Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards[2] (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984,[3] are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers.[4][5] Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the bare budgets of independent films.[6] Since 2006, winners have received a metal trophy depicting a bird with its wings spread sitting atop of a pole with the shoestrings from the previous design wrapped around the pole.
| Independent Spirit Awards | |
|---|---|
| Current: 38th Independent Spirit Awards | |
 | |
| Awarded for | Excellence in the independent film industry |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Film Independent[1] |
| First awarded | March 3, 1984; 38 years ago |
| Website | www |
In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit Awards. Now called the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the show is produced by Film Independent, a not-for-profit arts organization that used to produce the LA Film Festival. Film Independent members vote to determine the winners of the Spirit Awards.[7]
The awards show is held inside a tent in a parking lot at the beach in Santa Monica, California, usually on the day before the Academy Awards (since 1999; originally the Saturday before).[8] The show is broadcast live on the IFC network,[9] as well as Hollywood Suite in Canada and A&E Latin America.[10]
In 2020, new categories were announced for the 36th Independent Spirit Awards, which would honor the best in television productions and performances. These categories included Best New Scripted Series, Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series, Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance, and Best Ensemble Cast.[11] In 2022, it was announced that gender neutral acting categories would be implemented and that the previous gendered film categories — Male Lead, Female Lead, Male Supporting and Female Supporting — would be retired in favor of a Best Lead Performance and a Best Supporting Performance categories, which would feature 10 nominees each. Other new categories added included Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Lead and Supporting Performance in the TV section.[12]