Film Independent revealed the nominees for the 41st annual Spirit Awards, honoring the most inventive, bold, and boundary-pushing work in independent film and television. This year’s slate reflects a record number of nominated artists and projects, signaling the continuing expansion of the indie landscape and the global reach of the stories being told.
Peter Hujar’s Day led all film nominees with five nods, while Blue Sun Palace, Lurker, One of Them Days, Sorry, Baby and Train Dreams each earned four. Lucky Lu, The Plague and Twinless followed with three apiece. In television, Adolescence, Forever and Mr Loverman topped the field with four nominations each.
“The distinguished and inspired work produced by our nominated artists this year shows both the incredible breadth and the essential nature of independent art being created today,” said Brenda Robinson, Acting President of Film Independent.
This year’s nominees span eighteen countries and budgets ranging from thirty five thousand dollars to twenty million dollars. Of all nominees, 41% are women and 33% are BIPOC. Six nominees were developed or supported through Film Independent’s own Artist Development programs, including Cherien Dabis, Sarah Friedland, Julia Loktev, Peter Nicks, Lizzie Shapiro and Brittany Shyne.
The Spirit Awards will return to the historic Hollywood Palladium on February 15, 2026, streaming live on the Film Independent and IMDb YouTube channels as well as other social platforms.
The show remains the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, supporting year-round programs that champion creative independence and inclusivity across film and television.
Below is the complete list of nominees.
2026 Spirit Award Nominees
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
John Cassavetes Award
• The Baltimorons
• Boys Go to Jupiter
• Eephus
• Esta Isla (This Island)
• Familiar Touch
Best Director
• Clint Bentley
• Mary Bronstein
• Lloyd Lee Choi
• Ira Sachs
• Eva Victor
Best Screenplay
• Splitsville
• A Little Prayer
• Twinless
• Sovereign
• Sorry, Baby
Best First Screenplay
• Friendship
• Outerlands
• Lurker
• One of Them Days
• Blue Sun Palace
Best Lead Performance
• Everett Blunck
• Rose Byrne
• Kathleen Chalfant
• Chang Chen
• Joel Edgerton
• Dylan O’Brien
• Keke Palmer
• Théodore Pellerin
• Tessa Thompson
• Ben Whishaw
Best Supporting Performance
• Naomi Ackie
• Zoey Deutch
• Kirsten Dunst
• Rebecca Hall
• Nina Hoss
• Jane Levy
• Archie Madekwe
• Kali Reis
• Jacob Tremblay
• Haipeng Xu
Best Breakthrough Performance
• Liz Larsen
• Misha Osherovich
• Kayo Martin
• SZA
• Tabatha Zimiga
Best Cinematography
• Alex Ashe
• Norm Li
• David J. Thompson
• Adolpho Veloso
• Nicole Hirsch Whitaker
Best Editing
• Ben Leonberg
• Carson Lund
• Fin Oates
• Sara Shaw
• Sofía Subercaseaux
Robert Altman Award
• The Long Walk
Best Documentary
• Come See Me in the Good Light
• Endless Cookie
• My Undesirable Friends: Part I – 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
Producers Award
• Emma Hannaway
• Luca Intili
• Tony Yang
Someone to Watch Award
• Tatti Ribeiro
• Neo Sora
• Annapurna Sriram
Truer Than Fiction Award
• Tony Benna
• Rajee Samarasinghe
• Brittany Shyne
Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
• Citizen Nation
• Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time
• Pee-wee as Himself
• Seen and Heard: The History of Black Television
• Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae
Best New Scripted Series
• Adolescence
• Common Side Effects
• Forever
• Mr Loverman
• North of North
Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
• Sydney Chandler
• Stephen Graham
• Ethan Hawke
• Lennie James
• Anna Lambe
• Lola Petticrew
• Seth Rogen
• Lovie Simone
• Michelle Williams
• Noah Wyle
Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series
• Ariyon Bakare
• Babou Ceesay
• Sharon D Clarke
• Taylor Dearden
• Erin Doherty
• Stephen McKinley Henderson
• Poorna Jagannathan
• Xosha Roquemore
• Jenny Slate
• Ben Whishaw
Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series
• Asif Ali
• Wally Baram
• Owen Cooper
• Michael Cooper Jr.
• Ernest Kingsley Junior
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
• Chief of War
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