'Adolescence' and 'Train Dreams' win top prizes at Film Independent
Spirit Awards
[February 16, 2026]
By LINDSEY BAHR
Clint Bentley's lyrical Denis Johnson adaptation “Train Dreams " won the
top film award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday in Los
Angeles, while “Adolescence” dominated the television categories. Both
were released on Netflix.
Bentley also won best director for the film starring Joel Edgerton, whom
he thanked profusely for “being the heartbeat of our film.”
“We're so grateful to Netflix,” Bentley said. “It's very, very hard
these days to film in the United States, but it's worth it and we're
proud to be able to pull it off."
Edgerton missed out on the top acting prize, however, which went to Rose
Byrne for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” The organization switched to
gender-neutral acting categories in 2022.
Byrne was one of the few actors nominated for both a Spirit Award and an
Oscar, for her performance as a mother on the edge.
“I share this with Mary Bronstein, my writer-director who fought for
eight years to get this movie made,” Byrne said.
She added that this was a film that could have only been made
independently. Her character, she said, is “fierce and ferocious and a
middle-aged woman.”
“Adolescence” won new scripted series, best actor for Stephen Graham,
best supporting actor for Erin Doherty, and the breakthrough prize for
Owen Cooper.
The show, which serves as a fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round
programs, was held at the Hollywood Palladium for the first time since
1994, as its longtime beachside perch in Santa Monica undergoes
renovations. Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” veteran Ego Nwodim
hosted the celebration of independent film and television, which was
livestreamed on YouTube.
“In the spirit of independent filmmaking, we don’t have a permit,”
Nwodim said in her opening. “If I shout ‘cameras down,’ you know what to
do.”
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Rose Byrne accepts the award for best lead performance for "If I Had
Legs I'd Kick You" during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on
Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
 “The Secret Agent” won the
international feature prize. The film is also nominated for best
picture and best international film at the Oscars.
“I really believe that programming films in the cinemas is more and
more a political act,” said director Kleber Mendonça Filho.
He dedicated the award to the late actor Udo Kier, who was part of
the ensemble of “The Secret Agent.”
“The Perfect Neighbor,” about a deadly shooting incident in Florida
constructed primarily from police bodycam footage, won best
documentary. Filmmaker and producer Geeta Gandbhir thanked Netflix
for “giving us a global platform.” It’s also up for the best
documentary Oscar.
Eva Victor won the screenplay prize for “Sorry, Baby." Naomi Ackie
also won the supporting award for Victor's film, over fellow
nominees like Zoey Deutch (“Nouvelle Vague”), Kirsten Dunst (“Roofman”),
Nina Hoss (“Hedda”) and Archie Madekwe (“Lurker”).
The awards sometimes overlap significantly with major Oscar
contenders and winners, as it did with “Anora,” and “Everything
Everywhere All At Once,” and sometimes not. Organizers limit
eligibility to productions with budgets less than $30 million,
meaning more expensive films like “One Battle After Another” are not
in the running.
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