A one-time American independent film powerhouse, relatively new rules meant the 2025 Gotham Awards winners were surprisingly dominated by International films such as “It Was Just An Accident” and expensive studio fare, including “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.” The budget cap and relegation of international films to just their own category meant that wouldn’t be the case with the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations. And, in fact, a very independent New York-centric film, which was shut out of the Gothams, “Peter Hujar’s Day” led all films with 5 nominations. “Train Dreams,” “Sorry, Baby,” “Lurker,” “One of Them Days,” and the little-known “Blue Sun Palace” took four nominations each.
READ MORE: “One Battle After Another” Wins Best Feature At The 2025 Gotham Awards [Complete List]
“Hujar’s Day” was joined in the Best Feature category by “Train Dreams,” “The Plague,” “Sorry, Baby,” and “Twinless.” Notably, four of the five films debuted at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
The acting nominees are an intriguing mix of deserving familiar faces and not-so-familiar names. Best Lead Performance nominees included Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”), Dylan O’Brien (“Twinless”), Keke Palmer (“One of Them Days”), Théodore Pellerin (“Lurker”), Ben Whishaw (“Peter Hujar’s Day”), Joel Edgerton (“Train Dreams”), Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), Chang Chen (“Lucky Lu”), Everett Blunck (“The Plague”) and Kathleen Chalfant (“Familiar Touch”). The Best Supporting Performance nominees are Jane Levy (“A Little Prayer”), Naomi Ackie (“Sorry, Baby”), Zooey Deutch (“Nouvelle Vague”), Kristen Dunst (“Roofman”), Archie Madekwe (“Lurker”), Kali Reiss (“Rebuilding”), Jacob Tremblay (“Soverign”), Haipeng Xu (“Happy Sun Palace”), and Rebecca Hall (“Peter Hujar’s Day”).
The International Film nominees are “Sirat,” “All That’s Left of You,” “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl,” “A Poet,” and “The Secret Agent.” Documentary nominees included “Come See Me In The Light,” “Endless Cookie,” Gotham winner “My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow,” “The Perfect Neighbor,” and “The Tale of Silyan.”
Other notable nominees included SZA (“One of Them Days”) for Breakthrough Performance, the cast of “The Long Walk” earning the Robert Altman Award, and Misha Osherovich for “She’s The He,” also in Breakthrough Performance.
It should be noted that, beyond “One Battle” and “Sinners,” other films that did not qualify for the Spirit Awards are “Hamnet” (although barely), “Bugonia,” “Rental Family,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Smashing Machine,” and “Weapons,” among others. Qualifying titles in numerous categories that were sometimes shockingly snubbed include “It Was Just An Accident,” “Sentimental Value,” “Die, My Love,” “Blue Moon,” “Rebuilding,” “Sunfish (& Other Stories On Green Lake),” “Plainclothes,” “Is This Thing On?” and “The Mastermind.”
On the television or series side, it was a big day for Netflix as “Adolescence” and “Forever” earned four noms each. Britbox’s “Mr. Loverman” also earned four noms.
Best New Scripted Series nominations went to “Adolescence,” “Common Side Effects,” “Forever,” “Mr Loverman,” and “North of North.” Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series nominees include “Citizen Nation,” “Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time,” “Pee-wee as Himself,” “Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television,” and “Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae.”
Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series nominees include Sydney Chandler (“Alien: Earth”), Stephen Graham (“Adolescence”), Ethan Hawke (“The Lowdown”), Lennie James (“Mr Loverman”), Anna Lambs (“North of North”), Lola Petticrew (“Say Nothing”), Seth Rogen (“The Studio”), Lovie Simone (“Forever”), Michelle Williams (“Dying for Sex”), and Noah Wyle (“The Pitt”). The Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series nominees are Ariyon Bakare (“Mr Loverman”), Babou Ceesay (“Alien: Earth”), Sharon D. Clarke (“Mr Loverman”), Taylor Reardon (“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”), and Ben Whishaw (“Black Doves”).
Due to construction on Olympic facilities for the 2028 Summer Games, the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards will take place at the Hollywood Palladium on February 15.
This year’s complete list of nominees is as follows:
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 – 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
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – 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
Neo Sora
Director of Happyend
Annapurna Sriram
Director of Fucktoys
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – 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
Brittany Shyne
Director of Seeds
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES (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
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 (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer and Co-Executive Producer)
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
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
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