Winners List

Train Dreams won three awards, including best feature.

‘Adolescence,’ ‘The Secret Agent,’ ‘Sorry, Baby’ and ‘The Perfect Neighbor’ also were among the winners.

Marissa McMahon, Will Janowitz, Clint Bentley, Michael Heimler, and Teddy Schwarzman accept the best feature award for “Train Dreams” at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Hollywood Palladium on Sunday. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Train Dreams was named best feature at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which were handed out Sunday.

The movie earned three awards. Clint Bentley took home the Spirit Award for best director for the film, which also got best cinematography for Adolpho Veloso.

In the screenplay categories, Eva Victor took home the award for Sorry, Baby, while Lurker won for best first screenplay, with director Alex Russell taking home the award. Lurker also was named best first feature.

In acting categories, Rose Byrne won best lead performance for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Naomi Ackie won best supporting performance for Sorry, Baby, and Kayo Martin won best breakthrough performance for The Plague.

The Perfect Neighbor was named best documentary, and The Secret Agent was named best international film.

Esta Isla (This Island) won the John Cassavetes Award, given to a film made for less than $1,000,000. Sofía Subercaseaux won best editing for The Testament of Ann Lee.

On the TV side, Erin Doherty and Owen Cooper continued their awards runs, nabbing acting nods for their performances in Adolescence, which also won the Spirit Award for best new scripted series. Pee-wee as Himself took the award for best new non-scripted or documentary series.

My Indie Cinema Book:

Ego Nwodim hosted the show, which took place at new venue this year, the Hollywood Palladium, after 40 years in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.

The show was streamed live on the Film Independent and IMDb YouTube channels and other social platforms.

Since 2023, the Spirit Awards has recognized performers in gender-neutral categories. This year’s Spirit Awards nominees come from 18 different countries and their budgets range from $35,000 to $20 million.

Last month, awards were presented at a brunch in 3 categories. The Producers Award went to Tony Yang, the Truer Than Fiction Award went to Rajee Samarasinghe, and the Someone to Watch Award went to Tatti Ribeiro. Also as previously announced, The Long Walk was honored with the Robert Altman Award, while Chief of War was given the award for best ensemble cast in a new scripted series.

See below nominees and winners.

Peter Hujar’s Day

Producers: Jonah Disend, Jordan Dra

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 (WINNER)
Producers: Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman

Twinless
Producers: David Permut, James Sweeney

(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 (WINNER)
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

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) (WINNER)
Directors/Writers/Producers: Cristian Carretero, Lorraine Jones Molina
Writer: Kisha Tikina Burgos

Familiar Touch
Director/Writer/Producer: Sarah Friedland
Producers: Alexandra Byer, Matthew Thurm

Clint Bentley, Train Dreams (WINNER)
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

Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin, Splitsville
Angus MacLachlan, A Little Prayer
James Sweeney, Twinless
Christian Swegal, Sovereign
Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby (WINNER)

Andrew DeYoung, Friendship
Elena Oxman, Outerlands
Alex Russell, Lurker (WINNER)
Syreeta Singleton, One of Them Days
Constance Tsang, Blue Sun Palace

Everett Blunck, The Plague
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (WINNER)
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

Naomi Ackie, Sorry, Baby (WINNER)
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

Liz Larsen, The Baltimorons
Misha Osherovich, She’s the He
Kayo Martin, The Plague (WINNER)
SZA, One of Them Days
Tabatha Zimiga, East of Wall

Alex Ashe, Peter Hujar’s Day
Norm Li, Blue Sun Palace
David J. Thompson, Warfare
Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams (WINNER)
Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, Dust Bunny

Ben Leonberg, Good Boy
Carson Lund, Eephus
Fin Oates, Warfare
Sara Shaw, Splitsville
Sofía Subercaseaux, The Testament of Ann Lee (WINNER)

(Award given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)

The Long Walk (WINNER)
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

(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 (WINNER)
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

(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 (WINNER)
Brazil
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho

Sirāt
Spain
Director: Oliver Laxe

The Producers Award, now in its 29th year, honors an emerging producer who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrates the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films. This award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Emma Hannaway

Luca Intili

Tony Yang (WINNER)

The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 32nd year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. This award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Tatti Ribeiro, director of Valentina (WINNER)

Neo Sora, director of Happyend

Annapurna Sriram, director of Fucktoys

The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 31st year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. This award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Tony Benna, director of André is an Idiot

Rajee Samarasinghe, director of Your Touch Makes Others Invisible (WINNER)

Brittany Shyne, director of Seeds

(Award given to the creator, executive producer and co-executive producer)

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 (WINNER)
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

(Award given to the creator, executive producer and co-executive producer)

Adolescence (WINNER)
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

Sydney Chandler, Alien: Earth
Stephen Graham, Adolescence (WINNER)
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

Ariyon Bakare, Mr Loverman
Babou Ceesay, Alien: Earth
Sharon D. Clarke, Mr Loverman
Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
Erin Doherty, Adolescence (WINNER)
Stephen McKinley Henderson, A Man on the Inside
Poorna Jagannathan, Deli Boys
Xosha Roquemore, Forever
Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex
Ben Whishaw, Black Doves

Asif Ali, Deli Boys
Wally Baram, Overcompensating
Owen Cooper, Adolescence (WINNER)
Michael Cooper Jr., Forever
Ernest Kingsley Junior, Washington Black

Chief of War (WINNER)
Ensemble Cast: Charlie Brumbly, Luciane Buchanan, Cliff Curtis, Brandon Finn, Moses Goods, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Benjamin Hoetjes, Siua Ikale’o, Keala Kahuanui-Paleka, Mainei Kinimaka, Kaina Makua, Jason Momoa, Temuera Morrison, Te Kohe Tuhaka, James Udom