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. Chapters Emerging 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 Lorehounds Twinless (Hulu, VoD) Lurker (Mubi, VoD) The Long Walk (Starz, VoD) Fucktoys Splitsville (Hulu, VoD) The Baltimorons (AMC+, VoD) One of Them Days (Netflix) Hedda (Prime) A Poet Tie: The Plague (VoD) & On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (HBO, VoD) Find the full list of Spirit Award nominees here The 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.com Spirit Award nominees covered The 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 coverage BAFTA longlisted shorts Independent Spirit Awards preview (this episode) BAFTAs preview Oscars 2026 coverage Nominations + Best Picture preview Live-Action, Animated, & Documentary Shorts Production Design, Costumes, Makeup & Hair International Features Documentary Features Animated Features Score & Original Song Cinematography, Editing, Sound, VFX Director, Original & Adapted Screenplay Lead & Supporting Actor & Actress, Casting Ceremony reactions + Best Picture rankings Deep dives into 2026 Oscar nominees Sinners One Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3 Frankenstein Weapons Shorts: “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 notes Contact Us Questions 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]. Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates linktr.ee/thelorehounds Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy