Little Miss Sunshine is a TV series.
The Film Independent Spirit Awards ( abbreviated `` Spirit Awards '' and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards ) , founded in 1984 , are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers . Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama road film and the directorial debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris . The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20 , 2006 , and its distribution rights were bought by Fox Searchlight Pictures for one of the biggest deals made in the history of the festival . The film had a limited release in the United States on July 26 , 2006 , and later expanded to a wider release starting on August 18 . The film was nominated for four Academy Awards , including Best Picture , and won two : Best Original Screenplay for Michael Arndt and Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin .