Lily Gladstone announced as honorary chair for Film Independent Spirit Awards

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organisation dedicated to fostering independence and inclusivity in visual storytelling, announced this morning that Lily Gladstone will serve as the honorary chair at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The honorary chair position is given each year to an individual who exemplifies outstanding artistic achievement and embodies Film Independent’s mission. In addition to serving in this role, Gladstone is also nominated for a Spirit Award as a writer on the film The Unknown Country.

“We’re thrilled to have Lily Gladstone joining us this year as our honorary chair,” said Josh Welsh, president of Film Independent. “As a fiercely talented performer across many mediums, not to mention a multiple time Spirit Award nominee, we couldn’t think of a better person to lead the upcoming celebration of independent artists.”

A renowned actress and activist, who is from the Blackfeet and Nez Perce Tribal Nations, Lily Gladstone has appeared in such films as Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women and First Cow and television shows including Billions and Reservation Dogs. She recently starred in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, for which she was named Best Actress of 2023 by the New York Film Critics Circle. Additionally, she was previously recognized at the 2017 Spirit Awards, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Female Performance for Certain Women, and is nominated again this year for the John Cassavetes Award as a writer of The Unknown Country. A longtime supporter of independent cinema, Lily Gladstone has also appeared to great acclaim in films such as Fancy Dance and Quantum Cowboys. 

Past Honorary Chairs include Ava DuVernay, Chloé Zhao, Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee, Siân Heder, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Jodie Foster, Javier Bardem, Kerry Washington, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Robert Duvall, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards, hosted by Saturday Night Live alum Aidy Bryant, will take place on Sunday, February 25, 2024. The in-person show, held at the beach in Santa Monica, will be streamed live on the IMDb and Film Independent YouTube channels, and across other social platforms. The Spirit Awards are the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round slate of programs, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and celebrate creative independence, diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision in independent film and television.