# Independent Spirit Awards

The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in 1984, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit Awards in 1986. The ceremony is produced by Film Independent, a not-for-profit arts organization that used to produce the LA Film Festival. Film Independent members vote to determine the winners of the Spirit Awards.
The awards show is held in a tent on a beach in Santa Monica, California, historically on the Saturday before the Academy Awards. In 2023, the ceremony was moved to the week before the Oscars, with the expectation that its winners could influence the final days of Oscar voting. The show was previously broadcast live on the IFC network in the US until 2023, when it was moved to YouTube, as well as Hollywood Suite in Canada and A&E Latin America. Winners were previously presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the bare budgets of independent films. Since 2006, winners receive a metal trophy depicting a bird with its wings spread sitting atop of a pole with the shoestrings from the previous design wrapped around the pole.
In 2020, new categories were announced for the 36th Independent Spirit Awards, which would honor the best in television productions and performances. These categories included Best New Scripted Series, Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series, Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance, and Best Ensemble Cast. In 2022, it was announced that gender neutral acting categories would be implemented and that the previous gendered film categories — Male Lead, Female Lead, Male Supporting and Female Supporting — would be retired in favor of a Best Lead Performance and a Best Supporting Performance categories, which would feature 10 nominees each. Other new categories added included Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Lead and Supporting Performance in the TV section.
As of 2024, films competing for Independent Spirit Awards must have budgets lower than $28 million, but no budget cap exists for television shows.

## Categories

Film categories
* Best Feature Film
* Best Director
* Best First Feature
* Best Lead Performance
* Best Supporting Performance
* Best Breakthrough Performance
* Best Screenplay
* Best First Screenplay
* Best International Feature Film
* Best Documentary Feature Film
* Best Cinematography
* Best Editing
* John Cassavetes Award
* Robert Altman Award
Television categories
* Best New Scripted Series
* Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
* Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
Emerging filmmakers awards
* Producers Award
* Someone to Watch Award
* Truer than Fiction Award
Retired categories
* Best Female Lead
* Best Male Lead
* Best Supporting Female
* Best Supporting Male
* Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series
* Bonnie Award

## History

The Independent Features Project/West was founded by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas.
In 1984 the FINDIE Awards (Friends of Independents) were conceived by Independent Features Project/West board member Jeanne Lucas and Independent Features Project/West President Anne Kimmel and director/writer Sam O'Brien was an event producer. The awards are voted on by a nominating committee.
In 1985, Peter Coyote and Jamie Lee Curtis presented winners with a Plexiglas pyramid designed by Carol Bosselman, which contain a suspended shoestring, printed with sprocket holes, representing the shoestring budgets of independent films. The Reel Gold Award, also designed by Bosselman, was given to Steve Wachtel for allowing Independent Features Project/West continuing free use of his screening room. It was associated with Filmex. In 1986, Bosselman designed and sculpted the Independent Spirit Award statue that is still given out today, using a lost wax bronze casting method.
Independent Features Project/West eventually became Film Independent.
Dawn Hudson was director of Independent Features Project/West in 1995.
Barbara Boyle was Independent Features Project/West president from 1994 to 1999.
At the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards, acting president Brenda Robinson delivered a heartfelt tribute to longtime Film Independent president Josh Welsh, honoring the "visionary" who passed away on New Year's Eve at the age of 62 after a five-year battle with colon cancer. Welsh, who had served as president since 2012, was remembered for his immense contributions to the organization and the film community.

## Ceremonies

| # | Date | Year Honored | Best Film | Best First Feature | Host(s) |
| 1st | March 22, 1986 | 1985 | After Hours | — | Peter Coyote |
| 2nd | March 28, 1987 | 1986 | Platoon | She's Gotta Have It | Buck Henry |
| 3rd | February 11, 1988 | 1987 | River's Edge | Dirty Dancing | Buck Henry |
| 4th | March 25, 1989 | 1988 | Stand and Deliver | Mystic Pizza | Buck Henry |
| 5th | March 24, 1990 | 1989 | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Heathers | Buck Henry |
| 6th | March 23, 1991 | 1990 | The Grifters | Metropolitan | Buck Henry |
| 7th | March 28, 1992 | 1991 | Rambling Rose | Straight Out of Brooklyn | Buck Henry |
| 8th | March 27, 1993 | 1992 | The Player | The Waterdance | Buck Henry |
| 9th | March 19, 1994 | 1993 | Short Cuts | El Mariachi | Robert Townsend |
| 10th | March 25, 1995 | 1994 | Pulp Fiction | Spanking the Monkey | Kevin Pollak |
| 11th | March 23, 1996 | 1995 | Leaving Las Vegas | The Brothers McMullen | Samuel L. Jackson |
| 12th | March 22, 1997 | 1996 | Fargo | Sling Blade | Samuel L. Jackson |
| 13th | March 21, 1998 | 1997 | The Apostle | Eve's Bayou | John Turturro |
| 14th | March 20, 1999 | 1998 | Gods and Monsters | The Opposite of Sex | Queen Latifah |
| 15th | March 25, 2000 | 1999 | Election | Being John Malkovich (Over $500,000) The Blair Witch Project (Under $500,000) | Jennifer Tilly |
| 16th | March 24, 2001 | 2000 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | You Can Count on Me Chuck & Buck (Under $500,000) | John Waters |
| 17th | March 23, 2002 | 2001 | Memento | In the Bedroom | John Waters |
| 18th | March 22, 2003 | 2002 | Far from Heaven | The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys | John Waters |
| 19th | February 28, 2004 | 2003 | Lost in Translation | Monster | John Waters |
| 20th | February 26, 2005 | 2004 | Sideways | Garden State | Samuel L. Jackson |
| 21st | March 4, 2006 | 2005 | Brokeback Mountain | Crash | Sarah Silverman |
| 22nd | February 24, 2007 | 2006 | Little Miss Sunshine | Sweet Land | Sarah Silverman |
| 23rd | February 23, 2008 | 2007 | Juno | The Lookout | Rainn Wilson |
| 24th | February 21, 2009 | 2008 | The Wrestler | Synecdoche, New York | Steve Coogan |
| 25th | March 5, 2010 | 2009 | Precious | Crazy Heart | Eddie Izzard |
| 26th | February 26, 2011 | 2010 | Black Swan | Get Low | Joel McHale |
| 27th | February 25, 2012 | 2011 | The Artist | Margin Call | Seth Rogen |
| 28th | February 23, 2013 | 2012 | Silver Linings Playbook | The Perks of Being a Wallflower | Andy Samberg |
| 29th | March 1, 2014 | 2013 | 12 Years a Slave | Fruitvale Station | Patton Oswalt |
| 30th | February 21, 2015 | 2014 | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) | Nightcrawler | Fred Armisen, Kristen Bell |
| 31st | February 27, 2016 | 2015 | Spotlight | The Diary of a Teenage Girl | Kate McKinnon, Kumail Nanjiani |
| 32nd | February 25, 2017 | 2016 | Moonlight | The Witch | Nick Kroll, John Mulaney |
| 33rd | March 3, 2018 | 2017 | Get Out | Ingrid Goes West | Nick Kroll, John Mulaney |
| 34th | February 23, 2019 | 2018 | If Beale Street Could Talk | Sorry to Bother You | Aubrey Plaza |
| 35th | February 8, 2020 | 2019 | The Farewell | Booksmart | Aubrey Plaza |
| 36th | April 22, 2021 | 2020 | Nomadland | Sound of Metal | Melissa Villaseñor |
| 37th | March 6, 2022 | 2021 | The Lost Daughter | 7 Days | Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman |
| 38th | March 4, 2023 | 2022 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Aftersun | Hasan Minhaj |
| 39th | February 25, 2024 | 2023 | Past Lives | A Thousand and One | Aidy Bryant |
| 40th | February 22, 2025 | 2024 | Anora | Dìdi | Aidy Bryant |