41ST ANNUAL FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, California

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST FEATURE

Peter Hujar’s Day • Janus Films

Ira Sachs | Director
Jonah Disend, Jordan Drake | Producers

The Plague • IFC Films

Charlie Polinger | Director
Derek Dauchy, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, Lizzie Shapiro | Producers

Sorry, Baby • A24

Eva Victor | Director
Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski | Producers

Train Dreams • Netflix

Clint Bentley | Director
Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman | Producers

Twinless • Roadside Attractions / Lionsgate

James Sweeney | Director
David Permut, James Sweeney | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST FIRST FEATURE

Blue Sun Palace • Dekanalog

Constance Tsang | Director
Sally Sujin Oh, Eli Raskin, Tony Yang | Producers

Dust Bunny • Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions

Bryan Fuller | Director
Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee | Producers

East Of Wall • Sony Pictures Classics

Kate Beecroft | Director
Shannon Moss, Melanie Ramsayer, Lila Yacoub | Producers

Lurker • MUBI

Alex Russell | Director
Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, Jack Selby | Producers

One Of Them Days • TriStar Pictures

Lawrence Lamont | Director
Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez, Issa Rae, Sara Rastogi | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

(Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000)

The Baltimorons • IFC Films

Jay Duplass | Writer/Director/Producer
Michael Strassner | Writer/Producer
David Bonnett Jr., Drew Langer | Producer

Boys Go to Jupiter • Cartuna / Irony Point

Julian Glander | Writer/Director

Eephus • Music Box Films

Carson Lund | Writer/Director/Producer
Michael Basta | Writer/Producer
Nate Fisher | Writer
David Entin, Tyler Taormina | Producers

Esta Isla (This Island) • Experimento Lúdico

Cristian Carretero, Lorraine Jones Molina | Writers/Directors/Producers
Kisha Tikina Burgos | Writer

Familiar Touch • Music Box Films

Sarah Friedland | Writer/Director/Producer
Alexandra Byer, Matthew Thurm | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST DIRECTOR

Clint Bentley
Train Dreams • Netflix

Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman | Producers

Mary Bronstein
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You • A24

Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Conor Hannon, Richie Doyle | Producers

Lloyd Lee Choi
Lucky Lu • WME Independent

Destin Daniel Cretton, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Asher Goldstein, Tony Yang, Ron Najor, Jeyun Munford | Producers

Ira Sachs
Peter Hujar’s Day • Janus Films

Jonah Disend, Jordan Drake | Producers

Eva Victor
Sorry, Baby • A24

Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST SCREENPLAY

A Little Prayer • Music Box Films
Angus MacLachlan | Writer

Angus MacLachlan | Director
Angus MacLachlan , Lauren Vilchik , Max A. Butler | Producers

Sorry, Baby • A24
Eva Victor | Writer

Eva Victor | Director
Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski | Producers

Sovereign • Briarcliff Entertainment
Christian Swegal | Writer

Christian Swegal | Director
Nick Moceri | Producer

Splitsville • NEON
Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin | Writers

Michael Angelo Covino | Director
Emily Korteweg , Michael Angelo Covino , Kyle Marvin , Ryan Heller , Dakota Johnson , Ro Donnelly , Samantha Racanelli | Producers

Twinless • Roadside Attractions / Lionsgate
James Sweeney | Writer

James Sweeney | Director
David Permut, James Sweeney | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Blue Sun Palace • Dekanalog
Constance Tsang | Writer

Constance Tsang | Director
Sally Sujin Oh, Eli Raskin, Tony Yang | Producers

Friendship • A24
Andrew DeYoung | Writer

Chloé Zhao | Director
Nicolas Gonda, Pippa Harris, Liza Marshall, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg | Producers

Lurker • MUBI
Alex Russell | Writer

Alex Russell | Director
Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, Jack Selby | Producers

One of Them Days • TriStar Pictures
Syreeta Singleton | Writer

Lawrence Lamont | Director
Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez, Issa Rae, Sara Rastogi | Producers

Outerlands • Wolfe Video
Elena Oxman | Writer

Elena Oxman | Director
Marc Smolowitz, Elena Oxman, Asia Kate Dillon, Allison Estrin, Henry Russell Bergstein | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Everett Blunck
The Plague • IFC Films

Charlie Polinger | Director
Derek Dauchy, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, Lizzie Shapiro | Producers

Rose Byrne
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You • A24

Mary Bronstein | Director
Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Conor Hannon, Richie Doyle | Producers

Kathleen Chalfant
Familiar Touch • Music Box Films

Sarah Friedland | Director
Sarah Friedland, Alexandra Byer, Matthew Thurm | Producers

Chang Chen
Lucky Lu • WME Independent

Lloyd Lee Choi | Director
Destin Daniel Cretton, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Asher Goldstein, Tony Yang, Ron Najor, Jeyun Munford | Producers

Joel Edgerton
Train Dreams • Netflix

Clint Bentley | Director
Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman | Producers

Dylan O’Brien
Twinless • Roadside Attractions / Lionsgate

James Sweeney | Director
David Permut, James Sweeney | Producers

Keke Palmer
One of Them Days • TriStar Pictures

Lawrence Lamont | Director
Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez, Issa Rae, Sara Rastogi | Producers

Théodore Pellerin
Lurker • MUBI

Alex Russell | Director
Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, Jack Selby | Producers

Tessa Thompson
Hedda • Amazon MGM Studios / Orion Pictures

Nia DaCosta | Director
Nia DaCosta, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Gabrielle Nadig, Tessa Thompson | Producers

Ben Whishaw
Peter Hujar’s Day • Janus Films

Ira Sachs | Director
Jonah Disend, Jordan Drake | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Naomi Ackie
Sorry, Baby • A24

Eva Victor | Director
Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski | Producers

Zoey Deutch
Nouvelle Vague • Netflix

Richard Linklater | Director
Michele Halberstadt, Laurent Pétin, Michèle Pétin | Producers

Kirsten Dunst
Roofman • Miramax

Derek Cianfrance | Director
Dylan Sellers, Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell Taylor, Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery | Producers

Rebecca Hall
Peter Hujar’s Day • Janus Films

Ira Sachs | Director
Jonah Disend, Jordan Drake | Producers

Nina Hoss
Hedda • Amazon MGM Studios / Orion Pictures

Nia DaCosta | Director
Nia DaCosta, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Gabrielle Nadig, Tessa Thompson | Producers

Jane Levy
A Little Prayer • Music Box Films

Angus MacLachlan | Director
Angus MacLachlan , Lauren Vilchik , Max A. Butler | Producers

Archie Madekwe
Lurker • MUBI

Alex Russell | Director
Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, Jack Selby | Producers

Kali Reis
Rebuilding • Bleecker Street Media

Max Walker-Silverman | Director
Jesse Hope, Dan Janvey, Paul Mezey | Producers

Jacob Tremblay
Sovereign • Briarcliff Entertainment

Christian Swegal | Director
Nick Moceri | Producer

Haipeng Xu
Blue Sun Palace • Dekanalog

Constance Tsang | Director
Sally Sujin Oh, Eli Raskin, Tony Yang | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Liz Larsen
The Baltimorons • IFC Films

Jay Duplass | Director
David Bonnett, Michael Strassner, Drew Langer | Producers

Kayo Martin
The Plague • IFC Films

Charlie Polinger | Director
Derek Dauchy, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, Lizzie Shapiro | Producers

Misha Osherovich
She’s the He • Self-Distributed

Siobhan McCarthy | Director
Halley Albert, Vic Brandt | Producers

SZA
One of Them Days • TriStar Pictures

Lawrence Lamont | Director
Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez, Issa Rae, Sara Rastogi | Producers

Tabatha Zimiga
East Of Wall • Sony Pictures Classics

Kate Beecroft | Director
Shannon Moss, Melanie Ramsayer, Lila Yacoub | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Blue Sun Palace • Dekanalog
Norm Li | Cinematography

Constance Tsang | Director
Sally Sujin Oh, Eli Raskin, Tony Yang | Producers

Dust Bunny • Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions
Nicole Hirsch Whitaker | Cinematography

Bryan Fuller | Director
Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee | Producers

Peter Hujar’s Day • Janus Films
Alex Ashe | Cinematography

Ira Sachs | Director
Jonah Disend, Jordan Drake | Producers

Train Dreams • Netflix
Adolpho Veloso | Cinematography

Clint Bentley | Director
Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman | Producers

Warfare • A24
David J. Thompson | Cinematography

Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland | Directors
Andrew Macdonald, Mathew Penry-Davey, Allon Reich, Peter Rice | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST EDITING

Eephus • Music Box Films
Carson Lund | Editor

Carson Lund | Director
Carson Lund, Tyler Taormina, Michael Basta, David Entin | Producers

Good Boy • IFC Films
Ben Leonberg | Editor

Ben Leonberg | Director
Kari Fischer, Ben Leonberg | Producers

Splitsville • NEON
Sara Shaw | Editor

Michael Angelo Covino | Director
Emily Korteweg , Michael Angelo Covino , Kyle Marvin , Ryan Heller , Dakota Johnson , Ro Donnelly , Samantha Racanelli | Producers

The Testament of Ann Lee • Searchlight Pictures
Sofía Subercaseaux | Editor

Mona Fastvold | Director
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Joshua Horsfield, Lillian LaSalle, Viktória Petrányi, Mark Lampert, Andrew Morrison, Klaudia Śmieja | Producers

Warfare • A24
Fin Oates | Editor

Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland | Directors
Andrew Macdonald, Mathew Penry-Davey, Allon Reich, Peter Rice | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST DOCUMENTARY

COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT • Apple Original Films

Ryan White | Director
Jessica Hargrave, Ryan White, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen | Producers

Endless cookie • Obscured Releasing

Peter Scriver | Director
Peter Scriver, Dan Bekerman, Alex Ordanis, Jason Ryle, Chris Yurkovich | Producers

My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow • Self-Distributed

Julia Loktev | Director/Producer

The Perfect Neighbor • Netflix

Geeta Gandbhir | Director
Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne, Sam Bisbee, Geeta Gandbhir | Producers

The Tale of Silyan • National Geographic

Tamara Kotevska | Director
Tamara Kotevska, Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski | Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

All That’s Left of You (Palestine, Jordan, Germany, Cyprus) • Watermelon Pictures

Cherien Dabis | Director
Cherien Dabis, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel, Marios Piperides, Janine Teerling | Producers

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Zambia, UK, Ireland) • A24

Rungano Nyoni | Director
Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Tim Cole | Producers

A Poet (Colombia) • 1-2 Special

Simón Mesa Soto | Director
Simón Mesa Soto, Juan Sarmiento G., Manuel Ruiz Montealegre | Producers

The Secret Agent (Brazil) • NEON

Kleber Mendonça Filho | Director
Emilie Lesclaux, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Wagner Moura, Brent Travers | Producers

Sirāt (Spain) • NEON

Oliver Laxe | Director
Oliver Laxe, Santiago Fillol | Producers

TELEVISION

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

Adolescence • Netflix

Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham | Created By/Executive Producers
Philip Barantini, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Nina Wolarsky, Hannah Walters, Mark Herbert, Emily Feller | Producers
Carina Sposato, Niall Shamma, Peter Balm | Co-Executive Producers

Common Side Effects • Adult Swim

Joe Bennett, Steve Hely | Created By/Executive Producers
Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, Dustin Davis, James Merrill, Sean Buckelew, Benjy Brooke, Kelly Crews, Suzanna Makkos | Executive Producers
Dave King | Co-Executive Producer

Forever • Netflix

Mara Brock Akil | Created By/Executive Producer
Regina King, Susie Fitzgerald, Shana C. Waterman, Reina King, Anthony Hemingway, Judy Blume, Erika Harrison, Sara E. White | Executive Producers
Jerron Horton | Co-Executive Producer

Mr Loverman • BritBox

Lennie James, Hong Khaou, Jo McClellan, Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, Hannah Price | Executive Producers

North of North • Netflix

Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril | Created By/Executive Producers
Garry Campbell, Anya Adams, Susan Coyne, Miranda de Pencier | Executive Producers
Teresa M. Ho, Michael Goldbach, Kathryn Borel Jr., JP Larocque | Co-Executive Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Citizen Nation • PBS

Bret Sigler | Creator
Christopher Buck, Kyra Darnton | Executive Producers

Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time • National Geographic

Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn, Ryan Coogler, Myles Estey, Ted Skillman, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Peter Nicks, Kalia King, Carolyn Payne, Sean David Johnson | Executive Producers
Kelli Buchanan | Co-Executive Producer

Pee-wee as Himself • HBO Max

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 | Executive Producers

Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television • HBO Max

Issa Rae, Montrel McKay, John Maggio, Rachel Dretzin, John Ealer, Jonathan Berry, Dave Becky, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez | Executive Producers
Esther Dere, Zachary Herrmann | Co-Executive Producers

Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae • Hulu

Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Amy Kaufman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riva Marker | Executive Producers
Mark Becker | Co-Executive Producer

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

Sydney Chandler
Alien: Earth • FX

Noah Hawley | Creator
Noah Hawley, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker | Executive Producers

Stephen Graham
Adolescence • Netflix

Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham | Created By/Executive Producers
Philip Barantini, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Nina Wolarsky, Hannah Walters, Mark Herbert, Emily Feller | Producers
Carina Sposato, Niall Shamma, Peter Balm | Co-Executive Producers

Ethan Hawke
The Lowdown • FX

Sterlin Harjo | Director
Garrett Basch, Ethan Hawke, Ryan Hawke | Executive Producers

Lennie James
Mr Loverman • BritBox

Lennie James, Hong Khaou, Jo McClellan, Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, Hannah Price | Executive Producers

Anna Lambe
North of North • Netflix

Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril | Created By/Executive Producers
Garry Campbell, Anya Adams, Susan Coyne, Miranda de Pencier | Executive Producers
Teresa M. Ho, Michael Goldbach, Kathryn Borel Jr., JP Larocque | Co-Executive Producers

Lola Petticrew
Say Nothing • FX

Joshua Zetumer | Creator
Joshua Zetumer, Edward L. McDonnell, Monica Levinson, Michael Lennox | Executive Producers

Seth Rogen
The Studio • Apple TV+

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Frida Perez, Alex Gregory | Creators
James Weaver, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Alex McAtee, Josh Fagen | Executive Producers

Lovie Simone
Forever • Netflix

Mara Brock Akil | Created By/Executive Producer
Regina King, Susie Fitzgerald, Shana C. Waterman, Reina King, Anthony Hemingway, Judy Blume, Erika Harrison, Sara E. White | Executive Producers
Jerron Horton | Co-Executive Producer

Michelle Williams
Dying for Sex • Hulu

Kim Rosenstock, Elizabeth Meriwether | Creators
Kim Rosenstock, Elizabeth Meriwether, Katherine Pope, Kathy Ciric, Hernán López, Marshall Lewy, Aaron Hart, Michelle Williams, Nikki Boyer, Shannon Murphy, Leslye Headland | Executive Producers

Noah Wyle
The Pitt • HBO Max

Simran Baidwan, R. Scott Gemmill, Michael Hissrich, Erin Jontow, John Wells, Noah Wyle | Executive Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

Ariyon Bakare
Mr Loverman • BritBox

Lennie James, Hong Khaou, Jo McClellan, Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, Hannah Price | Executive Producers

Babou Ceesay
Alien: Earth • FX

Noah Hawley | Creator
Noah Hawley, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker | Executive Producers

Sharon D Clarke
Mr Loverman • BritBox

Lennie James, Hong Khaou, Jo McClellan, Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, Hannah Price | Executive Producers

Taylor Dearden
The Pitt • HBO Max

Simran Baidwan, R. Scott Gemmill, Michael Hissrich, Erin Jontow, John Wells, Noah Wyle | Executive Producers

Erin Doherty
Adolescence • Netflix

Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham | Created By/Executive Producers
Philip Barantini, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Nina Wolarsky, Hannah Walters, Mark Herbert, Emily Feller | Producers
Carina Sposato, Niall Shamma, Peter Balm | Co-Executive Producers

Stephen McKinley Henderson
A Man on the Inside • Netflix

Rebecca Asher, Morgan Sackett | Directors
David Miner, Morgan Sackett, Mike Schur, Maite Alberdi, Christopher Clements, Ted Danson, Julie Goldman, Marcela Santibañez | Executive Producers

Poorna Jagannathan
Deli Boys • Hulu

Abdullah Saeed | Creator
Abdullah Saeed, Michelle Nader, Jennifer Konner, Nora Silver, Vali Chandrasekaran, Nisha Ganatra | Executive Producers

Xosha Roquemore
Forever • Netflix

Mara Brock Akil | Created By/Executive Producer
Regina King, Susie Fitzgerald, Shana C. Waterman, Reina King, Anthony Hemingway, Judy Blume, Erika Harrison, Sara E. White | Executive Producers
Jerron Horton | Co-Executive Producer

Jenny Slate
Dying for Sex • Hulu

Kim Rosenstock, Elizabeth Meriwether | Creators
Kim Rosenstock, Elizabeth Meriwether, Katherine Pope, Kathy Ciric, Hernán López, Marshall Lewy, Aaron Hart, Michelle Williams, Nikki Boyer, Shannon Murphy, Leslye Headland | Executive Producers

Ben Whishaw
Black Doves • Netflix

Joe Barton, Jane Featherstone, Chris Fry, Keira Knightley | Executive Producers

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

Asif Ali
Deli Boys • Hulu

Abdullah Saeed | Creator
Abdullah Saeed, Michelle Nader, Jennifer Konner, Nora Silver, Vali Chandrasekaran, Nisha Ganatra | Executive Producers

Wally Baram
Overcompensating • Prime Video

Benny Drama | Creator
Benny Drama, Jonah Hill, Matt Dines, Scott King | Executive Producers

Owen Cooper
Adolescence • Netflix

Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham | Created By/Executive Producers
Philip Barantini, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Nina Wolarsky, Hannah Walters, Mark Herbert, Emily Feller | Producers
Carina Sposato, Niall Shamma, Peter Balm | Co-Executive Producers

Michael Cooper Jr.
Forever • Netflix

Mara Brock Akil | Created By/Executive Producer
Regina King, Susie Fitzgerald, Shana C. Waterman, Reina King, Anthony Hemingway, Judy Blume, Erika Harrison, Sara E. White | Executive Producers
Jerron Horton | Co-Executive Producer

Ernest Kingsley Junior
Washington Black • Hulu

Selwyn Seyfu Hinds | Creator
Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, Kimberly A. Harrison, Sterling K. Brown, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wanuri Kahiu, Maurice Marable, Rob Seidenglanz, Jeremy Bell, Lindsay Williams, D.J. Goldberg, Jennifer Johnson, Anthony Hemingway | Executive Producers

SPECIAL HONORS

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

PRODUCERS AWARD

presented by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey

(The Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films.)

Emma Hannaway

Emma Hannaway is an independent film producer and film festival director. She produced Strawberry Mansion (dir. Albert Birney & Kentucker Audley), which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Music Box Films in 2022; as well as Olivia West Lloyd’s debut feature Somewhere Quiet, which premiered in the U.S. Narrative Competition at Tribeca in 2023; and most recently OBEX, which premiered at Sundance in 2025. A 2023 fellow with The Gotham / Cannes Producers Network, her work has been supported by Sundance Institute, Tribeca, Rooftop Films, the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund, Ruby’s Artist Grants and others. Other credits include Nomadland, The Tragedy of Macbeth, My First Film, After This Death, Women Talking and Shirley. She is a founding co-producer of the New/Next Film Festival.

Luca Intili

Luca Intili is a Brooklyn-based independent film producer. They produced Jane Schoenbrun’s sophomore feature I Saw The TV Glow, which A24 released to critical acclaim, and received a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination on behalf of their work on the film. They also produced John Early’s directorial debut Maddie’s Secret, which will be released by Magnolia Pictures in 2026. Their past producer credits include the China-set rave documentary The Last Year of Darkness (MUBI) and Lucio Castro’s After This Death, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and stars Mia Maestro, Lee Pace and Gwendoline Christie.

Tony Yang

Tony Yang is a Chinese-American producer and Sundance Producers Intensive Fellow based in Los Angeles. A Columbia Creative Producing MFA graduate, he has produced 30+ films which have screened at Cannes, TIFF, Sundance and Venice. His credits include Seagrass (FIPRESCI Prize, TIFF), Bunnylovr (Sundance), Rosemead (Tribeca 2025), Blue Sun Palace (Cannes Critics Week, French Touch Jury Award, NYT Critics Pick) and Lucky Lu (Cannes & TIFF 2025). Variety named him one of its “Top 10 Producers to Watch” in 2025.

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

(The Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.)

Tatti Ribeiro
Valentina

Tatti Ribeiro is a journalist and filmmaker raised in the Bay Area. She is the founder of franknews, a media organization that creates film, audio, and live programming to give context to a 24/7 news cycle. She is a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Valentina is her first feature film.

Neo Sora
Happyend

Neo Sora is a filmmaker, artist and translator living in Tokyo and New York. As part of artist-filmmaker collective Zakkubalan, Neo has shown installation and video artworks at the 2019 Singapore Biennale, the 2019 Dojima River Biennale, Watari-um Museum of Contemporary Art, and the 2017 Reborn-Art Festival, among others. After a fellowship at the 2022 Sundance Screenwriters and Director’s Lab, Neo directed his first fiction feature film, Happyend, which premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. His latest short film, A Very Straight Neck, won the Best Auteur Short Film at the Locarno Film Festival in 2025.

Annapurna Sriram
Fucktoys

Annapurna Sriram grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and a lot of her early artistic influences were informed by the unchaperoned movie rentals she found at the local public library. She received a BFA in Acting from Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts and spent many years working in New York, both on stage and in television and film. Her most cherished previous work includes Jesse Eisenberg’s The Spoils, Wallace Shawn’s Evening at the Talkhouse, the television shows I Think You Should Leave and Billions, and the feature film Feral. Fucktoys premiered at SXSW in 2025 and won a Special Jury Award.

— 41st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards —

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD

(The Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.)

Tony Benna
André is an Idiot

Tony Benna has developed and directed within a variety of platforms, creating award-winning work with multiple mediums, including film, advertising, post-production and broadcast. He has strong roots in experimental film and stop-motion animation techniques, and is focused on pushing the boundaries of visual and emotional storytelling. Tony’s directorial and editorial feature film debut André is an Idiot premiered at Sundance in 2025, and was awarded the Audience Award and Johnathan Oppenheim Editing Award for U.S. Documentary.

Rajee Samarasinghe
Your Touch Makes Others Invisible

Rajee Samarasinghe is an award-winning Sri Lankan filmmaker. He holds a BFA (UC San Diego) and MFA (CalArts). His debut feature, Your Touch Makes Others Invisible – supported by Sundance DFP, Berlinale Talents Doc Station, Field of Vision, and True/False PRISM – world-premiered at IFFR 2025. He was named one of Filmmaker Magazine‘s “25 New Faces” (2020), presented a MoMA (Modern Mondays) solo show in 2021, and later received MacDowell (2023), Yaddo (2024) and Guggenheim (2025) fellowships. His work has screened widely, including at IFFR Tiger Shorts, New Directors/New Films, MoMA’s Doc Fortnight, BFI London, FIDMarseille, Oberhausen, Slamdance, SFFILM, Melbourne, Vancouver, BlackStar and more.

Brittany Shyne
Seeds

Brittany Shyne is an independent filmmaker based in Dayton, Ohio. Working in the narrative and nonfiction artforms, her work seeks to depict the complexity of everyday life by examining themes such as personal histories, alienation and cultural modernization. By utilizing observational techniques and poetic language, her films lyrically weave together frameworks of race, class, culture and family lineage. Her debut feature, Seeds, premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the esteemed U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Award. Shyne received her MFA in Documentary Media from Northwestern University and a BFA in Motion Pictures from Wright State University.

About the Film Independent

In 1981, Gregory Nava and a small band of directors, writers and producers began gathering regularly to share creative ideas and discuss ways to increase resources for independent filmmakers.

The non-profit, member-driven organization Independent Feature Project (IFP)/West soon emerged from these meetings with the mission to cultivate the careers of independent filmmakers, build larger audiences for independent film and champion diversity in the entertainment industry. National recognition quickly followed when the organization took on production of the Spirit Awards in the late 1980s and the LA Film Festival in 2000. In time, IFP/West became Film Independent — a more accurate banner for the spectrum of services and programs the organization had expanded to include.

Today, Film Independent encompasses a broad community of individuals who appreciate and sustain artist-driven filmmaking.