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The Independent Spirit Awards will recognize the role of the editor with a new Best Editing category in its annual awards, beginning this season.
Film Independent President Josh Welsh said in a statement that the organization is “very happy to be recognizing editors in the Spirit Awards this coming year. The critical importance of editing in the filmmaking process cannot be overstated, and it’s something we look forward to celebrating at the Spirit Awards.”
Hollywood editors have been asking for recognition of film editing from film festivals and awards presentations that now recognize cinematography and/or production design — among them was the Independent Spirit Awards. That effort has included a petition that is a joint effort of the American Cinema Editors and the Motion Picture Editors Guild.
The American Society of Cinematographers is the latest organization to endorse the petition. It joins The Art Directors Guild; Motion Picture Sound Editors; and Cinema Audio Society, which announced its support just last week.
The petition explains: “Given the essential role film editors play in the creative process of making a film, acknowledging them is long overdue.”
Since the effort began, editing categories have been added by The Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association, Boston Film Festival, International Animated Film Society’s Annie Awards and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror’s Saturn Awards.
The editors hope to gain categories at additional events including Tribeca Film Festival and Sundance, which do not recognize their contributions.
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