On Wednesday, Dec. 3, Film Independent announced the nominees for the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards, with three CalArtians recognized across major categories: filmmaker Rajee Samarasinghe (Film/Video MFA 16), animator Sean Buckelew (Film/Video MFA 14), and the late performer and creator Paul Reubens (Theater BFA 73).
Samarasinghe, director of Your Touch Makes Others Invisible, is nominated for the Truer Than Fiction Award, presented to an emerging director of nonfiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
A hybrid of documentary and fiction, Samarasinghe’s film examines the complex and suppressed history of enforced disappearances carried out by military forces during Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war. Fifteen years after the war’s end in 2009, families—primarily from the minority Tamil community—continue searching for their missing loved ones.
Common Side Effects, executive produced by Buckelew, is nominated for Best New Scripted Series. The adult animated series follows Marshall, a man who discovers a rare healing mushroom known as the Blue Angel, putting him in conflict with a pharmaceutical company and government forces intent on controlling or suppressing it.
Reubens is among the executive producers nominated for Pee-wee as Himself, recognized in the Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series category. The film explores the life and legacy of Reubens, who narrates the story in his own words. Best known for creating the iconic character Pee-wee Herman, Reubens passed away in 2023.
See the full list of 2026 nominees at Film Independent. The 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards will take place Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium.
