Film Independent’s Acting President Brenda Robinson gave a moving tribute to recently departed Film Independent President Josh Welsh at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday.
Welsh’s love of cinema led him to begin volunteering at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 1996. His input at Film Independent would only grow for the next 28 years, rising through the ranks before becoming president of the nonprofit in 2012. With Welsh at its helm, Film Independent expanded its programming, increased its budget, and hired more staff. During his 12 years as President, membership more than doubled.
The Spirit Awards Ceremony is Film Independent’s largest annual fundraising gala, supporting its year-round efforts to champion and support diverse, inclusive, and innovative voices in visual storytelling. Head over to Film Independent’s YouTube channel to catch highlights from this year’s 40th Anniversary show.
“Our broader community has weathered many challenges over these past few weeks, and each time we felt knocked down, we got right back up because we know in our hearts that the ground is no place for a champion.
We are a community of driven people, inspired creatives, and thought leaders who have shown our resilience over these past several weeks. The momentum we feel now as we charge forward into our own bright future can never be slowed down.
Today is a day of celebration—not just of artistry, but of legacy. We are honoring excellence in storytelling and, in the case of our beloved Josh Welsh, excellence in a life well-lived.
Josh is a visionary of the type that comes along once in a lifetime. We want his work and impact to continue because he is a great leader. He is a person of exceptional character. I speak about him very deliberately in the present tense because he is still here.
We will feel his spirit in the programs he created and in the lives of the filmmakers he impacted—always and in all ways. Josh is only absent in body, but the spirit of who Josh is and what he means to this community is forever.
In my final conversation with Josh just days before the new year—and you all stole the punchline, by the way—we were planning our remarks for the nominees’ brunch. I told him that I was excited to start a new season and that I wanted him to be recognized for the example he had set, for what it means to go on a journey and to come out on the other side.
Even though he began to hear it then, it’s not too late for us to still feel that energy now. So thank you for your acknowledgment of him. We want to honor him. We want to honor our commitment to keep him ever-present in our work.
So thank you for standing with me. One more time, I want to invite you to join me again in a standing ovation for the magnificent Josh Welsh. There can never be too much praise for someone as magnificent as him.
Thank you.”
Robinson then introduced a montage celebrating 40 years of Film Independent, noting Welsh’s indelible imprint on the organization.
