This Film Awards Ceremony Is Making Its Categories Gender-Neutral After 25 Years

The British International Film Awards (BIFA) is making a radical change to its format by getting rid of gender-specific award categories. It will also add new categories that highlight new directors and music talent.  

The terms “actor” and “actress” are on their way out with this revamp. BIFA is taking steps towards a more inclusive celebration of the arts by removing these pronouns and widening its pool of talent to include everyone. In doing so, it sheds a light on lesser-acknowledged genderless creatives in the industry and eliminate competition between genders.  

The award ceremony, which was founded in 1998 and will host its next edition on December 4, 2022, will now have five categories, namely ‘Best Leading Performance’, ‘Best Supporting Performance’, ‘Best Joint Lead Performance’, and ‘Best Ensemble’.  

In addition to its new reformation, BIFA’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion training will aim to tackle bullying and fair recruitment in the industry. It has the support and backing from the Film Skills Fund set up by the skills-teaching organization, ScreenSkills.  

The change follows fellow award ceremonies MTV Movie Awards, Berlin Film Festival, and the BAFTAs which have led the wave for better representation.  

This new era of inclusivity is a step in the right direction in honoring people from all walks of life and breaking down other gender-normative stereotypes that have been perpetuated in the industry for decades.

[via Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, cover image via BIFA]