Ensor film awards to remain gender-neutral but voting process to change
The organisers of the Ensor film awards say their categories will continue to be gender-neutral, after there were no female winners of acting prizes at the last ceremony. However, the voting procedure will be changed to create more balance.
The Ensors have been gender-neutral since 2022, meaning there are no longer awards based on gender such as for best actor or actress but only for best leading or supporting role. At the most recent ceremony in February, there were no female winners of acting awards, so the system and voting procedure were reviewed in consultation with the Flemish actors’ guild.
The awards are the highest film honour in Flanders and are presented at the Ostend Film Festival. Nominees are decided by a jury with the winners chosen by the board of the Ensor Academy, which consists of industry professionals. In this year’s acting awards, there were an equal number of men and women in the first round, but only men were put forward for the second round.
"There are more interesting male roles, more interesting stories for men. We need to and can fix that"
“So the bottleneck is in that final round of voting,” Wim Vanseveren, chair of the non-profit that organises the awards, told a press conference on Wednesday.
From now on, only professionals from the relevant field will be able to vote in the second round. For example, only screenwriters will only be able to vote for nominees in the best screenplay category. “That should ensure a richer palette of award winners,” Vanseveren said.
Impact of stories
There is no interest in returning to the previous system, with prizes for best actor and actress, he said. “Gender-neutral awards continue to encourage the industry to think about the impact of stories on equal opportunities.”
According to Els Dottermans of the actors’ guild, this adjustment sends a clear message. “The problem was that the starting point was not the same for everyone,” she said.
“There are more interesting male roles, more interesting stories for men. We need to and can fix that. This regulation will not solve the problem immediately. But it is also a mindset change we want to bring about.”
#FlandersNewsService | Actor Eden Dambrine at the Ensors, February 2023, in Ostend © BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE
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