Rose Byrne, 'Train Dreams,' 'Sorry, Baby' Win Big at 41st Independent Spirit Awards

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | February 16, 2026

Header Image Source: Amy Sussman via Getty Images

Awards season is in full swing, but the schedule is a bit different this year. A lot of ceremonies are happening way in advance of the Oscars, which gives our contenders a bit of breathing room and hot take merchants such as myself some time to sleep. A lot of wins are still up in the air, which is exciting and not at all how this usually works.

Take the Independent Spirit Awards, for example. This year, they didn’t have a ton of Oscar nominees on their shortlists, so this one doesn’t have to be treated as yet another predictor of who will win the big one. The focus just gets to be on, you know, indie cinema. How radical. Frankly, I think this makes the season far more invigorating. It’s not an endless cycle of the same handful of people giving the same speeches over and over. And the Independent Spirit Awards offered us some damn fine winners.

Train Dreams, one of Team Pajiba’s favourite films of 2025, won Best Feature and Best Director for Clint Bentley. That one is an Oscar nominee, granted, but it’s also not in serious contention for the big awards, so we’re thrilled it got its moment in the spotlight. The acting categories, which are gender neutral, gave love to Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Naomi Ackie for Sorry, Baby. The latter also won Best Screenplay for writer-director-star Eva Victor. The thriller Lurker won both Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay. It’s great to see Byrne, who has been oddly underrated for so long, get her dues. Can she best Jessie Buckley for Best Actress at the Oscars?

In the TV categories, it was another sweep for Adolescence, which surely has to be one of the most awarded miniseries in history? Is there a way we can verify that? Another Team Pajiba favourite, Pee-wee as Himself was awarded in the non-scripted category.

Here are the winners of the 41st Independent Spirit Awards.

BEST FEATURE
Train Dreams

BEST DIRECTOR
Clint Bentley — Train Dreams

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Naomi Ackie — Sorry, Baby

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Kayo Martin — The Plague

BEST SCREENPLAY
Eva Victor — Sorry, Baby

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Lurker

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Alex Russell — Lurker

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Perfect Neighbor

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
The Secret Agent

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Train Dreams