The Indie Spirit Awards — which once had relevance and legitimacy — took place today in Los Angeles.
IndieWire — politely — described this year’s ceremony as “scaled down.” Instead of taking place in its usual huge tent on the Santa Monica Pier, this year the event was held at the Hollywood Palladium — a concert venue. By all accounts, the vibe was different.
“Train Dreams” and its director, Clint Bentley, won three awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Cinematography. Just think about that: A Netflix movie, “Train Dreams” — a good film — which barely played in theaters, was named the best indie film of 2025. The times have changed.
This puts the evolution of indie cinema into perspective, highlighting how streaming platforms are increasingly shaping what counts as “independent” and, more importantly, how, alongside Sundance’s struggles, there is a desperate need for a new movement — much like in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s — to revitalize the true rebellious spirit of this once-important film movement.
The Indie Spirit Awards are now gender-free, so there was no Best Actor or Best Actress, just Rose Byrne winning “Best Performance” for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” and Naomi Ackie winning “Best Supporting Performance” for “Sorry, Baby,” which also won its director, Eva Victor, the Best Screenplay award.
Some of the other winners included Alex Russell’s “Lurker” crowned Best First Feature, “The Perfect Neighbor,” which nabbed Best Documentary and “The Secret Agent” taking home Best International Film.
The ceremony was hosted by Ego Nwodim. About 31,000 viewed the stream on YouTube, but there was barely any promotion; not many even knew it was supposed to happen today.