Spirit Awards Nominations: A Closer Look at the Best Feature Race Films “Train Dreams,” “The Plague,” “Sorry, Baby,” “Twinless,” and “Peter Hujar’s Day”

Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced

The 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations were unveiled on Wednesday, showcasing a distinctly independent selection of films. Leading the nominations for Best Feature are Janus Films’ Peter Hujar’s Day, IFC’s The Plague, A24’s Sorry, Baby, Netflix’s Train Dreams, and Roadside Attractions’ Twinless.

Four of the nominated films had their world premieres earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, while The Plague made its debut at Cannes. Notably, Twinless was one of the opening-day films at Sundance, and Netflix acquired Train Dreams for a sum in the high teen millions. Featuring Joel Edgerton in the lead role, Train Dreams follows an early 20th-century railroad worker and logger and is currently available for streaming.

Netflix dominated this year’s nominations with a total of 18, a significant increase from last year’s nine. A24 follows with ten nominations, down from a leading total of 19 the previous year.

Peter Hujar’s Day secured the most film nominations at five, while Train Dreams, Blue Sun Place, One of Them Days, Mubi’s Lurker, and Sorry, Baby each garnered four nominations.

Directors competing for Best Director include Clint Bentley for Train Dreams, Mary Bronstein for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Lloyd Lee Choi for Lucky Lu, Ira Sachs for Peter Hujar’s Day, and Eva Victor for Sorry, Baby.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards restrict submissions to productions costing under $30 million, which means high-profile films like New Line’s Weapons with a $38 million production budget, and several high-cost A24 titles, are excluded from consideration.

The previous year’s nominations featured two highly anticipated contenders: Anora, which won Best Feature, Best Director for Sean Baker, and Best Performer for Mikey Madison, leading to five Oscar wins—all significant accolades in the current awards season context.

The Spirit Awards also announced that Lionsgate’s The Long Walk, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, will receive the Robert Altman Award for cast ensemble, including its casting director.

The ceremony is scheduled for February 15, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium, marking a venue change from its previous location in Santa Monica. The event will be streamed live on various platforms, including the Film Independent and IMDb YouTube channels.

Complete List of Nominations

Best Feature

• Peter Hujar’s Day
  Producers: Jonah Disend, Jordan Drake

• The Plague
  Producers: Derek Dauchy, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, Lizzie Shapiro

• Sorry, Baby
  Producers: Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski

• Train Dreams
  Producers: Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman

• Twinless
  Producers: David Permut, James Sweeney

Best Director

• 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 Documentary

• Come See Me in the Good Light
  Director/Producer: Ryan White

• Endless Cookie
  Director: Peter Scriver
  Director/Producer: Seth Scriver

• My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow
  Director/Producer: Julia Loktev

• The Perfect Neighbor
  Director/Producer: Geeta Gandbhir

• The Tale of Silyan
  Director/Producer: Tamara Kotevska

Best International Film

• All That’s Left of You
  Director: Cherien Dabis

• On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
  Director: Rungano Nyoni

• A Poet
  Director: Simón Mesa Soto

• The Secret Agent
  Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho

• Sirāt
  Director: Oliver Laxe

Further nominations span various categories, highlighting the depth and creativity inherent in independent cinema.