Warhol – Mary Harron, sutradara; Tom Kalin dan Christine Vachon, produser
- Manny & Lo – Lisa Krueger, sutradara; Marlen Hecht dan Dean Silvers, produser
- Trees Lounge – Steve Buscemi, sutradara; Chris Hanley dan Brad Wyman, produser
1997: Eve's Bayou – Kasi Lemmons, sutradara; Caldecot Chubb dan Samuel L. Jackson, produser
- The Bible and Gun Club – Daniel J. Harris, sutradara dan produser
- Hard Eight – Paul Thomas Anderson, sutradara; Robert Jones dan John S. Lyons, produser
- In the Company of Men – Neil LaBute, sutradara; Mark Archer dan Stephen Pevner, produser
- Star Maps – Miguel Arteta, sutradara; Matthew Greenfield, produser
1998: The Opposite of Sex – Don Roos, sutradara; David Kirkpatrick dan Michael Besman, produser
- Buffalo '66 – Vincent Gallo, sutradara; Chris Hanley, produser
- High Art – Lisa Cholodenko, sutradara; Dolly Hall, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte dan Susan A. Stover, produser
- π – Darren Aronofsky, sutradara; Eric Watson, produser
- Slums of Beverly Hills – Tamara Jenkins, sutradara; Michael Nozik dan Stan Wlodkowski, produser
1999: Being John Malkovich – Spike Jonze, sutradara; Michael Stipe, Sandy Stern, Steve Golin dan Vincent Landay, produser
- Boys Don't Cry – Kimberly Peirce, director; Jeffrey Sharp, John Hart, Eva Kolodner dan Christine Vachon, producers
- Three Seasons – Tony Bui, director; Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente, produser
- Twin Falls Idaho – Michael Polish, sutradara; Marshall Persinger, Rena Ronson dan Steven J. Wolfe, produser
- Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl – Joan Chen, sutradara dan produser; Wai-Chung Chan, produser

2000an

2000: You Can Count On Me – Kenneth Lonergan, sutradara; John Hart, Jeffrey Sharp, Barbara De Fina dan Larry Meistrich, produser
- Boiler Room – Ben Younger, sutradara; Jennifer Todd dan Suzanne Todd, produser
- Girlfight – Karyn Kusama, sutradara; Maggie Renzi, Sarah Green dan Martha Griffin, produser.
- Love & Basketball – Gina Prince-Bythewood, sutradara; Spike Lee dan Sam Kitt, produser
- The Visit – Jordan Walker-Pearlman, sutradara dan produser
2001: In the Bedroom – Todd Field, sutradara
- The Anniversary Party – Alan Cumming dan Jennifer Jason Leigh, sutradara
- The Believer – Henry Bean, sutradara
- Donnie Darko – Richard Kelly, sutradara
- Ghost World – Terry Zwigoff, sutradara
2002: The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys – Peter Care, sutradara
- Interview with the Assassin – Neil Burger, sutradara
- Manito – Eric Eason, sutradara
- Paid in Full – Charles Stone III, sutradara
- Roger Dodger – Dylan Kidd, sutradara
2003: Monster – Patty Jenkins, sutradara; Mark Damon, Donald Kushner, Clark Peterson, Charlize Theron dan Brad Wyman, produser
- Bomb the System – Adam Bhala Lough, sutradara; Ben Rekhi dan Sol Tryon, produser
- House of Sand and Fog – Vadim Perelman, sutradara dan produser; Michael London, produser
- Quattro Noza – Joey Curtis, sutradara; Fredric King, producer
- Thirteen – Catherine Hardwicke, sutradara; Jeffrey Levy-Hinte dan Michael London, produser
2004: Garden State – Zach Braff, sutradara; Pamela Abdy, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted dan Richard Klubeck, produser
- Brother to Brother – Rodney Evans, sutradara dan produser; Jim McKay, Isen Robbins dan Aimee Schoof, produser
- Napoleon Dynamite – Jared Hess, sutradara; Jeremy Coon, Sean Covel dan Chris Wyatt, produser
- Saints and Soldiers – Ryan Little, sutradara dan produser; Adam Abel, produser
- The Woodsman – Nicole Kassell, sutradara; Lee Daniels, produser
2005: Crash – Paul Haggis, sutradara dan produser; Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris dan Bobby Moresco, produser
- Lackawanna Blues – George C. Wolfe, sutradara; Halle Berry, Vince Cirrincione, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Nellie Nugiel dan Shelby Stone
- Me and You and Everyone We Know – Miranda July, sutradara; Gina Kwon, produser
- Thumbsucker – Mike Mills, sutradara; Anthony Bregman dan Bob Stephenson, produser
- Transamerica – Duncan Tucker, sutradara; Sebastian Dungan, Linda Moran dan Rene Bastian, produser
2006: Sweet Land – Ali Selim, sutradara; Alan Cumming dan James Bigham, produser
- Day Night Day Night – Julia Loktev, sutradara; Melanie Judd dan Jessica Levin, produser
- Man Push Cart – Ramin Bahrani, sutradara; Pradip Ghosh dan Bedford T. Bentley, produser
- The Motel – Michael Kang, sutradara; Matthew Greenfield, Miguel Arteta, Gina Kwon dan Karin Chien, produser
- Wristcutters: A Love Story – Goran Dukić, sutradara; Adam Sherman, Chris Coen, Tatiana Kelly dan Mikal P. Lazarev, produser
2007: The Lookout – Scott Frank, sutradara; Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Laurence Mark dan Walter F. Parkes, produser
- 2 Days in Paris – Julie Delpy, sutradara; Christophe Mazodier dan Thierry Potok, produser
- Great World of Sound – Craig Zobel, sutradara dan produser; Melissa Palmer, David Gordon Green dan Richard A. Wright, produser
- Rocket Science – Jeffrey Blitz, sutradara; Effie Brown dan Sean Welch, produser
- Vanaja – Rajnesh Domalpalli, sutradara; Latha R. Domalapalli, produser
2008: Synecdoche, New York – Charlie Kaufman, sutradara dan produser; Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze and Sidney Kimmel, produser
- Afterschool – Antonio Campos, sutradara; T. Sean Durkin dan Josh Mond, produser
- Medicine for Melancholy – Barry Jenkins, sutradara; Justin Barber, produser
- Sangre de Mi Sangre – Christopher Zalla, sutradara; Per Melita dan Ben Odell, produser
- Sleep Dealer – Alex Rivera, sutradara; Anthony Bregman, produser
2009: Crazy Heart – Scott Cooper, sutradara dan produser; Robert Duvall, Rob Carliner, Judy Cairo dan T-Bone Burnett, produser
- Easier with Practice – Kyle Patrick Alvarez, sutradara; Cookie Carosella, produser
- The Messenger – Oren Moverman, sutradara; Mark Gordon, Lawrence Inglee and Zach Miller, produser
- Paranormal Activity – Oren Peli, sutradara dan produser; Jason Blum, produser
- A Single Man – Tom Ford, sutradara dan produser; Chris Weitz, Andrew Miano dan Robert Salerno, produser

2010an

2010: Get Low – Aaron Schneider, sutradara; Dean Zanuck dan David Gundlach, produser
- Everything Strange and New – Frazer Bradshaw, sutradara; Laura Techera Francia dan A.D. Liano, produser
- The Last Exorcism – Daniel Stamm, sutradara; Eric Newman, Eli Roth, Marc Abraham dan Thomas A. Bliss, produser
- Night Catches Us – Tanya Hamilton, sutradara; Ronald Simon, Sean Costello dan Jason Orans, produser
- Tiny Furniture – Lena Dunham, sutradara; Kyle Martin dan Alicia Van Couvering, produser
2011: Margin Call – J. C. Chandor, sutradara; Joe Jenckes, Robert Ogden Barnum, Corey Moosa, Michael Benaroya, Neal Dodson dan Zachary Quinto, produser
- Another Earth – Mike Cahill, sutradara; Hunter Gray, Mike Cahill, Brit Marling dan Nicholas Shumaker, produser
- In the Family – Patrick Wang, sutradara; Patrick Wang, Andrew van den Houten dan Robert Tonino, produser
- Martha Marcy May Marlene – Sean Durkin, sutradara; Josh Mond, Antonio Campos, Chris Maybach dan Patrick Cunningham, produser
- Natural Selection – Robbie Pickering, sutradara; Brion Hambell dan Paul Jensen, produser
2012: The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky, sutradara
- Fill the Void – Rama Burshtein, sutradara
- Gimme the Loot – Adam Leon, sutradara
- Safety Not Guaranteed – Colin Trevorrow, sutradara
- Sound of My Voice – Zal Batmanglij, sutradara
2013: Fruitvale Station – Ryan Coogler, sutradara
- Blue Caprice – Alexandre Moors, sutradara
- Concussion – Stacie Passon, sutradara
- Una Noche – Lucy Mulloy, sutradara
- Wadjda – Haifaa al-Mansour, sutradara
2014: Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy, sutradara
- Dear White People – Justin Simien, sutradara
- A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – Ana Lily Amirpour, sutradara
- Obvious Child – Gillian Robespierre, sutradara
- She's Lost Control – Anja Marquardt, sutradara
2015: The Diary of a Teenage Girl – Marielle Heller, sutradara; Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, dan Madeline Samit, produser
- James White – Josh Mond, sutradara; Max Born, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Melody Roscher, dan Eric Schultz, produser
- Manos Sucias – Josef Kubota Wladyka, sutradara; Elena Greenlee and Márcia Nunes, produser
- Mediterranea – Jonas Carpignano, sutradara; Jason Michael Berman, Chris Columbus, Jon Coplon, Christoph Daniel, Andrew Kortschak, John Lesher, Ryan Lough, Justin Nappi, Alain Peyrollaz, Gwyn Sannia, Marc Schmidheiny, Victor Shapiro, dan Ryan Zacarias, produser
- Songs My Brother Taught Me – Chloé Zhao, sutradara/produser; Mollye Asher, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Angela C. Lee, dan Forest Whitaker, produser
2016: The Witch – Robert Eggers, sutradara/produser; Daniel Bekerman, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Jodi Redmond, dan Rodrigo Teixeira, produser
- The Childhood of a Leader – Brady Corbet, sutradara; Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Chris Coen, Ron Curtis, Helena Danielsson, Mona Fastvold, István Major, produser
- The Fits – Anna Rose Holmer, sutradara/produser; Lisa Kjerulff, producer
- Other People – Chris Kelly, sutradara; Sam Bisbee, Adam Scott, dan Naomi Scott, produser
- Swiss Army Man – Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, sutradara; Miranda Bailey, Lawrence Inglee, Lauren Mann, Amanda Marshall, Eyal Rimmon, dan Jonathan Wang, produser
2017: Ingrid Goes West – Matt Spicer, sutradara; Jared Goldman, Adam Mirels, Robert Mirels, Aubrey Plaza, Tim White, Trevor White, produser
- Columbus – Kogonada, sutradara; Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Aaron Boyd, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz, produser
- Menashe – Joshua Z. Weinstein, sutradara; Yoni Brook, Traci Carlson, Daniel Finkelman, Alex Lipschultz, produser
- Oh Lucy! – Atsuko Hirayanagi, sutradara; Jessica Elbaum, Yukie Kito, Han West, produser
- Patti Cake$ – Geremy Jasper, sutradara; Chris Columbus, Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Noah Stahl, Rodrigo Teixeira, produser