GreenSlate was a proud production payroll partner for more than twenty of this year's Spirit Awards nominees, and we are thrilled to congratulate everyone who helped bring these stories to screen. 

The full list of winners and nominees for the Spirit Awards are below, with GreenSlate client projects represented by a green heart. 💚

🏆Best Feature Winner: Train Dreams

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

Nominees

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

Twinless
Producers: David Permut, James Sweeney

🏆Best First Feature Winner: 💚 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

Nominees

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

One of Them Days
Director: Lawrence Lamont
Producers: Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez, Issa Rae, Sara Rastogi

🏆John Cassavetes Award Winner: Esta Isla (This Island)

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

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

Nominees

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

Familiar Touch

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

🏆Best Director Winner: Clint Bentley, Train Dreams

Nominees

💚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 Winner: 💚Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby

Nominees

Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin, Splitsville

💚Angus MacLachlan, A Little Prayer

James Sweeney, Twinless

💚Christian Swegal, Sovereign

🏆Best First Screenplay Winner: 💚Alex Russell, Lurker

Nominees

Andrew DeYoung, Friendship

Elena Oxman, Outerlands

Syreeta Singleton, One of Them Days

Constance Tsang, Blue Sun Palace

🏆Best Lead Performance Winner: 💚Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Nominees

Everett Blunck, The Plague

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

Nominees

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 Winner: Kayo Martin, The Plague 

Nominees

Liz Larsen, The Baltimorons

Misha Osherovich, She’s the He

SZA, One of Them Days

💚Tabatha Zimiga, East of Wall

🏆Best Cinematography Winner: Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Nominees

Alex Ashe, Peter Hujar’s Day

Norm Li, Blue Sun Palace

David J. Thompson, Warfare

Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, Dust Bunny

🏆Best Editing Winner: Sofía Subercaseaux, The Testament of Ann Lee

Nominees

Ben Leonberg, Good Boy

Carson Lund, Eephus

Fin Oates, Warfare

Sara Shaw, Splitsville

🏆Robert Altman Award Winner: 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 Winner: The Perfect Neighbor

Director/Producer: Geeta Gandbhir
Producers: Sam Bisbee, Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne

Nominees

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 Tale of Silyan
Director/Producer: Tamara Kotevska
Producers: Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski

🏆Best International Film Winner: The Secret Agent

Brazil
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho

Nominees

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

Sirāt
Spain
Director: Oliver Laxe

🏆Producers Award Winner: Tony Yang

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.

Nominees

Emma Hannaway

Luca Intili

🏆Someone to Watch Award Winner: Tatti Ribeiro, director of Valentina  

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.

Nominees

Neo Sora, director of Happyend

Annapurna Sriram, director of Fucktoys

🏆Truer Than Fiction Award Winner: Rajee Samarasinghe, director of Your Touch Makes Others Invisible

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.

Nominees

💚Tony Benna, director of André is an Idiot

Brittany Shyne, director of Seeds

🏆Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series Winner: 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

Nominees

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

💚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 Winner: 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

Nominees

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 Winner: Stephen Graham, Adolescence

Nominees

Sydney Chandler, Alien: Earth

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 Winner: Erin Doherty, Adolescence

Nominees

Ariyon Bakare, Mr Loverman

Babou Ceesay, Alien: Earth

Sharon D. Clarke, Mr Loverman

Taylor Dearden, The Pitt

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 Winner: Owen Cooper, Adolescence

Nominees

Asif Ali, Deli Boys

Wally Baram, Overcompensating

Michael Cooper Jr., Forever

Ernest Kingsley Junior, Washington Black

🏆Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series Winner: 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

The 2026 Spirit Awards in Los Angeles

The 41st Independent Spirit Awards took place on February 15, 2026 at the Hollywood Palladium. The show was streamed live on YouTube and Film Independent’s social channels.

Stay Updated on Film Awards Season with GreenSlate 

Check back here for the latest updates on the 2026 awards season as GreenSlate client projects continue to make headlines. 

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