| Independent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Performance | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Independent Spirit Awards |
| First award | Sean Nelson Fresh (1995) |
| Currently held by | Maisy Stella My Old Ass (2024) |
| Website | filmindependent.org |
TheIndependent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Performance is an award presented annually at theIndependent Spirit Awards to honor outstanding performances given by a new talent in anindependent film. It was first presented in 1995 at the10th Independent Spirit Awards asBest Debut Performance, which was won bySean Nelson for his performance in the filmFresh.[1]
The category was then discontinued in 2005, but it was later re-introduced asBest Breakthrough Performance at the 2023 ceremony.[2] TheBest Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series category was added ahead of the 2024 ceremony.[3]
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| Year | Winner and nominees | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 [4] | Stephanie Hsu | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Joy Wang / Jobu Tupaki |
| Frankie Corio | Aftersun | Sophie | |
| Gracija Filipović | Murina | Julija | |
| Lily McInerny | Palm Trees and Power Lines | Lea | |
| Daniel Zolghadri | Funny Pages | Robert | |
| 2023 [5] | Dominic Sessa | The Holdovers | Angus Tully |
| Marshawn Lynch | Bottoms | Mr. G | |
| Atibon Nazaire | Mountains | Xavier | |
| Tia Nomore | Earth Mama | Gia | |
| Anaita Wali Zada | Fremont | Donya | |
| 2024 [6] | Maisy Stella | My Old Ass | Elliott |
| Isaac Krasner | Big Boys | Jamie | |
| Katy O'Brian | Love Lies Bleeding | Jacqueline "Jackie" Cleaver | |
| Mason Alexander Park | National Anthem | Carrie | |
| René Pérez Joglar | In the Summers | Vicente | |
| 2025 | Liz Larsen | The Baltimorons | Didi |
| Misha Osherovich | She’s the He | Ethan | |
| Kayo Martin | The Plague | Jake | |
| SZA | One of Them Days | Alyssa | |
| Tabatha Zimiga | East of Wall | Tabatha |
| Year | Winner and nominees | Series | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 [5] | Keivonn Montreal Woodard | The Last of Us | Sam |
| Clark Backo | The Changeling | Emma "Emmy" Valentine | |
| Aria Mia Loberti | All the Light We Cannot See | Marie-Laure LeBlanc | |
| Adjani Salmon | Dreaming Whilst Black | Kwabena | |
| Kara Young | I'm a Virgo | Jones | |
| 2024 [6] | Jessica Gunning | Baby Reindeer | Martha Scott |
| Diarra Kilpatrick | Diarra from Detroit | Diarra Brickland | |
| Joe Locke | Agatha All Along | Billy Maximoff andTommy Maximoff | |
| Megan Stott | Penelope | Penelope | |
| Hoa Xuande | The Sympathizer | The Captain | |
| 2025 | Asif Ali | Deli Boys | Mir Dar |
| Wally Baram | Overcompensating | Carmen Neil | |
| Owen Cooper | Adolescence | Jamie Miller | |
| Michael Cooper Jr. | Forever | Justin Edwards | |
| Ernest Kingsley Junior | Washington Black | George Washington 'Wash' Black |