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24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009)
Independent Spirit Awards logo

Spirit Awards 2009 Winners & Nominees

The 24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009) took place on February 21, 2009. The Wrestler won Best Feature and 2 more awards. Every winner and nominee in all 12 categories is below.

All 12 categories Most wins
categories
12
nominations
60
films nominated
30
winners
12
Held on
Best Feature
The Wrestler
Headline winners

Spirit Awards 2009: The Winners

The Wrestler won Best Feature against 4 other nominees. Mickey Rourke (Best Male Lead), Melissa Leo (Best Female Lead) and James Franco (Best Supporting Male) took the main individual prizes.

The Wrestler (2008) movie poster Best Feature

Best Feature

The Wrestler

2008 · Drama, Sport · $44.7M worldwide

3 wins from 3 nominations at the 24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009)

  • Best Male Lead
  • Best Cinematography

A washed-up professional wrestler grapples with fading glory and regrets as he seeks redemption later in life. Haunted by past mistakes and the loss of his family, he struggles to reconcile his tough, villainous stage persona with a desire for genuine connection and a chance to reclaim his identity. He confronts the physical toll of his career and searches for meaning beyond the roar of the crowds.

About The Wrestler
Scoreboard

Spirit Awards 2009: Which Films Won the Most

The Wrestler won 3 awards from 3 nominations. 9 films won at least once, while Rachel Getting Married went home empty-handed from 6 nominations. Green is wins, blue is nominations.

  1. The Wrestler (2008) movie poster
    The Wrestler 3 / 3
    2008 · Drama, Sport · 3 wins from 3 nominations
  2. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) movie poster
    Vicky Cristina Barcelona 2 / 3
    2008 · Drama, Romance · 2 wins from 3 nominations
  3. Frozen River (2008) movie poster
    Frozen River 1 / 6
    2008 · Drama, Crime · 1 win from 6 nominations
  4. Ballast (2008) movie poster
    Ballast 1 / 6
    2008 · Drama · 1 win from 6 nominations
  5. Milk (2008) movie poster
    Milk 1 / 4
    2008 · Biography, Drama · 1 win from 4 nominations
  6. The Visitor (2008) movie poster
    The Visitor 1 / 3
    2008 · Drama, Romance · 1 win from 3 nominations
  7. Synecdoche, New York (2008) movie poster
    Synecdoche, New York 1 / 2
    2008 · Drama, Comedy · 1 win from 2 nominations
  8. Man on Wire (2008) movie poster
    Man on Wire 1 / 1
    2008 · Crime, Documentary · 1 win from 1 nomination
  9. The Class (2008) movie poster
    The Class 1 / 1
    2008 · Drama · 1 win from 1 nomination
  10. Rachel Getting Married (2008) movie poster
    Rachel Getting Married 0 / 6
    2008 · Drama, Romance · 0 wins from 6 nominations
Full results

All 12 Spirit Awards 2009 Categories: Winners & Nominees

12 categories and 60 nominations; Best Screenplay had the most nominees (6). The winner of each comes first, on a green row. Search for a film or a person, show only the winners, or jump straight to a category.

12 categories · 60 nominations

Jump to a category
By genre

The Genres Behind the Spirit Awards 2009 Winners

Drama led with 52 nominations across 23 films and won 11. A film with several genres counts for each one.

  1. Drama 11 wins · 52 nominations · 21%
  2. Romance 3 wins · 15 nominations · 20%
  3. Crime 3 wins · 11 nominations · 27%
  4. Documentary 1 win · 5 nominations · 20%
  5. Sport 3 wins · 4 nominations · 75%
  6. Biography 1 win · 4 nominations · 25%
  7. Thriller 0 wins · 4 nominations · 0%
  8. Music 1 win · 3 nominations · 33%
  9. Comedy 1 win · 3 nominations · 33%
  10. Action 0 wins · 2 nominations · 0%
2009 season

How the Rest of the 2009 Awards Season Voted

The other 11 ceremonies of 2009, with the winner of each top prize. Slumdog Millionaire won the most of them: 6.

All 2009 awards
Earlier years

Previous Spirit Awards Ceremonies

The 6 ceremonies before this one, with the winner of each top prize. The Spirit Awards page has every year back to 1986.

Every Spirit Awards ceremony

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FAQ

Spirit Awards 2009: Questions & Answers

The top prize, the film that won the most, the most-nominated film, the individual winners and the date of the 24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009), answered from the results on this page.

Who won Best Feature at the 24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009)?

The Wrestler (2008) won Best Feature. The other nominees were Ballast, Frozen River, Rachel Getting Married and Wendy and Lucy.

About The Wrestler

Which film won the most awards at the 24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009)?

The Wrestler (2008) won the most: 3 awards from 3 nominations. Vicky Cristina Barcelona was next with 2 wins.

Which film had the most nominations at the 24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009)?

Frozen River (2008), Ballast (2008) and Rachel Getting Married (2008) led with 6 nominations each.

Who won the acting awards at the 24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009)?

Best Male Lead: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler. Best Female Lead: Melissa Leo for Frozen River. Best Supporting Male: James Franco for Milk. Best Supporting Female: Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

When was the 24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009)?

The 24th Film Independent Spirit Awards (2009) took place on February 21, 2009. The database has 12 categories and 60 nominations for it.