The GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release is an annual award that honors films that received a
wide release for excellence in the depiction of
LGBT (
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
,
gay,
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
, and
transgender) characters and themes. It is one of several categories of the annual
GLAAD Media Awards, which are presented by
GLAAD
GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...
—an American
non-governmental media monitoring organization founded in 1985, formerly called the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation—at ceremonies in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco between March and June.
The award was given for the first time during the 2nd GLAAD Media Awards in 1991 to ''
Longtime Companion'', distributed by
The Samuel Goldwyn Company, and ''
The Handmaid's Tale
''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which h ...
'', distributed by
Cinecom
Cinecom Pictures was an independent film company founded in 1982 by Ira Deutchman (a former member of United Artists Classics), Amir Malin and John Ives. Its first release was Robert Altman's '' Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy D ...
. There were only two more instances in which two films shared the award: ''
Frankie and Johnny'' and ''
Fried Green Tomatoes
''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel ''Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, Jessic ...
'' in 1992, and ''
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' and ''
Go Fish
Go Fish or Fish is a card game usually played by two to five players,
'' in 1995. While no film was recognized in 1993, the award has been present at every ceremony since 1994. At the 7th GLAAD Media Awards, a clear distinction was made between films that received a wide release versus a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
, with this award being titled as Outstanding Studio Film, before being retitled to its current name the following year.
For a film to be eligible, it must be released by a recognized
film distribution company
A film distributor is responsible for the marketing of a film. The distribution company may be the same with, or different from, the production company. Distribution deals are an important part of financing a film.
The distributor may set the re ...
and play for paid admission in
Los Angeles for seven consecutive days.
Wide release is defined by a combination of criteria such as the numbers of screens,
budget, and visibility.
The award may be accepted by any of the film's producers, directors, writers, or actors.
Wide-released films selected by GLAAD are evaluated based on four criteria: "Fair, Accurate, and Inclusive Representations" of the LGBT community, "Boldness and Originality" of the project, significant "Impact" on mainstream culture, and "Overall Quality" of the project.
GLAAD monitors mainstream media to identify which films will be nominated, while also issuing a Call for Entries that encourages media outlets to submit films for consideration. By contrast, in order for films created by and for LGBT audiences to be considered for nomination, they must be submitted after the Call for Entries.
Winners are determined by a
plurality vote by GLAAD staff and its board, Shareholders Circle members, volunteers and affiliated individuals.
Since its inception, the award has been given to 34 films. At the
33rd GLAAD Media Awards
The 33rd GLAAD Media Awards is a 2022 annual presentation of the GLAAD Media Awards, presented by GLAAD honoring the 2021 media season. It was held on April 2, 2022 in Los Angeles and was later held on May 6, 2022 in New York City. The awards ho ...
in 2022, the award was given to ''
Eternals'', distributed by
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Winners and nominees
Initially, GLAAD only announced the winners during press releases, with the awards being given during the ceremonies. For the 7th GLAAD Media Awards in 1996, GLAAD made the list of nominees in this category publicly available, announcing the winner at a latter date.
Since then, the nominees in all categories have been made public.
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film - Wide Release
Film Wide
Awards for best film
LGBT film awards