The Independent Spirit Awards are positioned as a casual alternative to the Academy Awards, often featuring the same nominees and winners.
The organization announced Tuesday that it is joining the ranks of the Grammys, Gotham Awards, British Independent Film Awards and MTV Movie & TV Awards in eliminating gendered acting categories. In addition, it is introducing a new category honoring breakthrough performances.
Budgets
The Independent Spirit Awards, which have been around since 1984, celebrate the best in independent cinema. This year, they announced a new way of awarding films that don’t get recognized at other awards shows.
To qualify for the awards, a film must have a budget of under $30 million and have been exhibited commercially or at one of seven qualifying festivals. These include Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, New Directors/New Films, Telluride, and the Toronto International Film Festival.
Filmmakers need to make realistic, down-to-earth numbers that reflect standard crew wages, fringes, location fees, and equipment rentals. The goal is to show investors that a film is made within an economy of means.
Nominations
In the midst of all the glitz and glamor that comes with a weekend of awards shows in Los Angeles, the Independent Spirit Awards always end up looking like a casual alternative. And it’s easy to see why: the nominating committees that choose the films that make the cut are small, adventurous and wildly diverse.
But this year, the organization made some internal changes that seemed to set it apart from other awards shows. Among them was the decision to shift gender-neutral acting categories across film and TV, ditching previously used male and female classifications.
In addition, the budget cap for eligible films has been increased to $30 million, which potentially opens up more projects than ever before. And the John Cassavetes Award has been doubled from $500,000 to $1 million. This is all part of the organization’s push to reimagine the Spirit Awards in new ways.
Audience Votes
How the Independent Spirit Awards differ from other awards shows like the oscars talk specifically about 3.
The Independent Spirit Awards, which take place on the day before the Oscars in a Santa Monica tent, are meant to be an alternative to the big show. They’re put on by Film Independent, a nonprofit that ups the profile of indie film and helps educate and mentor new filmmakers.
But the Spirit Awards are also one of the few awards shows that still allow audience votes to determine the winners. Welsh says this process is different from the oscars, which have a small committee of people who select nominees.
The Spirits also include gender-neutral acting categories for films and tv, which is an issue that’s slowly getting more attention all around Hollywood. Other awards shows that are taking this approach include the Grammys, the Brit Awards and the MTV Movie and TV Awards. This is a good thing for women in the entertainment industry.
Final Decisions
The Independent Spirit Awards, a Santa Monica tent ceremony held the afternoon before the Academy Awards, is often positioned as a casual alternative to the more formal, glamorous Oscars. It’s also a unique and important awards show.
In addition to the nominating committee, Film Independent’s almost 7,000 members, who include producers, directors, actors and writers, vote for Spirit Award winners. They’re not a small group, but they represent a significant percentage of the audience that watches indie films.
They have the final say on a large range of criteria including originality of subject matter; uniqueness of vision; economy of means; and percentage of independent financing. That means that a movie may have been a hit at a film festival or in commercial theaters, but it might not be eligible for Spirit Award consideration because its budget was too high.
This year, the awards show took an unusual and daring approach to tackling the gender imbalance in acting. It’s the latest in a series of organizations that have decided to abolish gender distinctions for their acting categories, including the Grammys, MTV, Gotham and the British Independent Film Awards.
