Film Independent Spirit Awards will shift to gender-neutral categories this awards season
The move follows in line with moves from The Grammys, The Gotham Awards, and more to transition to non-gender based acting categories
Independent film is already enough of a struggling art that sees both movies and performers pitted against each other—why add archaic gender categories to the competition too? The Film Independent Spirit Awards has announced it will move to gender-neutral nomination categories for next year’s awards, set to air on March 4, 2023. The move follows the decision of other large-scale awards like The Grammys, The MTV Movie & TV Awards, and The British Independent Film Awards to relinquish gendered honors as well.
“We’re thrilled to join the other festivals and award shows that are already moving to celebrate great acting without reference to gender. We’re also happy to welcome non-binary performers into the Spirit Awards without forcing them to choose to identify as male or female,” says Film Independent President Josh Welsh in a release. “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.”