The IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards likes to call itself "the yin to the Oscars' yang." In case you miss the juxtapostion, the ceremony is held every year on the Saturday directly preceding Oscar night. Even so, as you scan the list, you can see that the films honored during the early years of the indie boom in the mid to late 80s were truly independent. As time scoots by, you begin to see more overlapping between the movie industry's yin and yang.

The Awards were founded in 1984 and the first round was given out two years later. Quite a remarkable growth curve after that: In March 2002, the ceremony was hosted by John Waters and attended by 1300 guests, 350 journalists and loads and loads of stars. The fact that the Awards are sponsored by the Independent Film Channel and Entertainment Weekly, among others, surely helps attract those as anxious to be seen as to see. IFP alone reaches 33 million households; it's then broadcast on Bravo to reach another 53 million. Little indie film is all grown up now.

2002

BEST FIRST FEATURE
In The Bedroom

BEST FEATURE
Memento

BEST DIRECTOR (First-time filmmakers not eligible)
Christopher Nolan for Memento

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Paul Franklin Dano for L.I.E.

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Sissy Spacek for In the Bedroom

BEST MALE LEAD
Tom Wilkinson for In The Bedroom

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Carrie-Anne Moss for Memento

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Steve Buscemi for Ghost World

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Amélie

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Dogtown and Z-Boys

2001

BEST FIRST FEATURE
You Can Count On Me

BEST FEATURE
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

BEST DIRECTOR
Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Michelle Rodriguez for Girlfight

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Ellen Burstyn for Requiem for a Dream

BEST MALE LEAD
Javier Bardem for Before Night Falls

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Zhang Ziyi for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Willem Dafoe for Shadow of the Vampire

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Dancer in the Dark

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Dark Days

2000

BEST FIRST FEATURE (under $500,000)
The Blair Witch Project

BEST FIRST FEATURE (over $500,000)
Being John Malkovich

BEST FEATURE
Election

BEST DIRECTOR
Alexander Payne for Election

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Kimberly J. Brown for Tumbleweeds

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Hilary Swank for Boys Don't Cry

BEST MALE LEAD
Richard Farnsworth for The Straight Story

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Chloe Sevigny for Boys Don't Cry

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Steve Zahn for Happy, Texas

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Run Lola Run

1999

BEST FIRST FEATURE
The Opposite of Sex

BEST FEATURE
Gods and Monsters

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson for Rushmore

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Evan Adams for Smoke Signals

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Lynn Redgrave for Gods and Monsters

BEST SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE
Bill Murray for Rushmore

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Ally Sheedy for High Art

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Ian McKellen for Gods and Monsters

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Celebration

1998

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Eve's Bayou

BEST FEATURE
The Apostle

BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Duvall for The Apostle

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Aaron Eckhart for In the Company of Men

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Julie Christie for Afterglow

BEST MALE LEAD
Robert Duvall for The Apostle

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Debbi Morgan for Eve's Bayou

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Jason Lee for Chasing Amy

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Sweet Hereafter

1997

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Sling Blade

BEST FEATURE
Fargo

BEST DIRECTOR
Joel Coen for Fargo

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Heather Matarazzo for Welcome to the Dollhouse

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Frances McDormand for Fargo

BEST MALE LEAD
William H. Macy for Fargo

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Elizabeth Peña for Lone Star

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Benicio Del Toro for Basquiat

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Secrets & Lies (directed by Mike Leigh)

"TRUER THAN FICTION" DOCUMENTARY AWARD
When We Were Kings

1996

BEST FIRST FEATURE
The Brothers McMullen

BEST FEATURE
Leaving Las Vegas

BEST DIRECTOR
Mike Figgis for Leaving Las Vegas

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Justin Pierce for Kids

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Elisabeth Shue for Leaving Las Vegas

BEST MALE LEAD
Sean Penn for Dead Man Walking

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Mare Winningham for Georgia

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Benicio Del Toro for The Usual Suspects

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Before the Rain (directed by Milcho Manchevski)

1995

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Spanking the Monkey (directed by David O. Russell)

BEST FEATURE
Pulp Fiction

BEST DIRECTOR
Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Sean Nelson for Fresh

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Linda Fiorentino for The Last Seduction

BEST MALE LEAD
Samuel L. Jackson for Pulp Fiction

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Dianne Wiest for Bullets Over Broadway

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Chazz Palminteri for Bullets Over Broadway

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Trois couleurs: Rouge (directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski)

1994

BEST FIRST FEATURE
El Mariachi

BEST FEATURE
Short Cuts

BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Altman for Short Cuts

BEST ACTRESS
Ashley Judd for Ruby in Paradise

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges for American Heart

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Lili Taylor for Household Saints

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christopher Lloyd for Twenty Bucks

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Piano

1993

BEST FIRST FEATURE
The Waterdance

BEST FEATURE
The Player

BEST DIRECTOR
Carl Franklin for One False Move

BEST ACTRESS
Fairuza Balk for Gas Food Lodging

BEST ACTOR
Harvey Keitel for Bad Lieutenant

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Alfre Woodard for Passion Fish

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Steve Buscemi for Reservoir Dogs

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Crying Game

1992

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Straight Out of Brooklyn (directed by Matty Rich)

BEST FEATURE
Rambling Rose

BEST DIRECTOR
Martha Coolidge for Rambling Rose

BEST ACTRESS
Judy Davis for Impromptu

BEST ACTOR
River Phoenix for My Own Private Idaho

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Diane Ladd for Rambling Rose

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
David Strathairn for City of Hope

BEST FOREIGN FILM
An Angel at My Table (directed by Jane Campion)

1991

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Metropolitan (directed by Whit Stillman)

BEST FEATURE
The Grifters

BEST DIRECTOR
Charles Burnett for To Sleep With Anger

BEST ACTRESS
Anjelica Huston for The Grifters

BEST ACTOR
Danny Glover for To Sleep With Anger

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Sheryl Lee Ralph for To Sleep With Anger

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Bruce Davison for Longtime Companion

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Sweetie (directed by Jane Campion)

1990

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Heathers

BEST FEATURE
Sex, Lies and Videotape

BEST DIRECTOR
Steven Soderbergh for Sex, Lies and Videotape

BEST ACTRESS
Andie MacDowell for Sex, Lies and Videotape

BEST ACTOR
Matt Dillon for Drugstore Cowboy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Laura San Giacomo for Sex, Lies and Videotape

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Max Perlich for Drugstore Cowboy

BEST FOREIGN FILM
My Left Foot

1989

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Mystic Pizza

BEST FEATURE
Stand and Deliver

BEST DIRECTOR
Ramon Menendez for Stand and Deliver

BEST ACTRESS
Jodie Foster for Five Corners

BEST ACTOR
Edward James Olmos for Stand and Deliver

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rosanna De Soto for Stand and Deliver

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Lou Diamond Phillips for Stand and Deliver

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Wings of Desire (directed by Wim Wenders)

1988

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Dirty Dancing

BEST PICTURE
River's Edge

BEST DIRECTOR
John Huston for The Dead

BEST ACTRESS
Sally Kirkland for Anna

BEST ACTOR
Dennis Quaid for The Big Easy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Anjelica Huston for The Dead

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Morgan Freeman for Street Smart

BEST FOREIGN FEATURE
My Life as a Dog

1987

BEST FIRST FEATURE
She's Gotta Have It (directed by Spike Lee)

BEST FEATURE
Platoon

BEST DIRECTOR
Oliver Stone for Platoon

BEST ACTRESS
Isabella Rossellini for Blue Velvet

BEST ACTOR
James Woods for Salvador

SPECIAL DISTINCTION
Room With a View

1986

BEST PICTURE
After Hours (directed by Martin Scorsese)

BEST DIRECTOR
Joel Coen for Blood Simple

BEST ACTRESS
Geraldine Page for The Trip to Bountiful

BEST ACTOR
M. Emmet Walsh for Blood Simple

SPECIAL DISTINCTION
Kiss of the Spider Woman