41st Independent Spirit Awards

41st Film Independent Spirit Awards
41st Film Independent Spirit Awards
Awarded for	Best in independent film and independent television
Date	February 15, 2026
Site	Hollywood Palladium; Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Hosted by	Ego Nwodim
Highlights
Best Feature	Train Dreams
Most awards	Film: Train Dreams (3); TV: Adolescence (4)
Most nominations	Film: Peter Hujar's Day (5); TV: Adolescence (4)
Television coverage
Network	YouTube; (through @filmindependent + @imdb)

The 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best independent films and television series of 2025, were presented by Film Independent on February 15, 2026.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] The ceremony was held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by American actress and comedian Ego Nwodim. It was streamed live on the YouTube channels of both IMDb and Film Independent, and across Film Independent's social media platforms.^[1]^[3]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]

The nominations were announced live via YouTube on December 3, 2025.^[11] Peter Hujar's Day led the film nominations with five. For television, Adolescence, Forever, and Mr Loverman received the most nominations with four each.^[3]^[12]^[13]

The grant recipients of the Emerging Filmmakers Awards were announced on January 10, 2026.^[14]

Changes

In May 2025, Film Independent announced that the ceremony venue would move from the Santa Monica Pier to the Hollywood Palladium. This move came as Santa Monica, the former longtime home of the Film Independent Spirit Awards, underwent renovations.^[1]

Winners and nominees

Film

Best Feature	Best Director
Train Dreams – Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, and Teddy Schwarzman Peter Hujar's Day – Jonah Disend and Jordan Drake The Plague – Derek Dauchy, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, and Lizzie Shapiro Sorry, Baby – Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, and Adele Romanski Twinless – David Permut and James Sweeney	Clint Bentley – Train Dreams Mary Bronstein – If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Lloyd Lee Choi – Lucky Lu Ira Sachs – Peter Hujar's Day Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
Best Lead Performance	Best Supporting Performance
*Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I'd Kick You* as Linda** Everett Blunck – The Plague as Ben Kathleen Chalfant – Familiar Touch as Ruth Chang Chen – Lucky Lu as Lu Jia Cheng Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams as Robert Grainier Dylan O'Brien – Twinless as Roman / Rocky Keke Palmer – One of Them Days as Dreux Théodore Pellerin – Lurker as Matthew Morning Tessa Thompson – Hedda as Hedda Gabler Ben Whishaw – Peter Hujar's Day as Peter Hujar	*Naomi Ackie – Sorry, Baby* as Lydie** Zoey Deutch – Nouvelle Vague as Jean Seberg Kirsten Dunst – Roofman as Leigh Wainscott Rebecca Hall – Peter Hujar's Day as Linda Rosenkrantz Nina Hoss – Hedda as Eileen Lovborg Jane Levy – A Little Prayer as Tammy Archie Madekwe – Lurker as Oliver Kali Reis – Rebuilding as Mila Jacob Tremblay – Sovereign as Joe Kane Haipeng Xu – Blue Sun Palace as Didi
Best Breakthrough Performance	Best Screenplay
*Kayo Martin – The Plague* as Jake** Liz Larsen – The Baltimorons as Didi Misha Osherovich – She's the He as Ethan SZA – One of Them Days as Alyssa Tabatha Zimiga – East of Wall as herself	Sorry, Baby – Eva Victor A Little Prayer – Angus MacLachlan Sovereign – Christian Swegal Splitsville – Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin Twinless – James Sweeney
Best First Feature	Best First Screenplay
Lurker – Alex Russell (director); Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi D'Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, and Jack Selby (producers) Blue Sun Palace – Constance Tsang (director); Sally Sujin Oh, Eli Raskin, and Tony Yang (producers) Dust Bunny – Bryan Fuller (director/producer); Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee (producers) East of Wall – Kate Beecroft (director/producer); Shannon Moss, Melanie Ramsayer, and Lila Yacoub (producers) One of Them Days – Lawrence Lamont (director); Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez, Issa Rae, and Sara Rastogi (producers)	Lurker – Alex Russell Blue Sun Palace – Constance Tsang Friendship – Andrew DeYoung One of Them Days – Syreeta Singleton Outerlands – Elena Oxman
Best Documentary Feature	Best International Film
The Perfect Neighbor – Geeta Gandbhir (director/producer); Sam Bisbee, Nikon Kwantu, and Alisa Payne (producers) Come See Me in the Good Light – Ryan White (director/producer); Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, and Stef Willen (producers) Endless Cookie – Peter Scriver (director); Seth Scriver (director/producer); Daniel Bekerman, Alex Ordanis, Jason Ryle, and Chris Yurkovich (producers) My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow – Julia Loktev (director/producer) The Tale of Silyan – Tamara Kotevska (director/producer); Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, and Jordanco Petkovski (producers)	The Secret Agent (Brazil) – Kleber Mendonça Filho (director) All That's Left of You (Palestine, Jordan, Germany, Cyprus) – Cherien Dabis (director) On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Zambia, UK, Ireland) – Rungano Nyoni (director) A Poet (Colombia) – Simón Mesa Soto (director) Sirāt (Spain) – Oliver Laxe (director)
Best Cinematography	Best Editing
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams Alex Ashe – Peter Hujar's Day Norm Li – Blue Sun Palace David J. Thompson – Warfare Nicole Hirsch Whitaker – Dust Bunny	Sofía Subercaseaux – The Testament of Ann Lee Ben Leonberg – Good Boy Carson Lund – Eephus Fin Oates – Warfare Sara Shaw – Splitsville

Films with multiple nominations and awards

Films that received multiple nominations
Nominations	Film
5	Peter Hujar's Day
4	Blue Sun Palace
	Lurker
	One of Them Days
	Sorry, Baby
	Train Dreams
3	The Plague
3	Twinless
2	The Baltimorons
	Dust Bunny
	East of Wall
	Eephus
	Familiar Touch
	Hedda
	If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
	A Little Prayer
	Lucky Lu
	Sovereign
	Splitsville
	Warfare

Films that won multiple awards
Awards	Film
3	Train Dreams
2	Lurker
2	Sorry, Baby

Television

Best New Scripted Series	Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
Adolescence – Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham (creators/executive producers); Philip Barantini, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Nina Wolarsky, Hannah Walters, Mark Herbert, and Emily Feller (executive producers); Carina Sposato, Niall Shamma, and Peter Balm (co-executive producers) (Netflix) Common Side Effects – Joe Bennett and Steve Hely (creators/executive producers); Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, Dustin Davis, James Merrill, Sean Buckelew, Benjy Brooke, Kelly Crews, and Suzanna Makkos (executive producers); Dave King (co-executive producer) (Adult Swim) Forever – Mara Brock Akil (creator/executive producer); Regina King, Susie Fitzgerald, Shana C. Waterman, Reina King, Anthony Hemingway, Judy Blume, Erika Harrison, and Sara E. White (executive producers); Jerron Horton (co-executive producer) (Netflix) Mr Loverman – Lennie James, Hong Khaou, Jo McClellan, Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, and Hannah Price (executive producers) (BritBox) North of North – Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (creators/executive producers); Garry Campbell, Anya Adams, Susan Coyne, and Miranda de Pencier (executive producers); Teresa M. Ho, Michael Goldbach, Kathryn Borel, and JP Larocque (co-executive producers) (Netflix)	Pee-wee as Himself – Matt Wolf, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Ronald Bronstein, Eli Bush, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Paul Reubens (posthumous), Candace Tomarken, Kyle Martin, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez (executive producers) (HBO) Citizen Nation – Bret Sigler (creator); Christopher Buck and Kyra Darnton (executive producers) (PBS) Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time – Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn, Ryan Coogler, Myles Estey, Ted Skillman, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Peter Nicks, Kalia King, Carolyn Payne, and Sean David Johnson (executive producers); Kelli Buchanan (co-executive producer) (National Geographic) Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television – Issa Rae, Montrel McKay, John Maggio, Rachel Dretzin, John Ealer, Jonathan Berry, Dave Becky, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez (executive producers); Esther Dere and Zachary Herrmann (co-executive producers) (HBO) Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae – Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Amy Kaufman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riva Marker (executive producers); Mark Becker (co-executive producer) (Hulu)
Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series	Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series
*Stephen Graham – Adolescence* as Eddie Miller (Netflix)** Sydney Chandler – Alien: Earth as Wendy (FX / FX on Hulu) Ethan Hawke – The Lowdown as Lee Raybon (FX) Lennie James – Mr Loverman as Barrington Walker (BritBox) Anna Lambe – North of North as Siaja (Netflix) Lola Petticrew – Say Nothing as Dolours Price (FX on Hulu) Seth Rogen – The Studio as Matt Remick (Apple TV) Lovie Simone – Forever as Keisha Clark (Netflix) Michelle Williams – Dying for Sex as Molly Kochan (FX on Hulu) Noah Wyle – The Pitt as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch (HBO Max)	*Erin Doherty – Adolescence* as Briony Ariston (Netflix)** Ariyon Bakare – Mr Loverman as Morris De La Roux (BritBox) Babou Ceesay – Alien: Earth as Morrow (FX / FX on Hulu) Sharon D. Clarke – Mr Loverman as Carmel Walker (BritBox) Taylor Dearden – The Pitt as Dr. Melissa "Mel" King (HBO Max) Stephen McKinley Henderson – A Man on the Inside as Calbert Graham (Netflix) Poorna Jagannathan – Deli Boys as Lucky (Hulu) Xosha Roquemore – Forever as Shelly (Netflix) Jenny Slate – Dying for Sex as Nikki Boyer (FX on Hulu) Ben Whishaw – Black Doves as Sam Young (Netflix)
Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series	Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
*Owen Cooper – Adolescence* as Jamie Miller (Netflix)** Asif Ali – Deli Boys as Mir Dar (Hulu) Wally Baram – Overcompensating as Carmen Neil (Prime Video) Michael Cooper Jr. – Forever as Justin Edwards (Netflix) Ernest Kingsley Junior – Washington Black as George Washington "Wash" Black (Hulu)	Chief of War – Charlie Brumbly, Luciane Buchanan, Cliff Curtis, Brandon Finn, Moses Goods, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Benjamin Hoetjes, Siua Ikale'o, Keala Kahuanui-Paleka, Mainei Kinimaka, Kaina Makua, Jason Momoa, Temuera Morrison, Te Kohe Tuhaka, and James Udom

Series with multiple nominations and awards

Series that received multiple nominations
Nominations	Series
4	Adolescence
	Forever
	Mr Loverman
2	Alien: Earth
	Deli Boys
	Dying for Sex
	North of North
	The Pitt

Series that won multiple awards
Awards	Series
4	Adolescence

Special awards

John Cassavetes Award

Esta Isla (This Island) – Cristian Carretero and Lorraine Jones Molina (directors/writers/producers); Kisha Tikina Burgos (writer)
- The Baltimorons – Jay Duplass (director/writer/producer); Michael Strassner (writer/producer); David Bonnett Jr. and Drew Langer (producers)
- Boys Go to Jupiter – Julian Glander (director/writer)
- Eephus – Carson Lund (director/writer/producer); Michael Basta (writer/producer); Nate Fisher (writer); David Entin and Tyler Taormina (producers)
- Familiar Touch – Sarah Friedland (director/writer/producer); Alexandra Byer and Matthew Thurm (producers)

Robert Altman Award

The Long Walk – Director: Francis Lawrence; Casting Director: Rich Delia; Ensemble Cast: Judy Greer, Mark Hamill, Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Tut Nyuot, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, and Garrett Wareing

Emerging Filmmakers Awards

Producers Award

The award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films.

Tony Yang
- Emma Hannaway
- Luca Intili

Someone to Watch Award

The award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.

Tatti Ribeiro – Valentina
- Neo Sora – Happyend
- Annapurna Sriram – Fucktoys

Truer than Fiction Award

The award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.

Rajee Samarasinghe – Your Touch Makes Others Invisible
- Tony Benna – André Is an Idiot
- Brittany Shyne – Seeds

Milestones

Unlike previous ceremonies (including the 40th ceremony where Best International Film winner Flow became the first animated feature to win a Film Independent Spirit Award in any category),^[15]^[16]^[17] three animated projects were nominated for major categories this year (Endless Cookie for Best Documentary Feature, Common Side Effects for Best New Scripted Series, and Boys Go to Jupiter for the John Cassavetes Award).^[18]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Hore, Seanna; Santos, Gladys (May 8, 2025). "2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards to Take Place Sunday, February 15" (Press release). Film Independent. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
^ Feinberg, Scott (May 8, 2025). "Spirit Awards Leaving Santa Monica Beach, Heading to Hollywood Palladium". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c Film Independent (December 3, 2025). "Here Are Your 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominees!" (Press release). Film Independent. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
^ Oganesyan, Natalie (February 15, 2026). "'Train Dreams' Wins Best Feature; 'Sorry, Baby' Awarded Best Screenplay; 'Adolescence' Takes Home Four Trophies — Spirit Awards Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
^ Hore, Seanna (February 15, 2026). "Film Independent Celebrates 2026 Spirit Awards Winners at 41st Annual Ceremony" (Press release). Film Independent. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
^ Earl, William (February 15, 2026). "Spirit Awards Full Winners List: 'Train Dreams', 'Adolescence' Among Top Honored Titles". Variety. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
^ Davis, Clayton (December 9, 2025). "Ego Nwodim Tapped to Host Film Independent Spirit Awards". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
^ Rankin, Seija (February 11, 2026). "Ego Nwodim Won't Be Censoring Herself to Host the 2026 Spirit Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
^ Oganesyan, Natalie (February 15, 2026). "How to Watch the Film Independent Spirit Awards". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
^ Franklin, McKinley (February 15, 2026). "Ego Nwodim Pokes Fun at Cher's Luther Vandross Grammys Flub, Addresses 'Heartbreaking Times' in Spirit Awards Monologue". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
^ "Here Are Your 2026 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominees!". Film Independent. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025 – via YouTube.
^ Lattanzio, Ryan (December 3, 2025). "Spirit Award Nominees include 'Sorry, Baby', 'Peter Hujar's Day', 'Train Dreams', 'Twinless', and 'The Plague'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
^ Zee, Michaela (December 3, 2025). "Spirit Awards 2026 Nominations: 'Peter Hujar's Day' Leads Film Categories, 'Adolescence' and 'Mr Loverman' Tie in TV". Variety. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
^ Pond, Steve; Loving, Casey (January 10, 2026). "Tony Yang, Rajee Samarasinghe, and Tatti Ribeiro Win Indie Spirit Emerging Filmmaker Awards". TheWrap. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
^ FNE Staff (February 25, 2025). "'Flow' Wins Independent Spirit Award 2025 for Best International Film". Film New Europe. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
^ LSM+ English (February 25, 2025). "Latvian 'Flow' picks up another award". Latvian Public Media. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
^ Pedersen, Erik; Topel, Fred; D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 22, 2025). "Spirit Awards: 'Anora' Takes Best Feature, Director & Lead Performance; Three Wins for 'Baby Reindeer' & Two Each for 'A Real Pain' & 'Didi' – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
^ Milligan, Mercedes (December 3, 2025). "Three Animated Projects Nominated for Film Independent Spirit Awards". Animation Magazine. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

External links

[Film_Independent-1] Hore, Seanna; Santos, Gladys (May 8, 2025). "2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards to Take Place Sunday, February 15" (Press release). Film Independent. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

[2] Feinberg, Scott (May 8, 2025). "Spirit Awards Leaving Santa Monica Beach, Heading to Hollywood Palladium". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

[Nominations-3] Film Independent (December 3, 2025). "Here Are Your 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominees!" (Press release). Film Independent. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

[4] Oganesyan, Natalie (February 15, 2026). "'Train Dreams' Wins Best Feature; 'Sorry, Baby' Awarded Best Screenplay; 'Adolescence' Takes Home Four Trophies — Spirit Awards Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2026.

[5] Hore, Seanna (February 15, 2026). "Film Independent Celebrates 2026 Spirit Awards Winners at 41st Annual Ceremony" (Press release). Film Independent. Retrieved February 15, 2026.

[6] Earl, William (February 15, 2026). "Spirit Awards Full Winners List: 'Train Dreams', 'Adolescence' Among Top Honored Titles". Variety. Retrieved February 15, 2026.

[7] Davis, Clayton (December 9, 2025). "Ego Nwodim Tapped to Host Film Independent Spirit Awards". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2025.

[8] Rankin, Seija (February 11, 2026). "Ego Nwodim Won't Be Censoring Herself to Host the 2026 Spirit Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2026.

[9] Oganesyan, Natalie (February 15, 2026). "How to Watch the Film Independent Spirit Awards". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2026.

[10] Franklin, McKinley (February 15, 2026). "Ego Nwodim Pokes Fun at Cher's Luther Vandross Grammys Flub, Addresses 'Heartbreaking Times' in Spirit Awards Monologue". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2026.

[11] "Here Are Your 2026 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominees!". Film Independent. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025 – via YouTube.

[12] Lattanzio, Ryan (December 3, 2025). "Spirit Award Nominees include 'Sorry, Baby', 'Peter Hujar's Day', 'Train Dreams', 'Twinless', and 'The Plague'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

[13] Zee, Michaela (December 3, 2025). "Spirit Awards 2026 Nominations: 'Peter Hujar's Day' Leads Film Categories, 'Adolescence' and 'Mr Loverman' Tie in TV". Variety. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

[14] Pond, Steve; Loving, Casey (January 10, 2026). "Tony Yang, Rajee Samarasinghe, and Tatti Ribeiro Win Indie Spirit Emerging Filmmaker Awards". TheWrap. Retrieved January 11, 2026.

[15] FNE Staff (February 25, 2025). "'Flow' Wins Independent Spirit Award 2025 for Best International Film". Film New Europe. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

[16] LSM+ English (February 25, 2025). "Latvian 'Flow' picks up another award". Latvian Public Media. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

[17] Pedersen, Erik; Topel, Fred; D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 22, 2025). "Spirit Awards: 'Anora' Takes Best Feature, Director & Lead Performance; Three Wins for 'Baby Reindeer' & Two Each for 'A Real Pain' & 'Didi' – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

[18] Milligan, Mercedes (December 3, 2025). "Three Animated Projects Nominated for Film Independent Spirit Awards". Animation Magazine. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

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Independent Spirit Awards
Current categories	Best Film Best Director Best Lead Performance Best Supporting Performance Best Breakthrough Performance Best Cinematography Best Editing Best Documentary Feature Best First Feature Best International Film Best Screenplay Best First Screenplay Best New Scripted Series Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series John Cassavetes Award Robert Altman Award
Retired categories	Best Male Lead Best Female Lead Best Supporting Male Best Supporting Female Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series
Ceremonies	1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 (years are of film release; ceremonies are the following year)