The 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards were handed out Sunday at the Hollywood Palladium, marking a change of venue after four decades at a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. Comedian Ego Nwodim hosted the ceremony, which celebrated independent film and television, with “Sorry, Baby” taking home the award for Best Screenplay.
Naomi Ackie was awarded Best Supporting Performance for her role in “Sorry, Baby.” Other film awards included Best International Film, which went to “The Secret Agent” from Brazil, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, and Best Documentary, awarded to “The Perfect Neighbor.” “Peter Hujar’s Day” and “Train Dreams” were among the films nominated for Best Feature, alongside “The Plague,” “Sorry, Baby,” and “Twinless.”
In the television categories, Erin Doherty received the award for Best Supporting Performance for her operate in “Adolescence,” while Owen Cooper was recognized with the Best Breakthrough Performance award, also for “Adolescence.” The series also earned the award for Best New Scripted Series.
The awards recognized films with budgets under $28 million, a key tenet of the Spirit Awards’ focus on independent filmmaking. This year’s nominees represented 18 different countries. Forty-one percent of nominees were women, and 33 percent were Black, Indigenous, or people of color, according to organizers.
Awards were also presented at a brunch last month, with Tony Yang receiving the Producers Award, Rajee Samarasinghe taking home the Truer Than Fiction Award, and Tatti Ribeiro honored with the Someone to Watch Award. The Robert Altman Award, recognizing ensemble casts, went to “The Long Walk.”
Eva Victor’s screenplay for “Sorry, Baby” was a key win of the evening, while Clint Bentley was recognized as Best Director for “Train Dreams.” Best Lead Performance awards were given to Everett Blunck for “The Plague” and Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”
The ceremony, streamed live on the Film Independent and IMDb YouTube channels, featured an “edgy” approach, according to host Ego Nwodim, who told The Hollywood Reporter, “This is my whole thing: Don’t ask permission, ask forgiveness. I didn’t ask permission.”
The Spirit Awards have recognized performers in gender-neutral categories since 2023. The event took place as construction continues in Santa Monica in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, prompting the move to the Hollywood Palladium.
