The 17th Independent Spirit Awards, honoring excellence in independent film, took place on March 23, 2002 on Santa Monica beach.
| Feature | Memento |
| First Feature (More Than $500,000) | Todd Field, In the Bedroom |
| First Feature (Less Than $500,000) | Michael Polish, Jackpot |
| Male Lead | Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom |
| Female Lead | Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom |
| Supporting Male | Steve Buscemi, Ghost World |
| Supporting Female | Carrie-Anne Moss, Memento |
| Debut Performance | Paul Franklin Dano, L.I.E. |
| Director | Christopher Nolan, Memento |
| Screenplay | Christopher Nolan, Memento |
| First Screenplay | Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff, Ghost World |
| Cinematography | Peter Deming, Mulholland Drive |
| Foreign Film | Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Amélie (France) |
| Documentary | Stacy Peralta, Dogtown and Z-Boys |
| Turning Leaf Coastal Reserve Someone to Watch Award | Debra Eisenstadt, Daydream Believer |
| Motorola Producers Award | René Bastian and Linda Moran, Martin and Orloff and L.I.E. |
| DirectTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award | Monteith McCollum, Hybrid |
© CinemaSavvy.com