The Indie film Spirit Awards has announced it will follow other awards shows and start honoring “acting without reference” to gender in its upcoming ceremony being held in March 2023.
In a press release from Film Independent’s Spirit Awards, the organization said it would no longer use categories like “best actor” and “best actress” to celebrate stars in TV and movies in lead and supporting roles, according to a recent statement posted on the group’s website.
“We’re thrilled to join the other festivals and award shows that are already moving to celebrate great acting without reference to gender,” Film Independent President Josh Welsh shared in the release.
“We’re also happy to welcome non-binary performers into the Spirit Awards without forcing them to choose to identify as male or female,” he added. “Additionally, it has been a long time since we substantially increased the budget limit for eligibility. This new cap allows us to continue to celebrate the same breadth of work that we have in the past.”
The Independent Spirit Awards have announced that their acting categories will no longer be gender-based. Rather than "best actor" or "best supporting actress," for example, awards will be given to "best lead performance" and "best supporting performance." https://t.co/Eq8BH0hUGm
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It also noted that the group was joining with such organizations as the Grammys, the British Independent Film Awards, and the MTV Movie & TV Awards in “no longer” having categories “defined by gender.”
Instead, the awards will be divided by “lead and supporting” categories known as “Best Lead Performance” and “Best Supporting Performance,” the release read. “Awards in the television acting categories will similarly be known as Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.”
In 2022, the Brit Awards announced it was doing away with gender classifications for awards that separated male and female talent, The Guardian noted.
The release also stated that, “in response to the rising cost of production, the organization” has “announced that the budget cap for eligible films has increased to $30 million” or less, “with the budget cap for the beloved John Cassavetes Award now $1 million,” in order for a project to be included for consideration for the upcoming ceremony recognizing 2022 indie films.