“Train Dreams” and “Adolescence” take top awards.

Film Independent Spirit Awards 2026: See full winners list

"Train Dreams" and "Adolescence" take top awards.

By Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm is news director at *. *She has worked at EW for more than eight years. Jillian has previously worked as a reporter, social media editor, and homepage producer at NBC News, Digital First Media, Newsday, and *Random Lengths News.*

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on February 15, 2026 7:39 p.m. ET

Rose Byrne accepts the Best Lead Performance award at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 15. Credit:

Kevin Winter/Getty

The 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards, celebrating the best indie films and television series of the last year, have been announced.

Sunday's 41st annual ceremony, hosted by *Saturday Night Live* alum Ego Nwodim, traded in its usual beachfront venue at the Santa Monica Pier for Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium, due to renovations.

Netflix film*Train Dreams *took the top award, as well as Best Director and Best Cinematography. To be eligible for the Spirit Awards, a movie's budget cannot exceed $30 million after tax incentives. Recent top winners that have aligned with the Oscars' Best Picture victors include *Nomadland*, *Everything Everywhere All at Once*, and *Anora.***

In the television categories, Emmys and Golden Globes darling *Adolescence *swept the awards, winning in each of the four categories in which it was nominated.

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Two awards were already revealed prior to the ceremony, with *The Long Walk* winning the Robert Altman Award, including honors for director Francis Lawrence and stars Judy Greer, Mark Hamill, Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Tut Nyuot, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, and Garrett Wareing; and Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series, going to Jason Momoa's *Chief of War, *also starring 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, Temuera Morrison, Te Kohe Tuhaka, and James Udom.**

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See the full list of winners for the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards below.

2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards winners

'Train Dreams' stars Joel Edgerton.

Courtesy of Netflix

Best Feature

*Peter Hujar’s Day**The Plague**Sorry, Baby*****WINNER: *****Train Dreams****Twinless***

Best Director

**WINNER: 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 First Feature

*Blue Sun Palace**Dust Bunny**East of Wall*****WINNER: *****Lurker****One of Them Days*

Best Lead Performance

Everett Blunck, *The Plague*****WINNER: 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

**WINNER: 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*****WINNER: Kayo Martin, *The Plague*****Misha Osherovich, *She’s the He***SZA, *One of Them Days***Tabatha Zimiga, *East of Wall*

Best Screenplay

*A Little Prayer*****WINNER: *****Sorry, Baby****Sovereign**Splitsville**Twinless*

Best First Screenplay

*Blue Sun Palace**Friendship*****WINNER: *****Lurker****One of Them Days**Outerlands***

Best Cinematography

*Blue Sun Palace**Dust Bunny**Peter Hujar’s Day*****WINNER: *****Train Dreams****Warfare*

Best Editing

*Eephus**Good Boy**Splitsville*****WINNER: *****The Testament of Ann Lee****Warfare*

Best Documentary

*Come See Me in the Good Light**Endless Cookie**My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow*****WINNER: *****The Perfect Neighbor****The Tale of Silyan*

Best International Film

*All That’s Left of You**On Becoming a Guinea Fowl**A Poet*****WINNER: *****The Secret Agent****Sirāt*

Robert Altman Award

**WINNER: The cast, casting director, and director of *The Long Walk***

Someone to Watch Award

**WINNER: Tatti Ribeiro****Neo Sora**Annapurna Sriram**

Truer Than Fiction Award

Tony Benna****WINNER: Rajee Samarasinghe****Brittany Shyne

John Cassavetes Award

*The Baltimorons**Boys Go to Jupiter**Eephus*****WINNER: *****Esta Isla****Familiar Touch*

Producers Award

Emma Hannaway**Luca Intili****WINNER: Tony Yang****

'Adolescence' stars Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham were among the 2026 Independent Spirit Awards winners.

Courtesy of Netflix

Best New Scripted Series

**WINNER: *****Adolescence****Common Side Effects**Forever**Mr. Loverman**North of North***

Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series

*Citizen Nation**Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time*****WINNER: *****Pee-Wee As Himself****Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television**Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae***

Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series

Sydney Chandler, *Alien: Earth*****WINNER: 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*****WINNER: 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*****WINNER: Owen Cooper, *Adolescence*****Michael Cooper Jr., *Forever***Ernest Kingsley Junior, *Washington Black***

Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series

**WINNER: *Chief of War***

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