6 Best Independent Spirit Award Best Feature Winners

By Vlad Zakh · March 28, 2026

The Independent Spirit Awards champion American films made outside the studio system, and these winners are bold ones. Moonlight tracks a young Black man’s identity across three chapters, Spotlight follows journalists exposing a cover-up in the Catholic Church, and Beasts of the Southern Wild has a girl and her ailing father surviving in a Louisiana bayou. Precious, Juno and Little Miss Sunshine round out the six.

Moonlight (2016)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 98% Metacritic 99

A quiet, three-part coming-of-age story told with real restraint.

Directed by Barry Jenkins · 1h 52m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars237 wins & 315 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Hulu, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Spotlight (2015)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 97% Metacritic 93

A team of investigative journalists exposes decades of institutional cover-up within the Catholic Church.

Directed by Tom McCarthy · 2h 09m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars124 wins & 146 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A young girl and her ailing father survive together in an isolated Louisiana bayou community.

Directed by Benh Zeitlin · 1h 33m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Precious (2009)

TMDB ★ 7.3

An illiterate, abused teenager finds hope through an alternative school and a caring teacher.

Directed by Lee Daniels · 1h 50m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Juno (2007)

TMDB ★ 7.4

The indie-comedy voice that defined a specific late-2000s tone.

Directed by Jason Reitman · 1h 36m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 91% Metacritic 80

A dysfunctional family road-trips a young girl to a beauty pageant she barely wants to attend.

Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris · 1h 42m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars73 wins & 112 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Independent Spirit Award Best Feature Winners

Moonlight (2016)

Spotlight (2015)

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Precious (2009)

Juno (2007)

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

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