Sean Baker

Source: Courtesy of Neon / A24 Anora Productions LLC

Sean Baker

Film Independent handed out its 2025 Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon (February 22), in a Santa Monica ceremony that saw Anora claim three prizes for best feature, director Sean Baker, and lead actor Mikey Madison in the gender-neutral category.

Sean Wang’s Didi took two prizes for best first feature and first screenplay, while Gints Zilbalodis’s Latvian animation Flow won international film and No Other Land was named best documentary. A Real Pain also nabbed two awards for screenplay and supporting actor Kieran Culkin.

Baker gave an impassioned speech calling for higher upfront fees for independent directors who he said take on average three years to make a feature. His words echoed recent statements by The Brutalist writer-director Brady Corbet.

“Indie film is struggling right now more than ever,” said Baker. “Gone are the days of DVD sales that allowed for a greater risk to be taken on challenging films.”

Baker continued, ”We create jobs and revenue for the entire industry. We shouldn’t be barely getting by. Creatives that are involved with projects that span years have to begin getting much higher upfront fees […] because back end simply can’t be relied upon any longer.” He concluded: “The system has to change because this is simply unsustainable.”

While it is too late for the Spirit Awards to have any bearing on the Oscars next weekend (March 2) after the Academy’s final voting window closed on February 18, it does underscore an impressive late season surge by Anora, which took top prizes at the PGA, DGA and Critics Choice Awards two weekends ago. 

Last year’s Cannes Palme d’Or last year is distributed by Neon in the US and went into the ceremony on a field-leading six nominations alongside Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow at A24.

FX’s Shogun started the afternoon with five nods in the television categories and converted one for best new scripted series. Netflix’s Baby Reindeer converted three of its four nods: best lead in a new scripted series for Richard Gadd, Nava Mau for best supporting, and Jessica Gunning for breakthrough.

The Robert Altman award given to a film with an ensemble cast went ton Azazel Jacobs’ His Three Daughters starring Natasha Lyonne, Elisabeth Olsen and Carrie Coon.

Winners appear below in bold.

FILM

Best feature

  • Anora
  • I Saw The TV Glow
  • Nickel Boys
  • Sing Sing
  • The Substance

Best first feature

  • Didi
  • In The Summers
  • Janet Planet
  • The Piano Lesson 
  • Problemista 

John Cassavetes Award (best feature made for under $500,000)

  • Big Boys
  • Girls Will Be Girls 
  • Ghostlight
  • Jazzy
  • The People’s Joker

Best director

  • Ali Abbasi, The Apprentice
  • Sean Baker, Anora
  • Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
  • Alonso Ruizpalacios, La Cocina
  • Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw The TV Glow

Best screenplay

  • A Different Man
  • Heretic
  • I Saw The TV Glow
  • My Old Ass
  • A Real Pain

Best first screenplay

  • Didi
  • The Felling
  • Good One
  • Janet Planet
  • Problemista

Best cinematography

  • La Cocina
  • The Fire Inside
  • Nickel Boys
  • Janet Planet 
  • Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell

Best editing

  • The Apprentice
  • Didi
  • September 5
  • Nightbitch 
  • Jazzy

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

Best supporting performance

  • Yura Borisov, Anora
  • Joan Chen, Didi
  • Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
  • 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 “Divine Eye” 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

Robert Altman Award 

  • His Three Daughters

Best documentary

  • Gaucho Gaucho
  • Hummingbirds 
  • No Other Land
  • Patrice: The Movie
  • Soundtrack To A Coup D’Etat 

Best international film

  • All We Imagine As Light
  • Black Dog
  • Flow
  • Green Border
  • Hard Truths

Producers award

  • Alex Coco
  • Sarah Winshall
  • Zoe Worth

Someone to watch award

  • Nicholas Colia, Griffin In Summer
  • Sarah Friedland, Familiar Touch
  • Pham Thien An, Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell

Truer Than Fiction Award

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