Film Independent Spirit Awards President Talks Category Changes, Streaming Ceremony, and Oscar Impact
variety.comGregg Goldstein When film and TV talents collide on the Santa Monica beach at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, anything can happen.
Just ask “American Fiction” nominee Jeffrey Wright. “The year I was nominated for ‘Basquiat,’ our producer Jon Kilik said, ‘Hey, do you want to meet Muhammad Ali?’” recalls Wright, up for the debut performance trophy at the 1997 ceremony, while the boxing champ was there with his doc “When We Were Kings.” “I pretty much skipped over a series of tables to say hello to him.
Ali was an absolute personal hero and meeting him blew my mind. That was the beginning of a really gratifying relationship, because I ended up [playing photographer Howard Bingham] in the movie ‘Ali.’” Wright, who had already won a Tony Award at that point, went on to more acclaim and glory in film and TV roles, this year receiving his first Oscar nomination for his performance in “American Fiction.” The annual event, first conceived as the FINDIE (Friends of Independents) awards 40 years ago, has toasted many other notables early in their career, including Christopher Nolan, Spike Lee, Lena Dunham and Paul Dano.
And the ceremony continues to evolve: Organizers switched to gender-neutral acting awards last year, with Michelle Yeoh emerging victorious in the lead category for her work in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” There are now awards for breakthrough performance and ensemble cast in a new scripted series to match the org’s existing film prizes. “So now we have just as many opportunities for actors to win Spirit Awards as they did before we went gender neutral,” says Film Independent president Josh Welsh, easing concerns over a side effect of the more inclusive categories.
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