“Peter Hujar’s Day” emerged as the leading film in the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations, which were announced Wednesday morning.
The biographical drama scored five nods, including best feature, director for Ira Sachs, lead performance for Ben Whishaw and supporting performance for Rebecca Hall. “Train Dreams,” “Blue Sun Palace,” “Sorry, Baby,” “Lurker” and “One of Them Days” followed closely behind with four nods apiece, while “The Plague” and “Twinless” tied with three each.
On the television side, Netflix series “Adolescence” and BBC drama “Mr Loverman” topped the TV categories with four nominations each. In addition to being recognized for best new scripted series, “Adolescence” received nominations in the gender-neutral performance categories: Stephen Graham for lead, Erin Doherty for supporting and Owen Cooper for breakthrough.
“Mr Loverman” also nabbed a best new scripted series nomination, as well as best lead for Lennie James and supporting nods for Ariyon Bakare and Sharon D. Clarke.
“The distinguished and inspired work produced by our nominated artists this year shows both the incredible breadth and the essential nature of independent art being created today,” said Brenda Robinson, acting president of Film Independent. “These artists brilliantly demonstrate that there is no limit to the places where storytellers are able to find drama, humor and beauty, all while challenging audiences to stay engaged and curious, to protect the space where independent art can thrive.”
The annual awards ceremony honors outstanding achievements in both television and film. To be eligible, films must have been produced for less than $30 million, with a reduced cap of $1 million for those competing for the John Cassavetes Award. In the TV categories, only new shows that have run for one season and were released between Oct. 1, 2024 and Sept. 30, 2025, are eligible for consideration. An anthology series only qualifies in its first season.
The 40th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards is scheduled to take place on Feb. 15, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium.
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Check out the 2026 nominees below:
FILM
Best Feature
“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
“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
“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”
Directors/Writers/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
Constance Tsang, “Blue Sun Palace”
Andrew DeYoung, “Friendship”
Alex Russell, “Lurker”
Syreeta Singleton, “One of Them Days”
Elena Oxman, “Outerlands”
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”
Kayo Martin, “The Plague”
Misha Osherovich, “She’s the He”
SZA, “One of Them Days”
Tabatha Zimiga, “East of Wall”
Best Cinematography
Norm Li, “Blue Sun Palace”
Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, “Dust Bunny”
Alex Ashe, “Peter Hujar’s Day”
Adolpho Veloso, “Train Dreams”
David J. Thompson, “Warfare”
Best Editing
Carson Lund, “Eephus”
Ben Leonberg, “Good Boy”
Sara Shaw, “Splitsville”
Sofía Subercaseaux, “The Testament of Ann Lee”
Fin Oates, “Warfare”
Robert Altman Award
“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
“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
“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
“Sirat”
Spain
Director: Oliver Laxe
Producers Award – Emerging Filmmaker Awards
Emma Hannaway
Luca Intili
Tony Yang
Someone to Watch Award – Emerging Filmmaker Awards
Tatti Ribeiro, director of “Valentina”
Neo Sora, director of “Happyend”
Annapurna Sriram, director of “Fucktoys”
Truer Than Fiction Award – Emerging Filmmaker Awards
Tony Benna, director of “André Is an Idiot”
Rajee Samarasinghe, director of “Your Touch Makes Others Invisible”
Brittany Shyne, director of “Seeds”
TELEVISION
Best New Scripted Series
“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 New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
“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 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
From Variety US