Train Dreams crowned Best Independent Film of the Year

Train Dreams crowned Best Independent Film of the Year

ByLeila

Discover the entire list of Spirit Awards 2026.

The 41st Independent Spirit Awards celebrated the best in independent film and television on Sunday evening at the Hollywood Palladium, headlined by formerSNL Ego Nwodim.

Big winner of the evening, Train Dreams walked away with the main prize for Best Film, Direction and Photography. The historical drama, distributed by Netflix, however, did not allow Joel Edgerton to be crowned. It’s Rose Byrne, for If I Had Legs I’d Kick Youwho won the performance trophy. Note that The Secret Agent (for Brazil) won the Best Foreign Film award again, confirming its status as a favorite for the Oscars.

On the series side, Adolescence won everything: four nominations, four trophies.

The full list of Independent Spirit Awards 2026:

Best film

  • WINNER: Train Dreams

  • Peter Hujar’s Day

  • The Plague

  • Sorry, Baby

  • Twinless

Best achievement

  • WINNER: 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 first film

  • WINNER: Lurker

  • Blue Sun Palace

  • Dust Bunny

  • East of Wall

  • One of Them Days

Best Lead Performance

  • WINNER: Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

  • Everett Blunck – The Plague

  • 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

  • WINNER: Naomi Ackie – Sorry, Baby

  • Zoey Deutch – New wave

  • Kirsten Dunst – Roofman

  • Rebecca Hall – Peter Hujar’s Day

  • Nina Hoss – Hedda

  • Jane Levy – A Little Prayer

  • Archie Madekwe – Lurker

  • Kali Reis – Rebuild

  • Jacob Tremblay – Sovereign

  • Haipeng Xu – Blue Sun Palace

Revelation of the year

  • WINNER: Kayo Martin – The Plague

  • Liz Larsen – The Baltimoreons

  • Misha Osherovich – She’s the He

  • SZA – One of Them Days

  • Tabatha Zimiga – East of Wall

Best Screenplay

  • WINNER: Sorry, Baby

  • A Little Prayer

  • Sovereign

  • Splitsville

  • Twinless

Best first screenplay

  • WINNER: Lurker

  • Blue Sun Palace

  • Friendship

  • One of Them Days

  • Outerlands

Best Photography

  • WINNER: Train Dreams

  • Blue Sun Palace

  • Dust Bunny

  • Peter Hujar’s Day

  • Warfare

Best editing

Best Documentary

  • WINNER: The Perfect Neighbor

  • Come See Me in the Good Light

  • Endless Cookie

  • My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow

  • The Tale of Silyan

Best International Film

Robert Altman Prize

Someone to Watch Award

  • WINNER: Tatti Ribeiro

  • Neo Sora

  • Annapurna Sriram

Trueer Than Fiction Award

John Cassavetes Award

  • WINNER: Esta Isla

  • The Baltimoreons

  • Boys Go to Jupiter

  • Eephus

  • Familiar Touch

Producers Award

  • WINNER: Tony Yang

  • Emma Hannaway

  • Luca Intili

Television

Best new fiction series

  • WINNER: Adolescence

  • Common Side Effects

  • Forever

  • Mr. Loverman

  • North of North

Best New Non-Fiction/Doc Series

  • WINNER: Pee-Wee As Himself

  • Citizen Nation

  • Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time

  • Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television

  • Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae

Best Lead Actor (Series)

  • WINNER: Stephen Graham – Adolescence

  • Sydney Chandler – Alien: Earth

  • 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 (Series)

  • WINNER: Erin Doherty – Adolescence

  • Ariyon Bakare – Mr. Loverman

  • Babou Ceesay – Alien: Earth

  • Sharon D. Clarke – Mr. Loverman

  • Taylor Dearden – The Pitt

  • Stephen McKinley Henderson – A Man on the Inside

  • Poorna Jagannathan – Deli Boys

  • Xosha Roquemore – Forever

  • Jenny Slate – Dying for Sex

  • Ben Whishaw – Black Doves

Revelation of the year (series)

  • WINNER: Owen Cooper – Adolescence

  • Asif Ali – Deli Boys

  • Wally Baram – Overcompensating

  • Michael Cooper Jr. – Forever

  • Ernest Kingsley Junior – Washington Black

Leila
Leila

Leila is the editor-in-chief at DTmovies, leading the charge with her team to deliver engaging cinema and series content. With a keen eye for emerging trends and a passion for the stories behind the screen, she is the creative backbone that drives the site’s editorial excellence. Her expertise and dedication have established DTmovies as a go-to source for film and series enthusiasts.

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