The nominations for the 41st annual Film Independent Spirit Awards are in! Each year, the Spirit Awards celebrate bold, independent voices in film and television, creators working outside the major studio system, with nominees selected by committees of industry professionals across writing, directing, producing, editing, acting, criticism, and festival programming.
Recommended: Awards Calendar: 2025-2026
Leading this year’s film nominations is Peter Hujar’s Day, earning five nods, including recognition for stars Rebecca Hall and Ben Whishaw — who is also nominated on the TV side for his performance in Netflix’s Black Doves. In television, Adolescence, Forever, and Mr. Loverman tied for the top spot with four nominations each.
Explore the full list of nominees below, and tune in February 15 to see who takes home the honors!
Movies
Best Feature
Peter Hujar’s Day
The Plague
Sorry, Baby
Train Dreams
Twinless
Best First Feature
Blue Sun Palace
Dust Bunny
East of Wall
Lurker
One of Them Days
Best Director
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 Screenplay
A Little Prayer
Sorry, Baby
Sovereign
Splitsville
Twinless
Best First Screenplay
Blue Sun Palace
Friendship
Lurker
One of Them Days
Outerlands
Best Lead Performance
Everett Blunck, The Plague
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kathleen Chalfant, Familiar Touch
Chang Chen, Lucky Lu
Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams
Dylan O’Brien, Twinless
Keke Palmer, One of Them Days
Théodore Pellerin, Lurker
Tessa Thompson, Hedda
Ben Whishaw, Peter Hujar’s Day
Best Supporting Performance
Naomi Ackie, Sorry, Baby
Zoey Deutch, Nouvelle Vague
Kirsten Dunst, Roofman
Rebecca Hall, Peter Hujar’s Day
Nina Hoss, Hedda
Jane Levy, A Little Prayer
Archie Madekwe, Lurker
Kali Reis, Rebuilding
Jacob Tremblay, Sovereign
Haipeng Xu, Blue Sun Palace
Best Breakthrough Performance
Liz Larsen, The Baltimorons
Kayo Martin, The Plague
Misha Osherovich, She’s the He
SZA, One of Them Days
Tabatha Zimiga, East of Wall
Best Cinematography
Blue Sun Palace
Dust Bunny
Peter Hujar’s Day
Train Dreams
Warfare
Best Editing
Eephus
Good Boy
Splitsville
The Testament of Ann Lee
Warfare
Best Documentary
Come See Me in the Good Light
Endless Cookie
My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow
The Perfect Neighbor
The Tale of Silyan
Best International Film
All That’s Left of You
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
A Poet
The Secret Agent
Sirāt
Robert Altman Award
The cast, casting director, and director of The Long Walk
Someone to Watch Award
Tatti Ribeiro
Neo Sora
Annapurna Sriram
Truer Than Fiction Award
Tony Benna
Rajee Samarasinghe
Brittany Shyne
John Cassavetes Award
The Baltimorons
Boys Go to Jupiter
Eephus
Esta Isla
Familiar Touch
Producers Award
Emma Hannaway
Luca Intili
Tony Yang
TElevision
Best New Scripted Series
Adolescence
Common Side Effects
Forever
Mr. Loverman
North of North
Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
Citizen Nation
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time
Pee-Wee As Himself
Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television
Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae
Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
Sydney Chandler, Alien: Earth
Stephen Graham, Adolescence
Ethan Hawke, The Lowdown
Lennie James, Mr. Loverman
Anna Lambe, North of North
Lola Petticrew, Say Nothing
Seth Rogen, The Studio
Lovie Simone, Forever
Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex
Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series
Ariyon Bakare, Mr. Loverman
Babou Ceesay, Alien: Earth
Sharon D. Clarke, Mr. Loverman
Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
Erin Doherty, Adolescence
Stephen McKinley Henderson, A Man on the Inside
Poorna Jagannathan, Deli Boys
Xosha Roquemore, Forever
Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex
Ben Whishaw, Black Doves
Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series
Asif Ali, Deli Boys
Wally Baram, Overcompensating
Owen Cooper, Adolescence
Michael Cooper Jr., Forever
Ernest Kinglsey Junior, Washington Black
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
Chief of War
The Independent Spirit Awards ceremony will take place on February 15.
