HFPA approves reform bylaws; Gotham Awards shift to gender-neutral acting categories

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association on Thursday announced reforms to its bylaws and an overhaul of its membership process in a bid to diversify its ranks and potentially restore the heavily criticised Golden Globes. The embattled 84-member press association voted 63 to 19 in favour of the new measures, including the election of a new board that will for the first time also include several non-members. The HFPA, which has long been populated by little-known international journalists who seldom publish, also voted to expand its membership. “Three months ago, we made a promise to commit to transformational change and with this vote, we kept the last and most significant promise in reimagining the HFPA and our role in the industry,” said Ali Sar, HFPA board president. “All of these promised reforms can serve as industry benchmarks and allow us to once again partner meaningfully with Hollywood moving forward.” Numerous reports about ethical lapses and a recent voting membership that included no Black members prompted an industry-wide rebuke of the Globes earlier this year. Studios and stars said they would boycott the Globes, Tom Cruise returned his three awards, prominent public relations firms said they would cut off talent from the group, and Time’s Up pressured the HFPA to profoundly change. NBC, the longtime broadcast home to the awards, said it would not air a 2022 Globes. NBC on Thursday said it was “encouraged” by the amended bylaws. “This marks a positive step forward and signals the HFPA’s willingness to do the work necessary for meaningful change,” the network said in a statement. The new bylaws go into effect immediately. A new board of directors will be elected by early September, the HFPA said. The application process for new members also went live online Thursday. The HFPA’s once opaque membership process will be more transparent, with a selection committee composed of a majority of non-members. Other changes include diversity training and a new ban on members receiving gifts from studios and others. Meanwhile, the Gotham Awards, the annual New York ceremony for independent film, is the latest film honour to shift to acting categories that aren’t defined by gender. The Gotham Film & Media Institute on Thursday said they will do away with the best actor and best actress categories and replace them with “outstanding lead performance” and “outstanding supporting performance.” While award shows like the Oscars, Emmys and Tonys have stuck with the traditional male- and female-designated categories, a growing number of other ceremonies have shifted to gender-neutral awards. The Berlin Film Festival in March handed out their first non-gendered awards . The Grammy Awards ceased separating male and female artists in 2012. “The Gotham Awards have a 30-year history of celebrating diverse voices in independent storytelling,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of the Gotham Film & Media Institute, in a statement. “We are proud to recognize outstanding acting achievements each year, and look forward to a new model of honouring performances without binary divisions of gender,” said Sharp. “We are grateful to those who helped to start this conversation in recent years and we are thrilled that the Gotham Awards will continue to support artistic excellence in a more inclusive and equitable way.” (With inputs from The Associated Press)