After Lurker won the best first screenplay award at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday, writer and director Alex Russell took a moment to thank the people who take risks on indie film and likened that vulnerability to a scene in the 2007 animated film Ratatouille.
“There’s this part of Ratatouille near the end where we go into the food critics POV, and he’s talking about how most of the time he’s like, hating on everything, but where he feels the most valuable is when there’s a new voice and he has to take a risk,” Russell said on stage. “In the case of first features, so many people had to be that food critic in Ratatouille and say, ‘Okay, maybe let’s give this kid a chance, even if it makes us look stupid.’ And that can mean anything from putting up financing to just, like, forwarding an email, but it can amaze you how much no one cares at the beginning, and then it’s so much more meaningful when someone does.”
He added: “When you’re trying to make your first movie, you’re kind of like, why isn’t everyone giving me one to $3 million right now, even though I’m a random nobody with no experience. And then you get into it, and you’re like, wow, you guys really are letting me do this. So I want to thank everyone who was willing to look stupid and put even just a sliver of themselves on the line to legitimize all these new filmmakers here tonight, who, without you, would still be aspiring to make their first movie.”
Ratatouille followed a young rat named Remy who dreams of becoming a chef at Auguste Gusteau’s restaurant in Paris, France. It won the best animated feature Academy Award and received widespread acclaim.
Lurker was nominated in the category alongside Andrew DeYoung for Friendship, Elena Oxman for Outerlands, Syreeta Singleton for One of Them Days and Constance Tsang for Blue Sun Palace. The psychological thriller film, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, was nominated in the best first feature, best lead performance (Theodore Pellerin) and best supporting performance (Archie Madekwe).
For a full list of Spirit Award winners, click here. You can also check out red carpet arrivals here.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
#Lurker #Wins #Screenplay
