'Peter Hujar's Day,' 'Train Dreams,' and 'Sorry, Baby' Top Spirit Award Nominations

Ira Sachs Peter Hujars Day, which brings to life a 1970s photographers interview, leads the nominations for the 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards with five nods. The film received recognition for Best Feature, Best Director, and performances by Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall in lead and supporting roles. The nominations were announced on Wednesday by the organization.

Several films earned four nominations, including Best Feature and Best Director nods. These include Clint Bentleys poetic adaptation of Denis Johnsons Train Dreams and Eva Victors Sorry, Baby, which explores life after an assault. First-feature films receiving four nominations include Blue Sun Palace, One of Them Days, and Lurker.

Other Best Feature contenders are James Sweeneys dark comedy Twinless and The Plague, which also stars Joel Edgerton alongside Train Dreams. Edgerton is among the 10 nominees for acting, competing for his role in Train Dreams with performers such as Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs Id Kick You), Dylan OBrien (Twinless), Keke Palmer (One of Them Days), Tessa Thompson (Hedda), and Ben Whishaw, who is additionally nominated for the Netflix series Black Doves. The awards have adopted gender-neutral acting categories since 2022.

Supporting performance nominees include Naomi Ackie (Sorry, Baby), Zoey Deutch (Nouvelle Vague), Kirsten Dunst (Roofman), Nina Hoss (Hedda), Jane Levy (A Little Prayer), Archie Madekwe (Lurker), Kali Reis (Rebuilding), Jacob Tremblay (Sovereign), and Haipeng Xu (Blue Sun Palace).

The Robert Altman Award, honoring a films director, ensemble cast, and casting team, was given to the Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, featuring Mark Hamill, Cooper Hoffman, and David Jonsson.

International film nominees include Sirt, The Secret Agent, and On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. Documentary contenders are Come See Me in the Good Light, My Undesirable Friends: Part I Last Air in Moscow, The Perfect Neighbor, The Tale of Silyan, and Endless Cookie.

Television programs are also recognized, with Adolescence, Forever, and Mr Loverman leading the nominations with four each. The nominees represent 18 countries, with 41% identifying as women.

The Spirit Awards sometimes align with major Oscar contenders and winners, as seen in previous years, while other times they highlight smaller productions. Eligibility is limited to films with budgets under $30 million, excluding higher-budget projects like One Battle After Another.

This year, the 41st Spirit Awards will move from their usual Santa Monica Pier location to the Hollywood Palladium. The ceremony, supporting Film Independents ongoing programs, is scheduled for February 15, nearly a month ahead of the Oscars.

Author: Grace Ellison