The Independent Spirit Awards were the latest Hollywood voting body to adopt a gender-based award, announcing on August 23 that the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards would be retired for good.
Instead, the ceremony, set for March 4, 2023, will only feature the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards, presented to 10 diverse genre nominees based on film and screenplay.
A new category honoring “discovery in cinema” has been added to complement the two removed categories, with a total of seven acting awards up for grabs, up from the previous eight.
The move follows the previous Grammys (which were gender neutral in 2012) and the Gotham Awards, which made a similar move in 2021.
“It’s something we’ve talked about for a long time,” says Josh Wells, president of Film Independent, which organizes the Independent Spirit Awards. “Over the last few years, it has emerged as something that we need to consider, both at the team and board level.”
According to Wells, the reasons for the decision are twofold. First, Film Independent believes that acting is no different from other disciplines that contribute to filmmaking. “For nearly 40 years at The Spirit Awards,” he says, “we’ve been good at recognizing writers, directors, producers, cinematographers and editors without any reference to their genre. … Why don’t we judge actors based on their craft, like all the other award categories we give? It seems to reflect the cultural moment in which we find ourselves. “
Second, the new categories provide a more inclusive space for gender-nonconforming candidates. “The Arab population really has no place at an award show,” says Walsh. “You will be asked to choose whether you want to be male or female. The Spirit Awards is a welcoming and inclusive ceremony. It’s about freedom of expression. And if people can’t freely express who they are, and we ask them to come to the show and identify themselves in a way they don’t like, that’s clearly wrong.”
Walsh admits that there was internal concern about removing the female categories, a move that can be seen as contrary to the post-MeToo and Time’s Up Hollywood scene.
“It was certainly discussed,” he says. “And there are very legitimate concerns that Hollywood is clearly not a level playing field when it comes to women in the industry. … But I don’t think the way to solve this problem is to stick with outdated award categories. I don’t think that’s the solution.”
For Kirsten Schaefer, executive director of Women in Film, a group that has “advocated and promoted the careers of women in the film industry” since 1973, the trend toward gender awards is a welcome one.
“Women in film, especially in recent years, has been a boom for women and gender non-conforming people in the industry. That’s definitely the way to do it,” says Shaffer.
“All actors who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming now have a chance.
“I applaud them for trying something new,” he continues. “Sometimes I think what’s going to level the playing field for women is changing gender dynamics.” So if we were all heading in the direction of gender nonconformity or nonbinarism, maybe we wouldn’t have this problem.”
Like the Gotham Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards are chosen by a committee, which means that the winners are selected internally and can be adjusted to avoid, for example, an unequal number of male winners in any given year.
Shaffer says he will watch the results closely to see how the rule change plays out. “It’s important to ask questions and talk, and I think it’s important to keep an eye on that too,” he says. “If this ends up hurting women, I hope they act together.”
As for the Oscars, which are voted on by a 10,000-member body, in the latest media brawl, the Academy’s new chief executive Bill Cramer said the organization is “doing its due diligence” on gender neutrality: “But there are no plans at the moment.” it works.”
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
