The Independent Spirit Awards (originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit Awards. The Independent Spirit Awards are presented by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. In 2007, the ceremony was slightly changed to Film Independent's Spirit Awards. Since 2006, winners have received a trophy depicting a bird sitting atop of a pole with the shoestrings from the previous design wrapped around the pole.

The awards show was previously held inside a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, California, usually on the day before the Academy Awards (since 1999; originally the Saturday before). Since 1994, the show has been broadcast on the Bravo network and Independent Film Channel. The 31st Independent Spirit Awards ceremony, celebrating the films of 2015, will be held on February 26, 2016.