2025 Film Independent Spirt Awards Recap! ‘Anora’ Wins Big And A Few Surprises
A major moment in awards season is the Independent Film Spirit Awards! Held In Santa Monica on February 22nd,2025 its a cold crisp day warmed by the stars heating up the carpet! One of the more fun conversations I had was with Tonatiuh, star of "Kiss of The Spider Woman". He gushed about his co-stars Jenifer Lopez and Diego Luna and the joy of working with them. Fresh off of Sundance I felt it was important to talk to him to champion those in idepdent films and to uplift Latinos in the Hollywood industry. He delivers an award worthy performance in his latest film.
One of the biggest winners of the evening was 'Anora'. Winning Best Feature, Best Director- Sean Baker, and Best Lead Performance for Mikey Madison. Which bode well for her as a precursor to the Oscars. Which went on to win Best Actress for. She specifically wanted to thank the sex working community for their generosity and the basis for the research on her role. Sean Baker echoed sentiments of more independent films being made. And also challenged the entertainment industry to invest in independent filmmakers so they can continue to tell the stories mainstream won't.
BEST FEATURE
“Anora” (WINNER)
“I Saw the TV Glow”
“Nickel Boys”
“Sing Sing”
“The Substance”
BEST FIRST FEATURE
“Dìdi” (WINNER)
“In the Summers”
“Janet Planet”
“The Piano Lesson”
“Problemista”
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $1 million
“Big Boys”
Ghostlight”
“Girls Will Be Girls” (WINNER)
“Jazzy”
“The People’s Joker”
BEST DIRECTOR
Ali Abbasi — “The Apprentice”
Sean Baker — “Anora” (WINNER)
Brady Corbet — “The Brutalist”
Alonso Ruizpalacios — “La Cocina”
Jane Schoenbrun — “I Saw the TV Glow”
BEST SCREENPLAY
Scott Beck, Bryan Woods — “Heretic”
Jesse Eisenberg — “A Real Pain” (WINNER)
Megan Park — “My Old Ass”
Aaron Schimberg — “A Different Man”
Jane Schoenbrun — “I Saw the TV Glow”
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Joanna Arnow — “The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed”
Annie Baker — “Janet Planet”
India Donaldson — “Good One”
Julio Torres — “Problemista”
Sean Wang — “Dìdi” (WINNER)
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A FILM
Amy Adams — “Nightbitch”
Ryan Destiny — “The Fire Inside”
Colman Domingo — “Sing Sing”
Keith Kupferer — “Ghostlight”
Mikey Madison — “Anora” (WINNER)
Demi Moore — “The Substance”
Hunter Schafer — “Cuckoo”
Justice Smith — “I Saw the TV Glow”
June Squibb — “Thelma”
Sebastian Stan — “The Apprentice”
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A FILM
Yura Borisov — “Anora”
Joan Chen — “Dìdi”
Kieran Culkin — “A Real Pain” (WINNER)
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”
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A FILM
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)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dinh Duy Hung — “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell”
Jomo Fray — “Nickel Boys” (WINNER)
Maria von Hausswolff — “Janet Planet”
Juan Pablo Ramírez — “La Cocina”
Rina Yan — “The Fire Inside”
BEST EDITING
Laura Colwell, Vanara Taing — “Jazzy”
Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm — “The Apprentice”
Anne McCabe — “Nightbitch”
Hansjörg Weissbrich — “September 5” (WINNER)
Arielle Zakowski — “Dìdi”
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast
His Three Daughters (WINNER)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Gaucho Gaucho”
“Hummingbirds”
“No Other Land” (WINNER)
“Patrice: The Movie”
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
“All We Imagine as Light”
“Black Dog”
“Flow” (WINNER)
“Green Border”
“Hard Truths”
PRODUCERS AWARD
Alex Coco
Sarah Winshall — “I Saw the TV Glow” (WINNER)
Zoë Worth
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Nicholas Colia — “Griffin in Summer”
Sarah Friedland — “Familiar Touch” (WINNER)
Pham Thien An — “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell”
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie — “Sugarcane”
Carla Gutiérrez — “Frida”
Rachel Elizabeth Seed — “A Photographic Memory” (WINNER)
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
“Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color”
“Hollywood Black” (WINNER)
“Photographer”
“Ren Faire”
“Social Studies”
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
“Baby Reindeer”
“Diarra From Detroit”
“English Teacher”
“Fantasmas”
“Shōgun” (WINNER)
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Brian Jordan Alvarez — “English Teacher”
Richard Gadd — “Baby Reindeer” (WINNER)
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”
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”
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”
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
“How to Die Alone” (WINNER)
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