The Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony last night were fully-charged with activism. Sexual harassment, women’s rights and gender parity were all once again at the forefront of acceptance and presenters’ speeches at the female-led ceremony.
The last few months have marked an important milestone in Hollywood history. 2017 will always be remembered as the year people in the industry decided that time was up on sexual harassment after a surge of allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein came to light.
These allegations inspired many to come out with their own personal experiences. The power and relevance of the movement to end sexual harassment in the work place have already had important consequences.
Names such as Kevin Spacey, James Franco and Woody Allen have all been linked to cases of sexual misconduct. The careers of some of those accused could quite possibly be over. Kevin Spacey was edited out of All the money in the world just weeks before it’s release. Many actors and actresses have come out to say that they either regret working with Woody Allen or will no longer do so in the future.
Marisa Tomei, Lupita Nyong’o and Mandy Moore were among the all-female list of presenters.
American actress Kristen Bell hosted the event. In her monologues she highlighted how, now that people have come out with their stories and their support, it is important not to lose the momentum and to go about achieving gender equality in a positive way.
SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris also came out in support of the Time’s Up movement, saying in her speech: “I am incredibly inspired by the women and men who have shared their truths with such courage and such candour. Truth is power and women are stepping into their power”.
During the ceremony Brie Larson also announced that a new code of conduct would be implement on sets to ensure that sexual harassment is eliminated.
It has been an important year for women in the film industry. TV shows and a selection of films have featured women over the age of 40 as their leading characters. Nicole Kidman, who won best actress in a miniseries, took the opportunity to remind Hollywood of the importance of telling these women’s stories.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was the most successful film of the evening, taking home three of the awards: Best Actress for Frances McDormand, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Sam Rockwell and Best Ensemble. Gary Oldman took home the Best Actor award.
All three are one step closer to achieving an Oscar at the ceremony that will take place on 4 March. The Academy Awards nominations will be made public tomorrow.
You can find the whole list of SAG winners here.
> Naomi Round
