Bafta Reaches Decision Amid Ongoing Debate About Gender-Neutral Categories
The Baftas are one of the biggest nights in British cinema every yearBaftas organisers will continue to include gendered categories in its awards shows, despite calls to merge the Actor and Actress prizes in a move towards gender inclusivity.
In recent history, non-binary performers including Emma Corrin, Bella Ramsey and Emma D’Arcy have been forced to submit themselves in either the Best Actor or Best Actress category when it comes to awards shows like the Baftas.
This has been met with criticism in the past few years, with the organisation’s chief executive saying in 2023 that “subjects like genderless categories are constantly under review”.
In fact, “proactive and thoughtful consultation on this subject” has apparently been ongoing at Bafta since as far back as 2022.
However, the Daily Mail reported on Friday that new guidelines had been released by Bafta last week, once again insisting that film producers “confirm the gender/gender identity of each candidate for nomination” ahead of next year’s ceremony.
Bafta’s website also contains information about the categories and eligibility of the 2025 ceremony, including the fact that acting categories will once again be divided into awards for male and female performers.
A Bafta spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “We review our Awards categories every year and the performance categories for the 2025 Film Awards will be the same as in previous years, however our industry-wide consultation on this subject will continue for future years.”
Non-binary actor Emma Corrin has previously called for awards shows like the Baftas to be more "inclusive" of performers who are gender non-conformingBafta only divides its acting prizes by gender, with awards for directing, cinematography, fashion and production design, sound and music already being gender-neutral.
The ceremony’s musical equivalent, the Brit Awards, has had gender-neutral categories since 2023, with its newly-adapted British Artist Of The Year prize having been won by Adele, Harry Styles and Raye.
Meanwhile, since its international counterpart was made gender-neutral, it has only been won by female artists, Billie Eilish, Beyoncé and SZA.
Oscars organisers also revealed earlier this year that they were also holding discussions about the possibility of gender-neutral categories, which has been backed by A-list past nominees including Lady Gaga and Elliot Page.
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