Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams dominated the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday, Feb. 15, taking best feature and giving Bentley the best director prize at the Hollywood Palladium. The night also confirmed a strong Netflix showing across film and television: Adolescence swept all four categories in which it was nominated.
Onstage, Bentley thanked Joel Edgerton for “being the heartbeat of our film,” then turned pointed about production economics. “It’s very, very hard these days to film in the United States,” he said, adding that the team felt “proud” to pull it off. The Spirit Awards’ feature-film eligibility rules cap budgets at $30 million after tax incentives, a line meant to keep the field anchored in smaller-scale work even as streamers bankroll prestige titles.
In the acting races, Rose Byrne won best lead performance for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, sharing the moment with writer-director Mary Bronstein and saying Bronstein “fought for eight years to get this movie made.” Naomi Ackie earned best supporting performance for Sorry, Baby, which also won best screenplay for Eva Victor. Lurker took best first feature and best first screenplay for Alex Russell, and Kayo Martin won breakthrough performance for The Plague.
Television honors extended Netflix’s run: Stephen Graham won lead performance in a new scripted series, with Erin Doherty and Owen Cooper also winning for the same show. Pee-wee as Himself won best new non-scripted or documentary series, and Chief of War won best ensemble cast. The ceremony streamed on YouTube and returned to the Palladium for the first time since 1994, with host Ego Nwodim joking, “we don’t have a permit.
Best Feature: Train Dreams (Producers: Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman)
Best Director: Clint Bentley — Train Dreams
Best Screenplay: Eva Victor — Sorry, Baby
Best First Feature: 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)
Best First Screenplay: Alex Russell — Lurker
John Cassavetes Award (feature made under $1,000,000): Esta Isla (This Island) (Writers/Directors/Producers: Cristian Carretero, Lorraine Jones Molina; Writer: Kisha Tikina Burgos)
Best Breakthrough Performance: Kayo Martin — The Plague
Best Supporting Performance: Naomi Ackie — Sorry, Baby
Best Lead Performance: Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
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 Cinematography: Adolpho Veloso — Train Dreams
Best Editing: Sofía Subercaseaux — The Testament of Ann Lee
Best International Film: The Secret Agent (Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho)
Best Documentary: The Perfect Neighbor (Director/Producer: Geeta Gandbhir; Producers: Sam Bisbee, Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne)
Someone to Watch Award: Tatti Ribeiro (for Valentina)
Truer Than Fiction Award: Rajee Samarasinghe (for Your Touch Makes Others Invisible)
Producers Award (presented by Producers United): Tony Yang
Television
Best New Scripted Series: Adolescence (Creators/EPs: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham)
Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series: Pee-wee as Himself (EPs include 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)
Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series: Owen Cooper — Adolescence
Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series: Erin Doherty — Adolescence
Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series: Stephen Graham — Adolescence
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series: Chief of War (Ensemble includes 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)
