Since last year, the awards for actors at the Berlinale have no longer been given by gender. As one of the first major film festivals, Berlin set an example for a more gender-equitable awareness. Now he pulls Federal Acting Association (BFFS) and realigns the German Acting Prize, which he awards every year in Berlin. Here too, in the future, the awards will no longer differentiate between men and women in order to include non-binary people. “Actors are diverse, live from diversity and should not be excluded from the possibility of being nominated because of their gender,” said a press release from the association on Tuesday.
“We honor colleagues who inspire us.”
Nevertheless, neither gender will have to fear having fewer chances of being nominated, said actor Hans-Werner Meyer, member of the BFFS board, in an interview with the SZ. This is exactly what the Berlinale was accused of, because two-thirds of the roles in the film industry are written for men. Meanwhile, the BFFS intends to expand the circle of nominees and award winners in the future. Moreover, Meyer attaches great importance to the fact that the German Acting Award is genuinely an “inspirational award”, not a best ranking: “We honor colleagues who inspire us.”
In the future there will be 30 nominees in eight categories. Some award categories will be renamed. “The terms ‘major’ and ‘minor’ in connection with our roles have much less meaning for us than the distinction between ‘dramatic’ and ‘comedic’ roles,” explains Meyer. Two new award categories will also be introduced: the “Duo” category to honor the interaction between two film partners, and the “Actor/actress in an episodic role” category, which can also be used to celebrate series appearances. Because that’s exactly what the German Acting Award is about as an industry prize: to celebrate actors – regardless of gender and regardless of small or large roles.