On Tuesday evening, June 17th, I had the pleasure of attending The 2015 Women In Film (WIF) Crystal + Lucy Awards at the Hyatt Regency Century City. The event was well worth the hefty ticket price, as it brings together some of Hollywood’s most important female power players to honor and celebrate achievements of women in film and television. Inspirational, hysterical, and empowering, WIF gathered a top notch group with the likes of Nicole Kidman, Jill Soloway, and Ava DuVernay to be honored. Not only were the honorees a notable crowd, but also each table was occupied by an array of women in the industry. From female studio executives to agents, all gathered to toast the remarkable work of this year’s honorees.
“There is a lot of power in this room. So much power that we will all be on the same menstruation cycle tomorrow morning.” – Sandra Bullock (presenter of the 2015 Tiffany & Co./Bruce Paltrow Mentorship Award)
Helmed and hosted by the tour-de-force, Maria Bello, the honorees were introduced and presented their awards by dear friends and colleagues. Each presenter and honoree’s speech was laced with acerbic wit and a maternal grace, that offered bits of hard-earned wisdom through a lifetime of navigating the tempestuous waters of Hollywood, and boundless gratitude for not only the award, but for the women who helped her get to where she is today. It was as if there weren’t enough compliments to be shared with one another.
“Well, there’s no point in my having a memorial service now, because it isn’t going get better than this!” – Toni Howard (recipient of The Sue Mengers Award)
The sheer brilliance and radiance of these ladies was palpable. Laura Linney, speaking with an imperative fervor about longtime friend and agent, Toni Howard, Sandra Bullock throwing the audience into hysterical laughter followed by immediate reverence as she introduced Warner Brothers magnate, Sue Kroll, and Judith Light filling the room with her grace and charm and she introduced this year’s Lucy Award winner, Jill Soloway, for Excellence in Television, all had me near paralyzed with the grand enormity of the evening and accomplishments.
Phylicia Rashad presented the BMW Dorothy Arzner Directing Award to acclaimed director, Ava DuVernay, who in turn shared her admiration of Dorothy Arzner and those creatives who have come before us. Nicole Kidman closed the night asking that we not make ourselves less, as she was presented with the Crystal Award for Excellence in Film by longtime Aussie friend, Naomi Watts.
“Let’s stand tall and never, ever apologize for it. The giants who have preceded me on this stage [previous honorees include Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett]have shown us the way. Let’s follow.” – Nicole Kidman.
I highly recommend that you take some time to become a member of Women In Film and plan on seeing me next year at the 2016 Crystal + Lucy Awards. As this truly was, a night to remember.