Anora led the winners in the film categories of the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards with three wins, including Best Feature, Best Director for Sean Baker, and Best Lead Performance for Mikey Madison.

A Real Pain also won multiple awards, walking away with Best Supporting Performance for Kieran Culkin and Best Screenplay for Jesse Eisenberg.

Other film awards went to Maisy Stella for Best Breakthrough Performance for My Old Ass; Dìdi won Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay for Sean Wang; Flow won Best International Film; No Other Land won Best Documentary; Best Cinematography went to Jomo Fray for Nickel Boys; and Hansjörg Weissbrich won Best Editing for September 5.

The 17th annual Robert Altman Award, which was created in 2008 in honor of legendary film director Robert Altman, who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts, was awarded to His Three Daughters director Azazel Jacobs, alongside casting director Nicole Arbusto, as well as ensemble cast members Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr. and Jay O. Sanders.

Girls Will Be Girls was honored with the John Cassavetes Award, given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000.

Also celebrated were the previously announced honors including Sarah Friedland of Familiar Touch with the Someone to Watch Award, recognizing a filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition; Rachel Elizabeth Seed of A Photographic Memory with the Truer Than Fiction Award, presented to an emerging director of nonfiction features who has yet to receive significant recognition; and Sarah Winshall with the Producers Award, honoring emerging producers who demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films with limited resources.

The following is a complete list of the winners of 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards

FILM CATEGORIES

Best Feature
Anora (NEON)
Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

Best Director
Sean Baker, Anora (NEON)

Best Screenplay
Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)

Best First Feature
Dìdi (Focus Features)
Director: Sean Wang
Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters

Best First Screenplay
Sean Wang, Dìdi (Focus Features)

John Cassavetes Award
(for best feature made under $1,000,000)
Girls Will Be Girls (Juno Films)
Writer/Director/Producer: Shuchi Talati
Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne

Best Breakthrough Performance
Maisy Stella, My Old Ass (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Supporting Performance
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Lead Performance
Mikey Madison, Anora (NEON)

Robert Altman Award
His Three Daughters (Netflix)
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 Cinematography
Jomo Fray, Nickel Boys (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Editing
Hansjörg Weissbrich, September 5 (Paramount Pictures)

Best International Film
Flow (Sideshow and Janus Films)
Director: Gints Zilbalodis

Best Documentary
No Other Land
Director: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Producer: Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning

Someone to Watch
Sarah Friedland, Familiar Touch

Truer Than Fiction
Rachel Elizabeth Seed, A Photographic Memory

Producers Award
Sarah Winshall

TELEVISON CATEGORIES

Best New Scripted Series
Shōgun (FX)
Creators/Executive Producers: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Executive Producers: Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michael Clavell
Co-Executive Producers: Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Jamie Vega Wheeler

Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
Hollywood Black (MGM+)
Executive Producers: Shayla Harris, Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Jon Kamen, Justin Simien, Kyle Laursen, Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jeffrey Schwarz, Amy Goodman Kass, Michael Wright, Jill Burkhard
Co-Executive Producers: David C. Brown, Laurens Grant

Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series
Nava Mau, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series
Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
How to Die Alone (Hulu)
Ensemble Cast: Melissa DuPrey, Jaylee Hamidi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Arkie Kandola, Elle Lorraine, Michelle McLeod, Chris “CP” Powell, Conrad Ricamora, Natasha Rothwell, Jocko Sims