‘Train Dreams’ and ‘Adolescence’ lead Netflix sweep at Independent Spirit Awards

Netflix dominated the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles, with Train Dreams winning best feature and Adolescence sweeping the television categories.

Clint Bentley’s adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella Train Dreams took the top film honour at the Hollywood Palladium, where Bentley also won best director. The drama stars Joel Edgerton, whom Bentley thanked for “being the heartbeat of our film”.

“It’s very, very hard these days to film in the United States, but it’s worth it and we’re proud to be able to pull it off,” Bentley said, also acknowledging Netflix’s support.

Acting and TV wins

Rose Byrne won the lead performance prize for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, beating fellow nominees in the gender-neutral category introduced in 2022. Byrne, who is also Oscar-nominated, credited writer-director Mary Bronstein for fighting eight years to make the film.

On the television side, Adolescence emerged as the night’s biggest winner. The series claimed best new scripted series, best lead performance for Stephen Graham, best supporting performance for Erin Doherty and the breakthrough award for Owen Cooper.

Other key winners

The international feature award went to The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, which is also nominated at the Oscars. He dedicated the prize to the late actor Udo Kier.

The Perfect Neighbor, a documentary built largely from police body camera footage about a deadly shooting in Florida, won best documentary. The film is also nominated for an Academy Award.

Eva Victor won best screenplay for Sorry, Baby, while Naomi Ackie secured the supporting performance prize for her role in the same film.

Hosted by Ego Nwodim, the ceremony marked the Spirit Awards’ return to the Hollywood Palladium for the first time since 1994. Eligibility is limited to productions with budgets under $30 million, keeping the focus on independent film and television.

The night reinforced Netflix’s growing presence in the independent awards space, with major wins across both film and TV categories.