Film Pertama Terbaik (Independent Spirit Award)

Independent Spirit Award untuk Film Pertama Terbaik merupakan salah satu Independent Spirit Awards tahunan. Biasanya, gelar ini diberikan kepada sutradara (atau para sutradara) dan produser (atau para produser). Sebutan "film fitur pertama" diterapkan kepada sutradara, bukan kepada produser. Oleh karena itu, para produser telah dinominasikan beberapa kali. Penghargaan ini pertama kali diberikan pada tahun 1986 dengan film Spike Lee She's Gotta Have It sebagai penerima pertama penghargaan tersebut.

Pada tahun 2000, kategori ini dibagi menjadi dua kategori terpisah: satu untuk film dengan anggaran lebih dari $500.000 dan kategori baru, yaitu Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, yang sebelumnya terbatas pada film dengan anggaran di bawah $500.000. Pada tahun 2001, film dapat memenuhi syarat tanpa memandang anggarannya, asalkan merupakan debut penyutradaraan film.

 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
  – 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

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