Independent Spirit Awards Moves Up Two Days, Pivots to Primetime Event
The Film Independent Spirit Awards has announced it is moving its ceremony up by two days and will now take place on Thursday, April 22.
Traditionally, the event is held during the day on the Saturday before the Oscars, and it is typically hosted from Santa Monica beach. However, this year the ceremony will break with tradition and pivot to a primetime event.
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The Spirit Awards winners will be announced during a televised event airing on IFC at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.
“The Spirit Awards are a time for us to come together — filmmakers and film lovers alike — and celebrate the movies, shows and performances that have sustained us through these incredibly challenging times,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “While 2020 left a lot to be desired, it was an amazing year for film and TV. Visual storytellers with powerful and unique voices brought us so much joy and light during these difficult months. We’re thrilled to share our nominations with the world, and I encourage everyone to join Film Independent and vote on the winners.”
Blake Callaway, executive director of IFC and SundanceTV said, “IFC is proud to continue its partnership with Film Independent by bringing the Spirit Awards and the films it champions to audiences across the country. The celebration of independent voices is more important today than ever before, and while we’ll miss the beach in Santa Monica, we still plan on making the Spirit Awards the most fun stop on the awards circuit.”
Laverne Cox, Olivia Wilde and Barry Jenkins will announce the nominees for the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards during a video announcement premiering Tuesday, January 26, at 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT on Film Independent’s website and YouTube channel.
The nominations will also include the addition of several new television categories, as announced back in September 2020. Film Independent will also continue to honor emerging filmmakers with the Truer Than Fiction Award, Producers Award and the Someone to Watch Award.
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