A Look Into the Independent Spirit Awards’ Winners List
On February 22, Independent Spirit Awards celebrated year 40, hosted by Aidy Bryant in Santa Monica, California, honored the top independent TV series and films from 2024.
Many fan-favorite films, such as Anora, Sing, and A Real Pain, received multiple nominations alongside other hit projects, including The Brutalist, The Apprentice, and The Substance. TV series, such as Emmy, Baby Reindeer, and Shogun, also received numerous award nominations.
Bryant, the Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast member, was joined by fellow SNL star Molly Shannon, who served as honorary chair for the event. Meanwhile, the list of presenters included actors like Carrie Coon and Danielle Deadwyler.
Here’s a list of the other presenters:
- Walton Goggins
- Kathryn Hahn
- Alana Haim
- Patti LuPone
- Natasha Lyonne
Then, the award winners started to receive their trophies, starting with Anora which won Best Feature over Sing Sing, Nickel Boys, I Saw the TV Glow, and The Substance. Didi took home the Best First Feature award over In the Summers, Janet Planet, The Piano Lesson, and Problemista. The John Cassavetes Award, given to the best feature earning under $1 million, was taken home by Girls Will Be Girls. Sean Baker, who produced his highly sought-after Anora, received the Best Director award. Jesse Eisenberg received the Best Screenplay award for his A Real Pain film.
“This is for the indie film lifers for holding on and fighting the good fight.” Sean Baker with his #SpiritAwards for best director. And he got a standing ovation for his remarks. pic.twitter.com/lhrLzeOuCC
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) February 23, 2025
Meanwhile, the Best First Screenplay award was awarded to Sean Wang, who produced Didi. Mikey Madison also received the Best Lead Performance award for portraying Ani in Anora. The Best Supporting Performance award was given to Kieran Culkin for his portrayal of Benji Kaplan in A Real Pain.
Mikey Madison kisses Pilaf (Demi Moore’s chihuahua) as she accepts the Indie Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance.
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) February 23, 2025
pic.twitter.com/16QVBAhf5W
Maisy Stella won the Best Breakthrough Performance award for her spectacular performance in My Old A*s. The Best Documentary award was given to No Other Land. Meanwhile, the Best International Film award went to Flow. Hansjorg Weißbrich received the Best Editing award for his work on September 5.
Jomo Fray won the Best Cinematography award for his work on Nickel Boys. His Three Daughters took home the Robert Altman award. Sarah Winchell took home the Producers award. Sarah Friedland won the Someone to Watch award, and Rachel Elizabeth Seed won the Truer Than Fiction award to close out the first half of the award ceremony.
Hollywood Black won the Best New Non-Scripted/Documentary Series to open the television award showcase. Shōgun proceeded to take home the Best New Scripted Series award. The Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series went to Richard Gadd, who portrayed Donny in Baby Reindeer. Gadd’s victory was followed by Nava Mau, who took home The Best Supporting Performance in a Scripted Series award for her portrayal of Teri in Baby Reindeer.
The hit series win streak didn’t stop there. Jessica Gunning won the Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series award for her role in Baby Reindeer. To close out the highly sought-after award event, How To Die Alone received the Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series award.
