The film also got two other major awards: Sean Baker was named best director, while star Mikey Madison won best lead performance.

Jesse Eisenberg won best screenplay for A Real Pain, while Kieran Culkin won best supporting performance for his role in the film. Culkin — who is starring in Glengarry Glen Ross, which opens March 10 on Broadway — was not present at the show.

Maisy Stella won the Spirit for best breakthrough performance, for her role in My Old Ass. Jomo Fray won best cinematography for Nickel Boys, and Hansjörg Weissbrich won best editing for September 5.

Flow was named best international film. Didi won for best first feature, with the film’s writer-director Sean Wang taking home the award for best first screenplay. No Other Land was named best documentary. Girls Will Be Girls won the John Cassavetes Award, given to a feature made for less than $1 million.

Aidy Bryant returned as host of the 40th annual Spirit Awards, presented by Film Independent. The in-person show on the beach in Santa Monica streamed on the IMDb and Film Independent YouTube channels and other social platforms.

Azazel Jacobs’ His Three Daughters received the Robert Altman Award, given to a film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. How to Die Alone was named the recipient of this year’s award for best ensemble cast in a new scripted series.

The Producers, Someone to Watch and Truer Than Fiction Awards were presented at a brunch in January.

Tribute to Josh Welsh

The show also paid tribute to Josh Welsh, former president of Film Independent, who died on New Year’s Eve after five-year battle with colon cancer.

The Spirit Awards began recognizing TV in 2021 and switched to gender-neutral acting categories in 2022.