The 40th Independent Spirit Awards kicked off on Saturday by honoring the best breakthrough performance in a feature film.
Maisy Stella was the first winner of the evening for her romantic dramedy My Old Ass, which costarred Aubrey Plaza as a future version of herself trying to guide her toward a better future.
SNL alumna Aidy Bryant is hosting the star-studded ceremony, which is being held in Santa Monica, California, for the second year in a row.
The Indie Spirits have gender-neutral acting categories, unlike the Oscars, Emmys or Golden Globes.
The ceremony celebrates film and television talent with both standard and unique categories like Best First Screenplay and the John Cassavetes Award (for best feature under $1 million).
Questlove presented another early award for best documentary feature, which went to the critically lauded film No Other Land.
The 40th Independent Spirit Awards kicked off on Saturday by honoring the best breakthrough performance in a feature film. Maisy Stella was the first winner of the evening for her romantic dramedy My Old Ass
The documentary was directed by a quartet of Palestinian–Israeli collective of four filmmakers.
Demi Moore, Amy Adams, Sebastian Stan, Mikey Madison, and Hunter Schafer are just some of the A-listers who are nominated at this year’s show.
‘Anora’ and ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ dominated the nominations, with each film picking up six nods. Both movies are up for best feature, competing against The Substance, Nickel Boys, and Sing Sing.
The presenters include Michelle Yeoh, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Kathryn Hahn, Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, Questlove, Edgar Ramirez, Hunter Schafer, and more.
This Spirit Awards considered films with budgets from $112,000 to $28 million this year.
The budgetary restrictions applied to film nominations did not extend to television series recognized by the Spirit Awards, exemplified by Shōgun, a large-scale historical epic that garnered five nominations, including Best New Scripted Series.
The series is competing against Baby Reindeer, Diarra From Detroit, English Teacher, and Fantasmas.
‘Anora’ earned further nominations for director Sean Baker, lead actress Mikey Madison, and supporting stars Yura Borisov and Karren Karagulian.
Maisy’s award was presented by Nightbitch star Amy Adams
Maisy stars in My Old Ass with Aubrey Plaza, who plays a future version of herself trying to guide her toward a better future
Questlove presented another early award for best documentary feature, which went to the critically lauded film No Other Land. The documentary was directed by a quartet of Palestinian–Israeli collective of four filmmakers
‘Anora’ and ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ dominated the Independent Spirit Awards nominations, with each film picking up six nods; Mark Eydelshteyn and Mikey Madison seen in a still from Anora
Two teens lose their grip on reality due to a TV obsession in the horror film ‘I Saw the TV Glow’; Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine seen in a still
Both movies are up for best feature, competing against The Substance, Nickel Boys, and Sing Sing; Demi Moore seen in a still from ‘The Substance’
As the Indie Spirit Awards do not categorize performers by gender, those competing for best leading performance in a film are: Amy Adams (Nightbitch), Ryan Destiny (The Fire Inside), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Keith Kupferer (Ghostlight), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance), Hunter Schafer (Cuckoo), Justice Smith (I Saw The Tv Glow), June Squibb (Thelma) and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice).
In TV and streaming Shōgun’s Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai are up for best lead performances against Brian Jordan Alvarez (English Teacher), Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer), Lily Gladstone (Under the Bridge), Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along), Cristin Milioti (The Penguin), Julianne Moore (Mary & George), Andrew Scott (Ripley), and Julio Torres (Fantasmas).
Alvarez’s nomination comes after he was accused of sexual assault by former co-star Jon Ebeling two months prior.
Ebeling alleges that Alvarez sexually assaulted him while they worked together on the digital series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, which aired on YouTube back in 2016.
They starred alongside Stephanie Koenig, who also co-stars with Alvarez in The English Teacher.
Alvarez has denied the allegations.
Another nominated star currently embroiled in a controversy is The Apprentice director Ali Abbasi, who’s up for the Best Director award.
Abbasi has been accused of groping an A-list star at a Golden Globes afterparty last month, leading to a split from his high profile talent representatives at CAA and Entertainment360.
Shōgun, a large-scale historical epic series adapted from James Clavell’s 1975 historical novel, garnered five nominations, including Best New Scripted Series; Hiroyuki Sanada seen in a still
The series is competing against Baby Reindeer, Diarra From Detroit, English Teacher, and Fantasmas; Jessica Gunning pictured in a scene from Baby Reindeer
Brian Jordan Alvarez, the creator and star of FX’s critically acclaimed series English Teacher, is nominated for Best Lead Performance In A New Scripted Series
He has not addressed the accusations at this time.
While the Oscars and Spirit Awards sometimes diverge in their selections, as evidenced by last year’s differing top film choices, they have also overlapped in prior years, with films like Everything Everywhere All at Once, Nomadland, and Moonlight winning their top film prizes.
‘What I love about the Spirit Awards is I feel like they have a looseness and a bit more personality, and I think we’re just trying to lean into that,’ Bryant told Entertainment Weekly about the show.
‘I think the Spirits are going to be extremely fun. I feel like this has been such an intense year that I really hope that this is just a place where people can blow off some steam and we can celebrate some really great small movies.’
The 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards will stream live on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on the IMDb and Film Independent YouTube and X channels.
Independent Spirit Awards 2025 winners
MOVIES
Best Lead Performance
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Ryan Destiny – The Fire Inside
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Keith Kupferer – Ghostlight
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Hunter Schafer – Cuckoo
Justice Smith – I Saw The Tv Glow
June Squibb – Thelma
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
Demi Moore earned a nod for her role in the The Substance
Best Supporting Performance
Yura Borisov – Anora
Joan Chen – Dìdi
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Carol Kane – Between The Temples
Karren Karagulian – Anora
Kani Kusruti – Girls Will Be Girls
Jack Haven – I Saw The Tv Glow
Clarence ‘Divine Eye’ Maclin – Sing Sing
Adam Pearson – A Different Man
Kieran Culkin is nominated for his role in the dark comedy A Real Pain
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
Maisy Stella won Best Breakthrough Performance in a feature for her role in the coming-of-age dramedy My Old Ass
Best Feature
Anora – Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
I Saw The Tv Glow – Ali Herting, Luca Intili, Dave Mccary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall
Nickel Boys – Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine
Sing Sing – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton
The Substance – Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner
Anora, which follows a young sex worker from Brooklyn, is nominated for Best Feature
Best Documentary
Gaucho Gaucho
Hummingbirds
No Other Land — WINNER
Patrice: The Movie
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Best Director
Ali Abbasi – The Apprentice
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Alonso Ruizpalacios – La Cocina
Jane Schoenbrun – I Saw The TV Glow
Sean Baker received a nomination for his film Anora
Best Screenplay
Scott Beck, Bryan Woods – Heretic
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Megan Park – My Old Ass
Aaron Schimberg – A Different Man
Jane Schoenbrun – I Saw The Tv Glow
Actor and writer Jesse Eisenberg is nominated for Best Screenplay for A Real Pain
TELEVISION
Best Lead Performance In A New Scripted Series
Brian Jordan Alvarez – English Teacher
Richard Gadd – Baby Reindeer
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
Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd is nominated for his lead role in the hit Netflix series
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
Ruth Negga is nominated for her role in the Apple TV + series Presumed Innocent
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
Jessica Gunning won Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series for her portrayal of a stalker in Netflix series Baby Reindeer
Best New Scripted Series
Baby Reindeer – Creator/Exec Producer: Richard Gadd. Exec Producers: Wim De Greef, Petra Fried, Matt Jarvis, Ed Macdonald
Diarra From Detroit – Creator/Exec Producer: Diarra Kilpatrick. Exec Producers: Kenya Barris, Miles Orion Feldsott, Darren Goldberg. Co-Exec Producers: Ester Lou, Mark Ganek
English Teacher – Creators/Exec Producer: Brian Jordan Alvarez. Exec Producers: Paul Simms, Jonathan Krisel, Dave King. Co-Exec Producers: Kathryn Dean, Jake Bender, Zach Dunn
Fantasmas – Creator/Exec Producer: Julio Torres. Exec Producers: Emma Stone, Dave Mccary, Olivia Gerke, Alex Bach, Daniel Powell. Co-Exec Producer: Ali Herting
Shōgun – Creators/Exec Producers: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks. Exec Producers: Edward L. Mcdonnell, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell. Co-Exec Producers: Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Jamie Vega Wheeler
Shōgun is nominated for Best New Scripted Series
