Venice Film Festival praised by Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton for gender-neutral prizes

Venice Film Festival has been praised by Hollywood icons Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton for its decision to award gender-neutral prizes, with Swinton foreseeing other award functions following suit. According to the reports, the Berlin International Film Festival organisers had announced last month that they would stop awarding separate acting prizes to men and women from next year. 

READ: Female Directors Close To Parity At Venice Film Festival

Gender-neutral prizes

As per reports, the Silver Bear prizes for the best actor and actress will be now be replaced by the best leading performance and best supporting performance awards. Tilda Swinton, who received a Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival’s opening ceremony, said gender divisions were a “waste of life.”

READ: Venice Film Festival Attendees To Wear Facemasks, Maintain Social Distancing

Tilda Swinton said, "And so I’m really happy to hear that about Berlin". "And I think it’s pretty much inevitable that everybody will follow, because it’s just obvious to me”, she told reporters on Thursday. 

Cate Blanchett, who is the Venice Film Festival Jury President for this year, said that she calls herself “actor” and added that it is difficult enough “to sit in judgment of other people’s work” and added that it becomes even more difficult to break it down further along gender lines. 

Cate Blanchett said, "I’m of a generation where the word ‘actress’ was used always in a pejorative sense. So I think I claim the other space". "I think good performances are good performances, no matter the sexual orientation of the performers who are making them", she further added. 

Marking the first major in-person event amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the 77th Venice Film Festival announced precautionary measures that have to be followed by its participants including them wearing facemasks during screenings. The attendees outside of Europe will also have to take a COVID-19 test. The guidelines for the Venice Film Festival, that is scheduled to take place from September 2 to September 12, were published on Thursday, August 18. 

The fans and general public will not be allowed on the premises during the red carpet of the festival and the attendees will have to buy tickets and reserve seats online well in advance.

(With AP Inputs)

READ: Venice Film Festival Forges Ahead With Reduced Lineup

READ: Canals, Carpets And Kisses: Fun Moments From Venice Festival

With AP inputs