The Film Independent Spirit Awards (SPIRIT) have announced their nominations for the best in independent film for 2025. The winners will be announced on February 15th, 2026. Here are this year’s nominees…
BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer)
Peter Hujar’s Day – Producers: Jonah Disend, Jordan Drake
The Plague – Producers: Derek Dauchy, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, Lizzie Shapiro
Sorry, Baby – Producers: Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski
Train Dreams – Producers: Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman
Twinless – Producers: David Permut, James Sweeney
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)
Blue Sun Palace – Director: Constance Tsang, Producers: Sally Sujin Oh, Eli Raskin, Tony Yang
Dust Bunny – Director/Producer: Bryan Fuller, Producers: Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee
East of Wall – Director/Producer: Kate Beecroft, Producers: Shannon Moss, Melanie Ramsayer, Lila Yacoub
Lurker – Director: Alex Russell, Producers: Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, Jack Selby
One of Them Days – Director: Lawrence Lamont, Producers: Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez, Issa Rae, Sara Rastogi
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000. (Award given to the writer, director and producer)
The Baltimorons – Director/Writer/Producer: Jay Duplass, Writer/Producer: Michael Strassner, Producers: David Bonnett Jr., Drew Langer
Boys Go to Jupiter – Director/Writer: Julian Glander
Eephus – Director/Writer/Producer: Carson Lund, Writer/Producer: Michael Basta, Writer: Nate Fisher, Producers: David Entin, Tyler Taormina
Esta Isla (This Island) – Directors/Writers/Producers: Cristian Carretero, Lorraine Jones Molina, Writer: Kisha Tikina Burgos
Familiar Touch – Director/Writer/Producer: Sarah Friedland, Producers: Alexandra Byer, Matthew Thurm
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
Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin – Splitsville
Angus MacLachlan – A Little Prayer
James Sweeney – Twinless
Christian Swegal – Sovereign
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Andrew DeYoung – Friendship
Elena Oxman – Outerlands
Alex Russell – Lurker
Syreeta Singleton – One of Them Days
Constance Tsang – Blue Sun Palace
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
Misha Osherovich – She’s the He
Kayo Martin – The Plague
SZA – One of Them Days
Tabatha Zimiga – East of Wall
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Alex Ashe – Peter Hujar’s Day
Norm Li – Blue Sun Palace
David J. Thompson – Warfare
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams
Nicole Hirsch Whitaker – Dust Bunny
BEST EDITING
Ben Leonberg – Good Boy
Carson Lund – Eephus
Fin Oates – Warfare
Sara Shaw – Splitsville
Sofía Subercaseaux – The Testament of Ann Lee
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Award given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
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, Garrett Wareing
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
Come See Me in the Good Light – Director/Producer: Ryan White, Producers: Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen
Endless Cookie – Director: Peter Scriver, Director/Producer: Seth Scriver, Producers: Dan Bekerman, Alex Ordanis, Jason Ryle, Chris Yurkovich
My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow – Director/Producer: Julia Loktev
The Perfect Neighbor – Director/Producer: Geeta Gandbhir, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne
The Tale of Silyan – Director/Producer: Tamara Kotevska, Producers: Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
All That’s Left of You – Palestine, Jordan, Germany, Cyprus, Director: Cherien Dabis
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl – Zambia, UK, Ireland, Director: Rungano Nyoni
A Poet – Colombia, Director: Simón Mesa Soto
The Secret Agent – Brazil, Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Sirāt – Spain, Director: Oliver Laxe
**PRODUCERS AWARD **
Emma Hannaway
Luca Intili
Tony Yang
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Tatti Ribeiro – Director of Valentina
Neo Sora – Director of Happyend
Annapurna Sriram – Director of Fucktoys
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Tony Benna – Director of André is an Idiot
Rajee Samarasinghe – Director of Your Touch Makes Others Invisible
Brittany Shyne – Director of Seeds
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Citizen Nation – Creator: Bret Sigler, Executive Producers: Christopher Buck, Kyra Darnton
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time – Executive Producers: Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn, Ryan Coogler, Myles Estey, Ted Skillman, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Peter Nicks, Kalia King, Carolyn Payne, Sean David Johnson, Co-Executive Producer: Kelli Buchanan
Pee-wee as Himself – Executive Producers: Matt Wolf, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Ronald Bronstein, Eli Bush, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Paul Reubens, Candace Tomarken, Kyle Martin, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez
Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television – Executive Producers: Issa Rae, Montrel McKay, John Maggio, Rachel Dretzin, John Ealer, Jonathan Berry, Dave Becky, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez, Co-Executive Producers: Esther Dere, Zachary Herrmann
Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae – Executive Producers: Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Amy Kaufman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riva Marker, Co-Executive Producer: Mark Becker
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Adolescence – Creators/Executive Producers: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham, Executive Producers: Philip Barantini, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Nina Wolarsky, Hannah Walters, Mark Herbert, Emily Feller, Co-Executive Producers: Carina Sposato, Niall Shamma, Peter Balm
Common Side Effects – Creators/Executive Producers: Joe Bennett, Steve Hely, Executive Producers: Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, Dustin Davis, James Merrill, Sean Buckelew, Benjy Brooke, Kelly Crews, Suzanna Makkos, Co-Executive Producer: Dave King
Forever – Creator/Executive Producer: Mara Brock Akil, Executive Producers: Regina King, Susie Fitzgerald, Shana C. Waterman, Reina King, Anthony Hemingway, Judy Blume, Erika Harrison, Sara E. White, Co-Executive Producer: Jerron Horton
Mr Loverman – Executive Producers: Lennie James, Hong Khaou, Jo McClellan, Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, Hannah Price
North of North – Creators/Executive Producers: Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Executive Producers: Garry Campbell, Anya Adams, Susan Coyne, Miranda de Pencier, Co-Executive Producers: Teresa M. Ho, Michael Goldbach, Kathryn Borel Jr., JP Larocque
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 Kingsley Junior – Washington Black
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Chief of War
What do you think of the nominations? Please let us know your thoughts on our X account. Click here for more upcoming awards season dates, here for the most recent tally of awards season winners, and here for our current Oscar predictions.
