California recently hosted the 41st Independent Spirit Awards, celebrating the most compelling achievements in independent cinema and television.
The evening’s big winner was the drama Train Dreams, which secured top honors for Best Feature, Best Director (Clint Bentley), and Best Cinematography (Adolfo Veloso). Based on the novella by Denis Johnson, the film follows the life of Robert (Joel Edgerton), a laborer navigating personal tragedy and profound change at the dawn of the 20th century.
Other notable victors included Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby and Alex Russell’s Lurker, each taking home two awards. On the television front, the series Coming of Age dominated the competition, sweeping four categories.
The complete list of the Spirit Awards winners is provided below.
• Best Feature:
Train Dreams
• Best Director:
Clint Bentley — Train Dreams
• Best Lead Performance:
Rose Byrne — I’d Kick You If I Could
• Best Supporting Performance:
Naomi Ackie — Sorry, Baby
• Best Breakthrough Performance:
Caio Martin — The Plague
• Best Screenplay:
Eva Victor — Sorry, Baby
• Best International Film:
The Secret Agent — Brazil
• Best First Feature:
Lurker — dir. Alex Russell
• Best First Screenplay:
Lurker
• Best Cinematography:
Adolfo Veloso — Train Dreams
• Best Editing:
Anna Lee’s Testament
• Best Documentary Feature:
The Perfect Neighbor
• Robert Altman Award — Best Ensemble, Director, and Casting Director:
The Long Walk
• Best New Scripted Series:
Coming of Age
• Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series:
Stephen Graham — Coming of Age
• Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series:
Erin Doherty — Coming of Age
• Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series:
Owen Cooper — Coming of Age
• Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series:
Chief of War
Review
Review of Train Dreams — a poetic ballad of fragility and beauty reminiscent of Terrence Malick
11.25.2025 / By: Yana Telova
Review
Review of Sorry, Baby – a bittersweet comedy of healing
07.24.2025 / By: Nastasya Gorbachevskaya
Review
Review of Lurker — the directorial debut from the writer of Beef and The Bear
03.12.2025 / By: Dmitry Elagin
