To eliminate gendered acting categories starting its upcoming 30th annual awards, the institute is thrilled to 'continue to support artistic excellence in a more inclusive and equitable way.'
- Aug 6, 2021
AceShowbiz - Gotham Awards is the latest awards show that introduces gender-neutral categories. Reflecting the shift in society and embracing diversity, the Gotham Film & Media Institute announced on Thursday, August 6 that it will eliminate gendered acting categories starting its upcoming 30th annual awards.
For this year's show onward, Gotham Awards will replace the best actor and best actress categories for independent feature films with outstanding lead performance and outstanding supporting performance. Each category will have up to 10 nominees.
"The move to introduce gender neutral lead and supporting acting awards builds on the legacy of the now 24-year-old Gotham Breakthrough Actor Award (to be renamed 'Gotham Breakthrough Performer Award' as of this year), which has been gender neutral since its inception, and has previously been awarded to performers including Amy Adams, Elliot Page (formerly known as Ellen Page), Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson and Anya Taylor-Joy," the Institute said in a statement.
Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute, added, "The Gotham Awards have a 30-year history of celebrating diverse voices in independent storytelling. We are proud to recognize outstanding acting achievements each year, and look forward to a new model of honoring performances without binary divisions of gender."
He went on crediting the talks about LGBTQ+ for this move, saying, "We are grateful to those who helped to start this conversation in recent years and we are thrilled that the Gotham Awards will continue to support artistic excellence in a more inclusive and equitable way."
Additional category updates at the Gotham Awards include two new television categories, Breakthrough Non-Fiction Series (which was previously lumped in with fiction) and Outstanding Performance in a New Series, which will also be gender neutral. The Gotham Awards will also be adding the first acting category within its Breakthrough Series categories with Outstanding Performance in a New Series. There will be up to 10 nominees in each of the three new categories including outstanding lead performance, outstanding supporting performance and outstanding performance in a new series.
The 30th annual Gotham Awards is set for Monday, November 29. The nominations, also for the existing categories such as best feature, best international feature, best screenplay and the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award for feature films, will be announced on October 21.
The nominees will be chosen by film critics, festival programmers and film curators. Separate juries made up of writers, directors, actors, producers and other film professionals will determine the final recipients, as is the Gotham's custom.
