Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female

=Winners and Nominees=

1990s

*"'1990: Anjelica Huston - "The Grifters"
**Mary Alice - "To Sleep with Anger"
**Eszter Balint - "Bail Jumper"
**Carolyn Farina - "Metropolitan"
**Joanne Woodward - "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge"

*"'1991: Judy Davis - "Impromptu"
**Patsy Kensit - "Twenty-One"
**Mimi Rogers - "The Rapture"
**Lili Taylor - "Bright Angel"
**Lily Tomlin - "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe"

*"'1992: Fairuza Balk - "Gas Food Lodging"
**Edie Falco - "Laws of Gravity"
**Catherine Keener - "Johnny Suede"
**Sheryl Lee - ""
**Cynda Williams - "One False Move"

*"'1993: Ashley Judd - "Ruby in Paradise"
**Suzy Amis - "The Ballad of Little Jo"
**May Chin - "The Wedding Banquet"
**Ariyan A. Johnson - "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T."
**Emma Thompson - "Much Ado About Nothing"

*1994: Linda Fiorentino - "The Last Seduction"
**Jennifer Jason Leigh - "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle"
**Karen Sillas - "What Happened Was..."
**Lauren Vélez - "I Like It Like That"
**Wu Chien-lien - "Eat Drink Man Woman"

*1995: Elisabeth Shue - "Leaving Las Vegas"
**Jennifer Jason Leigh - "Georgia"
**Elina Löwensohn - "Nadja"
**Julianne Moore - "Safe"
**Lili Taylor - "The Addiction"

*1996: Frances McDormand - "Fargo"
**María Conchita Alonso - "Caught"
**Scarlett Johansson - "Manny & Lo"
**Catherine Keener - "Walking and Talking"
**Renée Zellweger - "The Whole Wide World"

*"'1997: Julie Christie - "Afterglow"
**Stacy Edwards - "In the Company of Men"
**Alison Folland - "All Over Me"
**Robin Wright Penn - "Loved"
**Lisa Harrow - "Sunday"

*"'1998: Ally Sheedy - "High Art"
**Katrin Cartlidge - "Claire Dolan"
**Christina Ricci - "The Opposite of Sex"
**Robin Tunney - "Niagara, Niagara"
**Alfre Woodard - "Down in the Delta"

*"'1999: Hilary Swank - "Boys Don't Cry"
**Diane Lane - "A Walk on the Moon"
**Janet McTeer - "Tumbleweeds"
**Susan Traylor - "Valerie Flake"
**Reese Witherspoon - " Election"

2000s

* 2000: Ellen Burstyn - "Requiem for a Dream"
** Joan Allen - "The Contender"
** Sanaa Lathan - "Love & Basketball"
** Laura Linney - "You Can Count on Me"
** Kelly Macdonald - "Two Family House"
* 2001: Sissy Spacek - "In the Bedroom"
** Kim Dickens - "Things Behind the Sun"
** Molly Parker - "The Center of the World"
** Tilda Swinton - "The Deep End"
** Kerry Washington - "Lift"
* 2002: Julianne Moore - "Far from Heaven"
** Jennifer Aniston - "The Good Girl"
** Maggie Gyllenhaal - "Secretary"
** Catherine Keener - "Lovely & Amazing"
** Parker Posey - ""
* 2003: Charlize Theron - "Monster"
** Agnes Bruckner - "Blue Car"
** Zooey Deschanel - "All the Real Girls"
** Samantha Morton - "In America"
** Elisabeth Moss - "Virgin"
* 2004: Catalina Sandino Moreno - "Maria Full of Grace"
** Kimberly Elise - "Woman Thou Art Loosed"
** Vera Farmiga - "Down to the Bone"
** Judy Marte - "On the Outs"
** Kyra Sedgwick - "Cavedweller"
* 2005: Felicity Huffman - "Transamerica"
** Dina Korzun - "Forty Shades of Blue"
** Laura Linney - "The Squid and the Whale"
** S. Epatha Merkerson - "Lackawanna Blues"
** Cyndi Williams - "Room"
* 2006: Shareeka Epps - "Half Nelson"
** Catherine O'Hara - " For Your Consideration"
** Elizabeth Reaser - "Sweet Land"
** Michelle Williams - "Land of Plenty"
** Robin Wright Penn - "Sorry, Haters"
* 2007: Ellen Page - "Juno"
** Angelina Jolie - "A Mighty Heart"
** Sienna Miller - "Interview"
** Parker Posey - "Broken English"
** Tang Wei - "Lust, Caution"