Spirit Awards move to gender-neutral acting categories, adds new ones, raises budget eligibility for film

Film Independent announced today a move to gender-neutral acting categories for the 2023 Spirit Awards. The acting categories encompass both film and television. In response to the rising cost of production, the organization also announced that the budget cap for eligible films has increased to $30 million, with the budget cap for the beloved John Cassavetes Award now $1 million. Rather than their traditional day before the Oscars ceremony, the Spirit Awards will be held on March 4, 2023, a week prior to the 95th Academy Awards.

“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,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “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.”

Honoring a long-standing commitment to inclusivity and representation, Film Independent is the most recent organization to implement non-gendered awards. Other awards to embrace non-gendered categories include The Grammys, The Gotham Awards, The British Independent Film Awards, and the MTV Movie & TV Awards. No longer defined by gender, awards in the lead and supporting film acting categories will instead be known as Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance. Awards in the television acting categories will similarly be known as Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.

Other category updates include new awards for Best Breakthrough Performance (film) and Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series (television). All performance categories, excluding Breakthrough Performance, will feature up to ten nominees. The modified performance categories are as follows:

SPIRIT AWARDS PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES – FILM

• Best Lead Performance (10 nominees)
• Best Supporting Performance (10 nominees)
• Best Breakthrough Performance (5 nominees) *new award

SPIRIT AWARDS PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES – TELEVISION

• Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series (10 nominees)
• Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series (10 nominees) *new award

Film Independent has also increased the budget cap for eligible films to $30 million to account for the rising cost of production. Over the years, the budget cap has increased incrementally from $20 million in 2006 to $22.5 million in 2019. The budget cap for The John Cassavetes Award, presented to a film’s writer, director and producer, also increased from $500K to $1 million.

In response to the continuing effects of COVID on filmmakers and the industry, Film Independent is once again waiving the theatrical run typically required for eligibility, ensuring more opportunities for independent filmmakers to be recognized and celebrated.

The Spirit Awards is the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, which help cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and promote inclusion in the industry. Film nominations for the 2023 Spirit Awards will be announced virtually on November 22, 2022. Television nominations will be announced on December 13, 2022. The ceremony will take place on March 4, 2023.

SPIRIT AWARDS SUBMISSIONS DEADLINES – FILM

• Early Deadline is September 6
• Regular Deadline is September 20
• Final Deadline is October 4
• Extended Deadline for Arts Circle and Filmmaker Pro Members is October 7

SPIRIT AWARDS SUBMISSIONS DEADLINES – TELEVISION

• Regular Deadline is September 20
• Final Deadline is October 4
• Extended Deadline for Arts Circle and Filmmaker Pro Members is October 7

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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