Director Sam Mendes admits that awards will be moved to gender-neutral ... trends now
Sam Mendes has said he believes it's 'inevitable' that awards will move to gender-neutral categories in the future.
The film director and screenwriter, 57, admitted that he thinks it's 'perfectly reasonable' to scrap the separate male and female categories when it comes to giving out honours.
In pursuit of making the film industry more inclusive, he told the BBC: 'I have total sympathy with it, yeah, and I think it might well be inevitable in the end.'
The future: Sam Mendes has said he believes it's 'inevitable' that awards will move to gender-neutral categories
The 'Empire of Light' director - who won an Oscar in 2000 for 'American Beauty' and a BAFTA for '1917' in 2020 - insisted awards shows are mainly about 'selling' movies and entertaining viewers with a TV show.
He added: 'For me, people forget with awards, I think this happens all the time, they use it as a bellwether for the industry but the truth is awards are a TV show.
'You know, awards are there to promote films. If that film wins an award, I'm more likely to go and see it and that's what you're doing there.'
'It's not about yourself, it's not about the art or craft of the industry, especially, it's about selling films.'
Admissions: The film director admitted that he thinks it's 'perfectly reasonable' to scrap the separate male and female categories when it comes to giving out honours
But Sam insisted he wasn't dismissing the accolades he has received in the past.
He continued: 'I'm not dismissing the importance of them but I'm saying they were there to promote films and the craft and art of films. They're the shop window but they're not the thing itself.'
The debate surrounding gender neutral categories was sparked after Emma Corrin - who identifies as non-binary and used gender-neutral pronouns - previously called for gender to be abolished at awards ceremonies.
The Crown star said: 'I hope for a future in which that happens. I don't think the categories are inclusive enough at the moment.
Inclusive: In pursuit of making the film industry more inclusive, he told the BBC: 'I have total sympathy with it, yeah, and I think it might well be inevitable in the end'
'It's difficult for me at the moment trying to justify in my head being non-binary and being nominated in female
