Film Pertama Terbaik (Independent Spirit Award)
Pemenang dan nominee > 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