When will Film Independent Spirit Awards 2026 take place? Details explored as Ego Nwodim set to host the ceremony

Days after unveiling their list of nominees, the 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards revealed Ego Nwodim as the host of the upcoming ceremony. Ego Nwodim, American actress and comedian, recently departed from Saturday Night Live (SNL).

The Film Independent Awards are set to take place next year on February 15. The awards ceremony will take place at the Hollywood Palladium. Fans can stream the Film Independent Spirit Awards live on Film Independent and IMDb YouTube channels.

For those unaware, the Film Independent Spirit Awards are committed to independent storytelling, featuring small production companies, moving narratives, and more.

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More about the nominations of the upcoming Film Independent Spirit Awards

Here’s the complete list of nominees for the upcoming Film Independent Spirit Awards

Best Feature of Film Independent Spirit Awards

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 of the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards

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
• Director/Writer/Producer: Sarah Friedland
• Producers: Alexandra Byer, Matthew Thurm

Best Director at Film Independent Spirit Awards

• 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

• Andrew DeYoung, Friendship
• Elena Oxman, Outerlands
• Alex Russell, Lurker
• Syreeta Singleton, One of Them Days
• Constance Tsang, Blue Sun Palace

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 at Film Independent Spirit Awards

• Liz Larsen, The Baltimorons
• Misha Osherovich, She’s the He
• Kayo Martin, The Plague
• SZA, One of Them Days
• Tabatha Zimiga, East of Wall

Best Cinematography

• Alex Ashe, Peter Hujar’s Day
• Norm Li, Blue Sun Palace
• David J. Thompson, Warfare
• Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams
• Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, Dust Bunny

Best Editing

• Ben Leonberg, Good Boy
• Carson Lund, Eephus
• Fin Oates, Warfare
• Sara Shaw, Splitsville
• Sofía Subercaseaux, The Testament of Ann Lee

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 at Film Independent Spirit Awards

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 at Film Independent Spirit Awards

• 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
• Sirāt (Spain)
• Director: Oliver Laxe

Producers Award

• Emma Hannaway
• Luca Intili
• Tony Yang

Someone to Watch Award

• Tatti Ribeiro, Valentina
• Neo Sora, Happyend
• Annapurna Sriram, Fucktoys
• Truer Than Fiction Award
• Tony Benna, André is an Idiot
• Rajee Samarasinghe, Your Touch Makes Others Invisible
• Brittany Shyne, Seeds

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TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series at Film Independent Spirit Awards

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 New Scripted Series at Film Independent Spirit Awards

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 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 Udo

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