Independent Spirit Awards 2026 preview – Awards Season Bonus

Whether or not you plan to watch along when the 2026 Spirit Awards air this Sunday, February 15 (or later), Elysia will walk you through everything you need to know: what's nominated in what categories, what overlaps are there with the Oscars, and what hidden gems might you want to check out.ChaptersEmerging Filmmaker Awards jury prizes (00:02:40)Special Awards jury prizes (00:18:44)Best Feature categories (00:31:10)First Feature categories (00:53:48)Acting categories for film (01:05:38)  Technical categories (01:19:50)Documentary (01:31:10) International (01:40:18)TV awards (01:47:00)Top 10 films (01:54:44)Elysia's top 10 Spirit Awards films for LorehoundsTwinless (Hulu, VoD)Lurker (Mubi, VoD)The Long Walk (Starz, VoD)FucktoysSplitsville (Hulu, VoD)The Baltimorons (AMC+, VoD)One of Them Days (Netflix)Hedda (Prime)A PoetTie: The Plague (VoD) & On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (HBO, VoD)Find the full list of Spirit Award nominees hereThe 41st Independent Spirit Awards will air Sunday, February 15, 2025 at 5 pm ET – watch on YouTube as it airs and join us in the Lorehounds Discord (see linktree) for a live-watch chat!Check your extended stats (including the Spirit Awards and jury prize nominees) on DeathRaceTracking.comSpirit Award nominees coveredThe Baltimorons (ContraZoom blog)Friendship (Properly Howard podcast)For subscribers: If I Had Legs I Would Kick You (Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin) Fucktoys (Imagine Fantastic FF – WhachaWachin)Non-Oscars awards coverageBAFTA longlisted shortsIndependent Spirit Awards preview (this episode)BAFTAs previewOscars 2026 coverageNominations + Best Picture previewLive-Action, Animated, & Documentary ShortsProduction Design, Costumes, Makeup & HairInternational FeaturesDocumentary FeaturesAnimated FeaturesScore & Original SongCinematography, Editing, Sound, VFXDirector, Original & Adapted ScreenplayLead & Supporting Actor & Actress, CastingCeremony reactions + Best Picture rankingsDeep dives into 2026 Oscar nomineesSinnersOne Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3FrankensteinWeaponsShorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”For subscribers: Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, and Arco)Revisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notesContact UsQuestions or comments? Visit us at our website where you can use the contact form or use the voicemail feature. Or, send an email to [email protected] to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsAny opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.