Awards season keeps on rolling, as Film Independent held their 40th FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS on February 22, 2025, in Santa Monica, CA. The beachside ceremony honoring the best film and TV of the year was hosted by Aidy Bryant, and SAGindie was there, joined at our table by actors Charmaine Bingwa (The Good Fight), Jay Ellis (Top Gun: Maverick), Rachael Harris (Goosebumps), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Mufasa), Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me), Tonatiuh (Kiss of the Spider Woman), producer Peter Kuplowsky (In a Violent Nature), and screenwriter Larry Karaszewski (Dolemite Is My Name). Check out the full list of the night’s award-winners below!
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2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards Winners & Nominees:
Film Awards
Best Feature
Best First Feature
John Cassavetes Award (for best film made for under $1 million)
Best International Film
- All We Imagine as Light (France/India/Netherlands/Luxembourg)
- Black Dog (China)
- Flow (Latvia/France/Belgium) – WINNER
- Green Border (Poland/France/Czech Republic/Belgium)
- Hard Truths (United Kingdom)
Best Documentary
Best Lead Performance
- Amy Adams (Nightbitch)
- Ryan Destiny (The Fire Inside)
- Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
- Keith Kupferer (Ghostlight)
- Mikey Madison (Anora) – WINNER
- Demi Moore (The Substance)
- Hunter Schafer (Cuckoo)
- Justice Smith (I Saw the TV Glow)
- June Squibb (Thelma)
- Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)
Best Supporting Performance
- Yura Borisov (Anora)
- Joan Chen (Dìdi)
- Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) – WINNER
- Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson)
- Carol Kane (Between the Temples)
- Karren Karagulian (Anora)
- Kani Kusruti (Girls Will Be Girls)
- Brigette Lundy-Paine (I Saw the TV Glow)
- Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing)
- Adam Pearson (A Different Man)
Best Breakthrough Performance
- Isaac Krasner (Big Boys)
- Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding)
- Mason Alexander Park (National Anthem)
- René Pérez Joglar (In the Summers)
- Maisy Stella (My Old Ass) – WINNER
Best Director
- Ali Abbasi (The Apprentice)
- Sean Baker (Anora) – WINNER
- Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
- Alonso Ruizpalacios (La Cocina)
- Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow)
Best Screenplay
- Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (Heretic)
- Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) – WINNER
- Megan Park (My Old Ass)
- Aaron Schimberg (A Different Man)
- Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow)
Best First Screenplay
- Joanna Arnow (The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed)
- Annie Baker (Janet Planet)
- India Donaldson (Good One)
- Julio Torres (Problemista)
- Sean Wang (Dìdi) – WINNER
Best Cinematography
- Dinh Duy Hung (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell)
- Jomo Fray (Nickel Boys) – WINNER
- Maria Von Hausswolff (Janet Planet)
- Juan Pablo Ramírez (La Cocina)
- Rina Yang (The Fire Inside)
Best Editing
- Anne McCabe (Nightbitch)
- Olivier Bugge Coutté & Olivia Neergaard-Holm (The Apprentice)
- Laura Colwell & Vanara Taing (Jazzy)
- Hansjörg Weissbrich (September 5) – WINNER
- Arielle Zakowski (Dìdi)
Robert Altman Award (for best ensemble casting)
- His Three Daughters – WINNER
Emerging Filmmaker Awards
Someone to Watch Award
Producers Award
- Alex Coco
- Sarah Winshall – WINNER
- Zoë Worth
Truer Than Fiction Award
TV Awards
Best New Scripted Series
Best New Non-Scripted/Documentary Series
Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
- Brian Jordan Alvarez (English Teacher)
- Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer) – WINNER
- Lily Gladstone (Under the Bridge)
- Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along)
- Cristin Milioti (The Penguin)
- Julianne Moore (Mary & George)
- Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun)
- Anna Sawai (Shōgun)
- Andrew Scott (Ripley)
- Julio Torres (Fantasmas)
Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series
- Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun)
- Enrico Colantoni (English Teacher)
- Betty Gilpin (Three Women)
- Chloe Guidry (Under the Bridge)
- Moeka Hoshi (Shōgun)
- Stephanie Koenig (English Teacher)
- Patti LuPone (Agatha All Along)
- Nava Mau (Baby Reindeer) – WINNER
- Ruth Negga (Presumed Innocent)
- Brian Tee (Expats)
Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series
- Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer) – WINNER
- Diarra Kilpatrick (Diarra from Detroit)
- Joe Locke (Agatha All Along)
- Megan Stott (Penelope)
- Hoa Xuande (The Sympathizer)
Best Ensemble in a New Scripted Series
- How to Die Alone – WINNER
CONGRATS TO THE 2025 SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS!
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