2026 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominees Announced (Live Updates)

The nominees for the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards were revealed on Wednesday. The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, February 15, 2026, in Los Angeles. Awards will be presented across several categories, including Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best Lead Performance (now gender-neutral since 2023), Best Director, and the John Cassavetes Award for films made under $1 million.

Last year, Anora took home top honors for Best Feature, Best Lead Performance for Mikey Madison, and Best Director for Sean Baker, with all three later recognized at the Academy Awards. This years Spirit Awards are held a month before the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, giving winners potential influence on the Oscar race.

The announcement arrives amid a busy awards season, following recent recognitions for One Battle After Another by the Gotham Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle. To qualify for a Spirit Award, a film must have been produced for less than $30 million, excluding higher-budget contenders like Paul Thomas Andersons latest action movie. This opens opportunities for smaller independent films to gain recognition.

This year, the ceremony will be hosted at the Hollywood Palladium, marking a change from the traditional Santa Monica Pier venue. The Spirit Awards continue to recognize television, with categories for TV first introduced in 2021.

Nominees

Best Feature

• Peter Hujars Day
• The Plague

Best First Feature

• Blue Sun Palace
• Dust Bunny
• East of Wall
• One of Them Days

John Cassavetes Award

Films made for under $1 million

Best Director

• Clint Bentley, Train Dreams
• Mary Bronstein, If I Had Legs Id Kick You
• Lloyd Lee Choi, Lucky Lu
• Ira Sachs, Peter Hujars Day
• Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby

Best Screenplay

• A Little Prayer
• Sorry, Baby
• Sovereign
• Splitsville

Best Lead Performance

• Everett Blunck, The Plague
• Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs Id Kick You
• Kathleen Chalfant, Familiar Touch
• Chang Chen, Lucky Lu
• Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams
• Dylan OBrien, Twinless
• Keke Palmer, One of Them Days
• Thodore Pellerin, Lurker
• Tessa Thompson, Hedda
• Ben Whishaw, Peter Hujars Day

Best Supporting Performance

• Naomi Ackie, Sorry, Baby
• Zoey Deutch, Nouvelle Vague
• Kirsten Dunst, Roofman
• Rebecca Hall, Peter Hujars 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, Shes the He
• SZA, One of The Days
• Tabatha Zimiga, East of Wall

Other Categories

• Best Cinematography
• Best Editing
• Robert Altman Award director, casting director, ensemble cast
• 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 Thats Left of You, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, The Secret Agent
• Producers Award
• Someone to Watch Award
• Truer Than Fiction Award
• Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
• Best New Scripted Series
• Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
• 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
• Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series

Author: Benjamin Carter