The 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards have once again brought to light the incredible talent and boundless creativity within the film industry. From groundbreaking feature films to imaginative debut works, this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards have truly highlighted the power of storytelling. Let’s dive into the winners, nominees, and their remarkable achievements Of Film Independent Spirit Awards 2025.
Best Feature: Anora
- Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
Nominees:
- I Saw the TV Glow
- Producers: Ali Herting, Luca Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall
- Nickel Boys
- Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine
- Sing Sing
- Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton
- The Substance
- Producers: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner
Best First Feature: Dìdi
- Director/Producer: Sean Wang
- Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters
Nominees:
- In the Summers
- Director: Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
- Producers: Janek Ambros, Lynette Coll, Alexander Dinelaris, Cynthia Fernandez De La Cruz, Cristóbal Güell, Sergio Alberto Lira, Rob Quadrino, Jan Suter, Daniel Tantalean, Nando Vila, Slava Vladimirov, Stephanie Yankwitt
- Janet Planet
- Director/Producer: Annie Baker
- Producers: Andrew Goldman, Dan Janvey, Derrick Tseng
- The Piano Lesson
- Director: Malcolm Washington
- Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington
- Problemista
- Director/Producer: Julio Torres
- Producers: Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone
John Cassavetes Award: Girls Will Be Girls
- Writer/Director/Producer: Shuchi Talati
- Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne
Nominees:
- Big Boys
- Writer/Director/Producer: Corey Sherman
- Producer: Allison Tate
- Ghostlight
- Writer/Director: Kelly O’Sullivan
- Director/Producer: Alex Thompson
- Producers: Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Chelsea Krant, Eddie Linker, Alex Wilson
- Jazzy
- Writer/Director/Producer: Morrisa Maltz
- Writer/Producer: Lainey Shangreaux
- Writers: Andrew Hajek, Vanara Taing
- Producers: Miranda Bailey, Tommy Heitkamp, John Way, Natalie Whalen, Elliott Whitton
- The People’s Joker
- Writer/Director: Vera Drew
- Writer: Bri LeRose
- Producer: Joey Lyons
Best Director: Sean Baker
- Film: Anora
Nominees:
- Ali Abbasi
- Film: The Apprentice
- Brady Corbet
- Film: The Brutalist
- Alonso Ruizpalacios
- Film: La Cocina
- Jane Schoenbrun
- Film: I Saw the TV Glow
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Best Screenplay: Jesse Eisenberg for A Real Pain
Nominees:
- Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
- Film: Heretic
- Megan Park
- Film: My Old Ass
- Aaron Schimberg
- Film: A Different Man
- Jane Schoenbrun
- Film: I Saw the TV Glow
Best Lead Performance: Mikey Madison in Anora
Nominees:
- Amy Adams
- Film: Nightbitch
- Ryan Destiny
- Film: The Fire Inside
- Colman Domingo
- Film: Sing Sing
- Keith Kupferer
- Film: Ghostlight
- Demi Moore
- Film: The Substance
- Hunter Schafer
- Film: Cuckoo
- Justice Smith
- Film: I Saw the TV Glow
- June Squibb
- Film: Thelma
- Sebastian Stan
- Film: The Apprentice
Best Supporting Performance: Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain
Nominees:
- Yura Borisov
- Film: Anora
- Joan Chen
- Film: Dìdi
- Danielle Deadwyler
- Film: The Piano Lesson
- Carol Kane
- Film: Between the Temples
- Karren Karagulian
- Film: Anora
- Kani Kusruti
- Film: Girls Will Be Girls
- Brigette Lundy-Paine
- Film: I Saw the TV Glow
- Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin
- Film: Sing Sing
- Adam Pearson
- Film: A Different Man
Best Breakthrough Performance: Maisy Stella in My Old Ass
Nominees:
- Isaac Krasner
- Film: Big Boys
- Katy O’Brian
- Film: Love Lies Bleeding
- Mason Alexander Park
- Film: National Anthem
- René Pérez Joglar
- Film: In the Summers
Best Cinematography: Jomo Fray for Nickel Boys
Nominees:
- Dinh Duy Hung
- Film: Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
- Maria von Hausswolff
- Film: Janet Planet
- Juan Pablo Ramírez
- Film: La Cocina
- Rina Yang
- Film: The Fire Inside
Best Editing: Hansjörg Weissbrich for September 5
Nominees:
- Laura Colwell, Vanara Taing
- Film: Jazzy
- Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm
- Film: The Apprentice
- Anne McCabe
- Film: Nightbitch
- Arielle Zakowski
- Film: Dìdi
Robert Altman Award: His Three Daughters
- Director: Azazel Jacobs
- Casting Director: Nicole Arbusto
- Ensemble Cast: Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr., Jay O. Sanders
Best Documentary: No Other Land
- Directors/Producers: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Nominees:
- Gaucho Gaucho
- Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
- Producers: Christos Konstantakopoulos, Cameron O’Reilly, Matthew Perniciaro
- Hummingbirds
- Directors: Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
- Co-Directors/Producers: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger
- Producers: Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow
- Patrice: The Movie
- Director: Ted Passon
- Producers: Kyla Harris, Innbo Shim, Emily Spivack
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
- Director: Johan Grimonprez
- Producers: Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius
Best International Film: Flow
- Countries: Latvia, France, Belgium
- Director: Gints Zilbalodis
Nominees:
- All We Imagine as Light
- Countries: France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg
- Director: Payal Kapadia
- Black Dog
- Country: China
- Director: Guan Hu
- Green Border
- Countries: Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
- Director: Agnieszka Holland
- Hard Truths
- Country: United Kingdom
- Director: Mike Leigh
Producers Award: Sarah Winshall
- Presented by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey
Nominees:
- Alex Coco
- Zoë Worth
Someone to Watch Award: Sarah Friedland
- Film: Familiar Touch
Nominees:
- Nicholas Colia
- Film: Griffin in Summer
- Pham Thien An
- Film: Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
Truer Than Fiction Award: Rachel Elizabeth Seed for A Photographic Memory
Nominees:
- Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie
- Film: Sugarcane
- Carla Gutiérrez
- Film: Frida
Best New Nonscripted or Documentary Series: Hollywood Black
Nominees:
- Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color
- Executive Producers: Idris Elba, Johanna Woolford Gibbon, Jamilla Dumbuya, Jos Cushing, Khaled Gad, Matt Robins, Chris Muckle, Sean David Johnson, Simon Raikes
- Co-Executive Producer: Annabel Hobley
- Photographer
- Executive Producers: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Pagan Harleman, Betsy Forhan
- Co-Executive Producers: Anna Barnes, Brent Kunkle
- Ren Faire
- Executive Producers: Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Dani Bernfeld, Lance Oppenheim, David Gauvey Herbert, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez
- Co-Executive Producers: Abigail Rowe, Christian Vasquez, Max Allman
- Social Studies
- Creator/Executive Producer: Lauren Greenfield
- Executive Producers: Wallis Annenberg, Regina K. Scully, Andrea van Beuren, Frank Evers, Caryn Capotosto
Best New Scripted Series: Shogun
- Creators/Executive Producers: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
- Executive Producers: Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell
- Co-Executive Producers: Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich
Nominees:
- Baby Reindeer
- Creator/Executive Producer: Richard Gadd
- Executive Producers: Wim De Greef, Petra Fried, Matt Jarvis, Ed Macdonald
- Diarra From Detroit
- Creator/Executive Producer: Diarra Kilpatrick
- Executive Producers: Kenya Barris, Miles Orion Feldsott, Darren Goldberg
- Co-Executive Producers: Ester Lou, Mark Ganek
- English Teacher
- Creator/Executive Producer: Brian Jordan Alvarez
- Executive Producers: Paul Simms, Jonathan Krisel, Dave King
- Co-Executive Producers: Kathryn Dean, Jake Bender, Zach Dunn
- Fantasmas
- Creator/Executive Producer: Julio Torres
- Executive Producers: Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Olivia Gerke, Alex Bach, Daniel Powell
- Co-Executive Producer: Ali Herting
Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series: Richard Gadd in Baby Reindeer
Nominees:
- Brian Jordan Alvarez
- Film: English Teacher
- Lily Gladstone
- Film: Under the Bridge
- Kathryn Hahn
- Film: Agatha All Along
- Cristin Milioti
- Film: The Penguin
- Julianne Moore
- Film: Mary & George
- Hiroyuki Sanada
- Film: Shogun
- Anna Sawai
- Film: Shogun
- Andrew Scott
- Film: Ripley
- Julio Torres
- Film: Fantasmas
Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series: Nava Mau in Baby Reindeer
Nominees:
- Tadanobu Asano
- Film: Shogun
- Enrico Colantoni
- Film: English Teacher
- Betty Gilpin
- Film: Three Women
- Chloe Guidry
- Film: Under the Bridge
- Moeka Hoshi
- Film: Shogun
- Stephanie Koenig
- Film: English Teacher
- Patti LuPone
- Film: Agatha All Along
- Ruth Negga
- Film: Presumed Innocent
- Brian Tee
- Film: Expats
Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series: Jessica Gunning in Baby Reindeer
Nominees:
- Diarra Kilpatrick
- Film: Diarra From Detroit
- Joe Locke
- Film: Agatha All Along
- Megan Stott
- Film: Penelope
- Hoa Xuande
- Film: The Sympathizer
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series: How to Die Alone
- Ensemble Cast: Melissa DuPrey, Jaylee Hamidi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Arkie Kandola, Elle Lorraine, Michelle McLeod, Chris “CP” Powell, Conrad Ricamora, Natasha Rothwell, Jocko Sims
Nominees:
- English Teacher
- Ensemble Cast: Brian Jordan Alvarez, Stephanie Koenig, Enrico Colantoni, Kathryn Dean
- Diarra From Detroit
- Ensemble Cast: Diarra Kilpatrick, Ester Lou, Mark Ganek, Kenya Barris
- Baby Reindeer
- Ensemble Cast: Richard Gadd, Nava Mau, Jessica Gunning, Wim De Greef
- Shogun
- Ensemble Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Moeka Hoshi
This year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards have once again highlighted the incredible talent and creativity within the film industry. Each of these winners and nominees has made a significant impact on cinema, and their achievements are a testament to the power of storytelling. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!
Conclusion
The 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards showcased the incredible talent and creativity within the film industry. From groundbreaking features to innovative debuts, this year’s Film Independent Spirit awards celebrated the power of storytelling. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees! 🎉
FAQs Of Film Independent Spirit Awards
1. What are the Film Independent Spirit Awards?
They celebrate the best in independent cinema, honoring innovative and thought-provoking films.
2. Who won Best Feature in 2025?
“Anora,” produced by Sean Baker, Alex Coco, and Samantha Quan.
3. Who were the nominees for Best First Feature?
“Dìdi” (Winner), “In the Summers,” “Janet Planet,” “The Piano Lesson,” and “Problemista.”
4. What is the John Cassavetes Award?
Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000.
5. Who won Best Director in 2025?
Sean Baker for “Anora.”
6. How can I watch the Film Independent Spirit Awards?
They are broadcast on TV and streamed online. Check the official Film Independent website.
7. What is the Producers Award?
It honors emerging producers who demonstrate creativity, tenacity, and vision despite limited resources.
8. Who won Best Documentary in 2025?
“No Other Land,” directed and produced by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor.