The Independent Spirit Awards are an annual award given in the name of independent film, featuring all of the indie films which deserve honor and recognition - celebrating their 40th year. The 2025 winners of the Spirit Awards were announced Saturday evening, in their usual spot in Santa Monica near the beach - one week before the Oscars. The big winner this year is the already celebrated Anora, taking Best Film & Best Director & Best Lead Performance. Sean Baker also recently won the DGA Award for Best Director as well. The other nominations from 2024 included many outstanding indie films many cinephiles have been raving about for years, deserving of some extra time in the spotlight - including Nickel Boys, Sing Sing, I Saw the TV Glow, Cuckoo, Thelma, The Brutalist, Ghostlight, and Didi (which also won a few awards). As usual, a few surprises: I've never heard of Big Boys (a coming-of-age film from 2023) and I'm amazed that the mostly forgotten Janet Planet and La Cocina somehow had nominations. But I'm still very happy to see Anora winning. All of these films are worth watching whenever you find the time. Full list of winners below. // Continue Reading ›