43 Indie Spirit Award-Winning Films

After Hurricane María passed and the media departed Puerto Rico, international attention faded. What became of the island then?

Bridget begins the summer by having an abortion right after securing a job as a nanny for a six-year-old in the wealthy suburb of Evanston, Illinois – a position she desperately needs.

Director Kirsten Johnson uses filmmaking to explore how to keep her 86-year-old father, Dr. Dick Johnson, alive in her mind. With humor and creativity, she documents his final years by playfully imagining scenarios of death and what comes after. Father…

This film offers a stark portrayal of a day in the life of an executive assistant. Jane navigates her demanding schedule while becoming acutely aware of the subtle and pervasive abuse inherent in her role.

This film is based on the true story of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., an elderly African American veteran with bipolar disorder. He was killed during an encounter with police officers who were sent to check on him. The film depicts the…

At a wedding in Palm Springs, easygoing Nyles and hesitant bridesmaid Sarah discover they're trapped. They can't leave the wedding, they can't escape each other, and they're stuck together.

Drummer Ruben starts losing his hearing. A doctor warns him it will get worse, making him feel like his career and life are over. His girlfriend Lou sends him to a rehab facility for the deaf, hoping it will prevent…

In a small Utah town, David, a father of four children, struggles with his wife Nikki's decision to leave him for a new relationship.

In Compton, a teenager on the verge of becoming undocumented fights to remain in the United States, jeopardizing her family, her friendships, and her first love.

Sixty-year-old Frances Price, a penniless Manhattan socialite, intended to die before her dwindling funds disappeared, but life had other plans. Her husband Franklin died twelve years ago, and his substantial inheritance was long spent. Now, she sells off her remaining…

The film follows three stray dogs – Zeytin, Nazar, and Kartal – as they navigate the vibrant streets of Istanbul.

A chance meeting in rural Mexico sets off a lifelong love story between two men. Inspired by a true event, one man's desire for success and the expectations of society force him to leave his partner behind and embark on…

Following his victory over Sonny Liston in 1964, Muhammad Ali meets with Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown. Together, they aim to influence the future of the Civil Rights movement in the segregated South.

In the early 1970s, a summer camp for teenagers with disabilities near Woodstock became a catalyst for change. There, a revolution unfolded, profoundly impacting the lives of the young people and sparking a significant social movement.

A young filmmaker goes back to his hometown to write a screenplay about his youth. He discovers the neighborhood has changed drastically, and his old friends have all moved on with their lives.

In a near-future world, delivery driver Ray Tincelli is trying to make ends meet while caring for his sick brother. After a series of small jobs, Ray takes a new position in a remote area: running cables through the forest…

Fox Rich, a strong and determined woman who fights for justice, works to hold her family together while trying to free her husband from prison. This is a deeply personal, sweeping, and unusual story of love, told over twenty years.

A school district superintendent strives to improve student education, but their efforts are jeopardized when an embezzlement scheme is uncovered, threatening to unravel everything.

After her abusive ex-partner dies by suicide and leaves her his wealth, Cecilia begins to believe his death was staged. A series of increasingly dangerous coincidences lead her to suspect she's being stalked by an unseen force, and she fights…

A dedicated classical singer faces a profound personal crisis as his pursuit of vocal perfection yields no results. He grapples with self-doubt, difficult choices, and persistent hardship in his quest for mastery.

A determined Indian driver leverages his intelligence and resourcefulness to overcome poverty and achieve success. This is an expansive story, adapted from the New York Times bestseller.

In Srebrenica, Bosnia, July 1995, Aida works as a UN translator. When Serbian forces seize the town, her family joins thousands seeking refuge in the UN camp. As an insider to the negotiations, Aida has access to vital information that…

A daughter worries about her mother's care at a retirement home and hires private investigator Romulo to look into it. He enlists Sergio, an 83-year-old man who becomes a resident, acting as an undercover observer within the home. Sergio finds…

A government official interviews five candidates to determine who will be granted a life on Earth. However, he unexpectedly confronts a personal crisis of meaning.

In the remote Brazilian backlands, the town of Bacurau is grieving the death of its 94-year-old matriarch, Carmelita. Shortly after her passing, the townspeople discover that Bacurau has disappeared from virtually all maps.

Two teenage girls from rural Pennsylvania go to New York City for medical care after becoming unexpectedly pregnant.

This film follows three homeless young people who identify as LGBTQ and find each other on Christopher Street in New York City.

Márta, a 40-year-old neurosurgeon, finds love and leaves her successful career in America to start anew in Budapest with her beloved. However, he doesn't meet her at their planned meeting place, the Liberty Bridge. Márta desperately searches for him, but…

A Korean American family relocates to a farm in Arkansas, pursuing the American dream. Navigating the difficulties of a new life in the unfamiliar Ozarks, they find strength in their family bonds and discover the true meaning of home.

A young man is sent to "La Maca," a prison deep in the Ivorian forest where the inmates are in charge. As the red moon rises, the prison boss chooses him to be the new "Roman," tasked with telling a…

On the verge of turning forty and feeling stuck, struggling New York playwright Radha seeks a creative spark by transforming herself into a rapper.

Seventeen years after they last saw each other, Walter, an Angolan immigrant, is reunited with his wife and teenage daughter in the U.S. Forced to live together in a small apartment, the three begin to reconnect through their shared passion…

Ellie, a quiet, high-achieving student, takes a job helping Paul, a kind but awkward athlete, win over the school's most popular girl. Their unexpected friendship becomes complicated when Ellie realizes she's developing feelings for the very same girl.

Turquoise, a former beauty queen and now a single mother working hard, helps her rebellious teenage daughter prepare for the "Miss Juneteenth" pageant. Turquoise hopes this will guide her daughter away from the same life choices she made.

In a sparsely populated housing development west of Houston, a rebellious teenager clashes with her equally headstrong and hardened neighbor, an aging bullfighter past his prime. Their unexpected encounter profoundly alters the course of both their lives.

After losing everything during the Great Recession, a woman in her sixties becomes a van-dwelling nomad and travels across the western United States.

Olivia, a Filipino immigrant in New York living in fear of deportation, works as a caregiver for a Russian-Jewish grandmother. Her plans for a marriage-based green card become complicated when the man she's paying to marry her withdraws. She then…

Amy is consumed by the belief that she will die the next day, triggering a powerful emotional breakdown. Her friend Jane is surprised to find Amy's feeling of impending death is contagious, and together they embark on strange adventures through…

In 1927 Chicago, legendary blues musician and pioneer, known as the Mother of the Blues, and her band converge at a recording studio. The gathering intensifies existing tensions. Based on a play by August Wilson.

In the 1820s, a quiet, skilled cook journeys to Oregon Territory. There, he encounters a Chinese immigrant with similar ambitions. The two form an unlikely partnership, embarking on a risky plan: to steal milk from the prized Jersey cow of…

Following a devastating fire at a Romanian nightclub, burn victims start dying in hospitals from injuries that weren't initially fatal. Investigative journalists launch an inquiry, uncovering widespread corruption within the healthcare system and government institutions. *Collective* follows the journalists, whistleblowers,…

Haunted by a devastating past, a young woman embarks on a path of revenge against those who wronged her.

Todd, a highly articulate and obsessive-compulsive gay man in his twenties, becomes convinced he might not be gay after all due to a fear of dying alone. He begins a relationship with Rory, a sharp-witted actress also grappling with insecurities.…