Independent Spirit Award for Best Film

The Independent Spirit Award for Best Film (or Best Feature) is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.

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.

Notes

• "†" indicate which of the listed films (if any) won the Academy Award for Best Picture that same year
• "‡" indicate which of the listed films (if any) were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture that same year

Winners and nominees

1980s

• 1985: After Hours (Warner Bros.) – Martin Scorsese
  • Blood Simple (Circle Films) – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
  • Smooth Talk
  • The Trip to Bountiful
• 1986: Platoon † (Orion) – Oliver Stone
  • Blue Velvet – David Lynch
  • Down by Law
  • On Valentine's Day
  • Salvador – Oliver Stone
  • Stand by Me (Columbia) – Rob Reiner
• 1987: River's Edge (Island Pictures) – Tim Hunter
  • The Big Easy
  • The Dead – John Huston
  • Matewan
  • Swimming to Cambodia – Jonathan Demme
  • Tough Guys Don't Dance (Cannon) – Norman Mailer
• 1988: Stand and Deliver (Warner Bros.) – Ramon Menendez
  • Hairspray (New Line Cinema) – John Waters
  • Patti Rocks
  • The Thin Blue Line
  • Torch Song Trilogy (New Line Cinema)
• 1989: Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Miramax) – Steven Soderbergh
  • Drugstore Cowboy – Gus Van Sant
  • Heat and Sunlight
  • Mystery Train
  • True Love

1990s

• 1990: The Grifters (Miramax) – Stephen Frears
  • Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
  • The Plot Against Harry
  • Pump Up the Volume (New Line Cinema)
  • To Sleep with Anger
• 1991: Rambling Rose – Martha Coolidge
  • City of Hope
  • Hangin' with the Homeboys
  • Homicide
  • My Own Private Idaho (Fine Line Features) – Gus Van Sant
• 1992: The Player (Fine Line Features) – Robert Altman
  • Bad Lieutenant – Abel Ferrara
  • Gas Food Lodging
  • Mississippi Masala
  • One False Move – Carl Franklin
• 1993: Short Cuts (Fine Line Features) – Robert Altman
  • Equinox
  • Much Ado About Nothing (Samuel Goldwyn Company) – Kenneth Branagh
  • Ruby in Paradise
  • The Wedding Banquet
• 1994: Pulp Fiction ‡ (Miramax) – Quentin Tarantino
  • Bullets over Broadway (Miramax) – Woody Allen
  • Eat Drink Man Woman
  • Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (Fine Line Features)
  • Wes Craven's New Nightmare (New Line Cinema) – Wes Craven
• 1995: Leaving Las Vegas (United Artists) – Mike Figgis
  • The Addiction
  • Living in Oblivion
  • Safe
  • The Secret of Roan Inish (Sony Pictures Classics) – John Sayles
• 1996: Fargo ‡ (PolyGram) – Joel Coen
  • Dead Man (Miramax) – Jim Jarmusch
  • The Funeral
  • Lone Star (Columbia / Castle Rock) – John Sayles
  • Welcome to the Dollhouse (Sony Pictures Classics)
• 1997: The Apostle (October Films) – Robert Duvall
  • Chasing Amy (Miramax) – Kevin Smith
  • Loved
  • Ulee's Gold (Orion)
  • Waiting for Guffman (Columbia / Castle Rock) – Christopher Guest
• 1998: Gods and Monsters – Bill Condon
  • Affliction – Paul Schrader
  • Claire Dolan
  • A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries
  • Velvet Goldmine
• 1999: Election (Paramount) – Alexander Payne
  • Cookie's Fortune (October Films) – Robert Altman
  • The Limey – Steven Soderbergh
  • The Straight Story (Disney) – David Lynch
  • Sugar Town

2000s

2010s