2025 Independent Spirit Awards Celebrate 40 Years of Honoring Indie Film and TV

The ceremony, hosted by Aidy Bryant, highlights innovative storytelling with gender-neutral acting categories and a focus on low-budget productions.

The 40th Independent Spirit Awards are taking place today in Santa Monica, California, with a live broadcast starting at 5 p.m. ET on Film Independent's YouTube channel and IMDb.
Aidy Bryant returns as host for the second consecutive year, bringing humor and energy to the event, which celebrates independent film and television projects with budgets under $30 million.
Leading film nominees include 'Anora' and 'I Saw the TV Glow,' each with six nominations, while 'Shōgun' leads the television categories with five nods.
The Spirit Awards continue to stand out with their gender-neutral acting categories, featuring 10 nominees each for Best Lead and Supporting Performances in film and TV.
This year’s event also honors the late Josh Welsh, former president of Film Independent, for his contributions to the independent film community.