The Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards. It is usually given to the director (or directors) and producer (or producers). The "first feature" designation is applied to the director not the producer(s). Therefore, producers have been nominated multiple times. It was first presented in 1986 with Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It being the first recipient of the award.
In 2000, this category was split into two separate categories: one for films with budgets over $500,000 and a new category, the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, which was restricted to films with budgets under $500,000. In 2001, films could be eligible regardless of their budget as long as it was feature film directorial debut.
Winners and nominees
1980s YearWinnerDirector(s)Producer(s)1986 She's Gotta Have It Spike Lee Belizaire the Cajun Glen Pitre Allan L. Durand A Great Wall Peter Wang Shirley Sun Hoosiers David Anspaugh John Daly, Carter DeHaven, Derek Gibson and Angelo Pizzo True Stories David Byrne Gary Kurfirst1987 Dirty Dancing Emile Ardolino Linda Gottlieb Anna Yurek Bogayevicz Zanne Devine Hollywood Shuffle Robert Townsend Carl Craig Siesta Mary Lambert Gary Kurfirst Waiting for the Moon Jill Godmilow Sandra Schulberg1988 Mystic Pizza Donald Petrie Mark Levinson and Scott M. Rosenfelt Border Radio Allison Anders, Dean Lent and Kurt Voss Marcus DeLeon The Chocolate War Keith Gordon Jonathan D. Krane The Prince of Pennsylvania Ron Nyswaner Jonathan D. Krane The Wash Michael Toshiyuki Uno Calvin Skaggs1989 Heathers Michael Lehmann Denise Di Novi 84 Charlie Mopic Patrick Sheane Duncan Michael Nolan Powwow Highway Jonathan Wacks Jan Wieringa Sidewalk Stories Charles Lane Howard M. Brickner Talking to Strangers Rob Tregenza J.K. Eareckson
1990s YearWinnerDirector(s)Producer(s)1990 Metropolitan Whit Stillman House Party Reginald Hudlin Warrington Hudlin Lightning Over BraddockBAM|Lightning Over Braddock Tony Buba The Natural History of Parking Lots Everett Lewis Aziz Ghazal Twister Michael Almereyda 1991 Straight Out of Brooklyn Matty Rich Chameleon Street Wendell B. Harris Jr. Poison Todd Haynes Christine Vachon The Rapture Michael Tolkin Karen Koch, Nancy Tenenbaum and Nick Wechsler Slacker Richard Linklater1992 The Waterdance Neal Jimenez and Michael Steinberg Gale Anne Hurd, Marie Cantin and Guy Riedel Laws of Gravity Nick Gomez Bob Gosse and Larry Meistrich My New Gun Stacy Cochran Michael Flynn Reservoir Dogs Quentin Tarantino Lawrence Bender Swoon Tom Kalin Christine Vachon1993 El Mariachi Robert Rodriguez Robert Rodriguez and Carlos Gallardo American Heart Martin Bell Jeff Bridges and Rosilyn Heller Combination Platter Tony Chan Tony Chan and Judy Moy Mac John Turturro Brenda Goodman and Nancy Tenenbaum Menace II Society Allen and Albert Hughes Darin Scott1994 Spanking the Monkey David O. Russell Dean Silvers Clean, Shaven Lodge Kerrigan Clerks Kevin Smith Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier I Like It Like That Darnell Martin Lane Janger Suture David Siegel and Scott McGehee David Siegel, Scott McGehee, and Michele Petin1995 The Brothers McMullen Edward Burns Dick Fisher Kids Larry Clark Cary Woods Little Odessa James Gray Paul Webster Picture Bride Kayo Hatta Diane Mei Lin Mark and Lisa Onodera River of Grass Kelly Reichardt Jesse Hartman1996 Sling Blade Billy Bob Thornton David L. Bushell and Brandon Rosser Big Night Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci Jonathan Filley I Shot Andy Warhol Mary Harron Tom Kalin and Christine Vachon Manny & Lo Lisa Krueger Marlen Hecht and Dean Silvers Trees Lounge Steve Buscemi Chris Hanley and Brad Wyman1997 Eve's Bayou Kasi Lemmons Caldecot Chubb and Samuel L. Jackson The Bible and Gun Club Daniel J. HarrisThe Bible and Gun Club - Variety Hard Eight Paul Thomas Anderson Robert Jones and John S. Lyons In the Company of Men Neil LaBute Mark Archer and Stephen Pevner Star Maps Miguel Arteta Matthew Greenfield1998 The Opposite of Sex Don Roos David Kirkpatrick and Michael Besman Buffalo '66 Vincent Gallo Chris Hanley High Art Lisa Cholodenko Dolly Hall, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Susan A. Stover Darren Aronofsky Eric Watson Slums of Beverly Hills Tamara Jenkins Michael Nozik and Stan Wlodkowski1999 Being John Malkovich Spike Jonze Michael Stipe, Sandy Stern, Steve Golin and Vincent Landay Boys Don't Cry Kimberly Peirce Jeffrey Sharp, John Hart, Eva Kolodner and Christine Vachon Three Seasons Tony Bui Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente Twin Falls Idaho Michael Polish Marshall Persinger, Rena Ronson and Steven J. Wolfe Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl Joan Chen Joan Chen and Wai-Chung Chan
2000s YearWinnerDirector(s)Producer(s)2000 You Can Count on Me Kenneth Lonergan John Hart, Jeffrey Sharp, Barbara De Fina and Larry Meistrich Boiler Room Ben Younger Jennifer Todd and Suzanne Todd Girlfight Karyn Kusama Maggie Renzi, Sarah Green and Martha Griffin Love & Basketball Gina Prince-Bythewood Spike Lee and Sam Kitt The Visit Jordan Walker-Pearlman2001 In the Bedroom Todd Field Todd Field, Ross Katz, and Graham Leader The Anniversary Party Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh The Believer Henry Bean Susan Hoffman and Christopher Roberts Donnie Darko Richard Kelly Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, and Adam Fields Ghost World Terry Zwigoff Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, and Russell Smith2002 The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys Peter Care Jodie Foster, Meg LeFauve, Jay Shapiro, and Todd McFarlane Interview with the Assassin Neil Burger Brian Koppelman and David Levien Manito Eric Eason Jesse Scolaro and Allen Bain Paid in Full Charles Stone III Damon Dash, Jay-Z, Brett Ratner, Azie Faison, and Steve Rifkind Roger Dodger Dylan Kidd Dylan Kidd, Anne Chaisson, and Campbell Scott2003 Monster Patty Jenkins Mark Damon, Donald Kushner, Clark Peterson, Charlize Theron and Brad Wyman Bomb the System Adam Bhala Lough Ben Rekhi and Sol Tryon House of Sand and Fog Vadim Perelman Vadim Perelman and Michael London Quattro Noza Joey CurtisQuattro Noza - Variety Fredric King Thirteen Catherine Hardwicke Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Michael London2004 Garden State Zach Braff Pamela Abdy, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted and Richard Klubeck Brother to Brother Rodney Evans Rodney Evans, Jim McKay, Isen Robbins and Aimee Schoof Napoleon Dynamite Jared Hess Jeremy Coon, Sean Covel and Chris Wyatt Saints and Soldiers Ryan Little Ryan Little and Adam Abel The Woodsman Nicole Kassell Lee Daniels2005 Crash Paul Haggis Paul Haggis, Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris and Bobby Moresco Lackawanna Blues George C. Wolfe Halle Berry, Vince Cirrincione, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Nellie Nugiel and Shelby Stone Me and You and Everyone We Know Miranda July Gina Kwon Thumbsucker Mike Mills Anthony Bregman and Bob Stephenson Transamerica Duncan Tucker Sebastian Dungan, Linda Moran and Rene Bastian2006 Sweet Land Ali Selim Alan Cumming and James Bigham Day Night Day Night Julia Loktev Melanie Judd and Jessica Levin Man Push Cart Ramin Bahrani Pradip Ghosh and Bedford T. Bentley The Motel Michael Kang Matthew Greenfield, Miguel Arteta, Gina Kwon and Karin Chien Wristcutters: A Love Story Goran Dukić Adam Sherman, Chris Coen, Tatiana Kelly and Mikal P. Lazarev2007 The Lookout Scott Frank Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Laurence Mark and Walter F. Parkes 2 Days in Paris Julie Delpy Christophe Mazodier and Thierry Potok Great World of Sound Craig Zobel Craig Zobel, Melissa Palmer, David Gordon Green and Richard A. Wright Rocket Science Jeffrey Blitz Effie Brown and Sean Welch Vanaja Rajnesh Domalpalli Latha R. Domalapalli2008 Synecdoche, New York Charlie Kaufman Charlie Kaufman, Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze and Sidney Kimmel Afterschool Antonio Campos T. Sean Durkin and Josh Mond Medicine for Melancholy Barry Jenkins Justin Barber Sangre de Mi Sangre Christopher Zalla Per Melita and Ben Odell Sleep Dealer Alex Rivera Anthony Bregman2009 Crazy Heart Scott Cooper Scott Cooper, Robert Duvall, Rob Carliner, Judy Cairo and T-Bone Burnett Easier with Practice Kyle Patrick Alvarez Cookie Carosella The Messenger Oren Moverman Mark Gordon, Lawrence Inglee and Zach Miller Paranormal Activity Oren Peli Oren Peli and Jason Blum A Single Man Tom Ford Tom Ford, Chris Weitz, Andrew Miano and Robert Salerno
2010s