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BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JUNE 13: Actress and The Lucy Award for Excellence in Television Honoree Tracee Ellis Ross (R) receives award presented by actress Aisha Tyler onstage at Women In Film 2017 Crystal + Lucy Awards presented By Max Mara and BMW at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on June 13, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images )
LOS ANGELES, CA- On Tuesday, June 13, Women in Film, Los Angeles (WIF) celebrated outstanding women in the entertainment industry with the 2017 Crystal + Lucy Awards presented by sponsors Max Mara and BMW. The evening, themed “Evolve,” was hosted by actress and comedian Jessica Williams and raised funds and awareness for Women in Film, LA and its many educational and philanthropic programs, and its advocacy for gender parity for women throughout the industry.
Event highlights included: The Crystal Award honoree Elizabeth Banks and Lucy Award honoree Tracee Ellis Ross each received special video messages from former First Ladies. Following Ross’ acceptance speech, she was surprised with a video message from Mrs. Obama. In the video, Mrs. Obama congratulated Ross and said, “You are brilliant, you are hilarious, and you are one of the most talented actors I know. Your character on Black-ish, Bow, is an inspiration for folks across this country.”
Before Elizabeth Banks was presented the Crystal Award by Donna Langley, she was surprised with a video message from Senator Hillary Clinton. In the video, Clinton thanked Women in Film for “more than 40 years of championing gender parity in media on and off the screen.” And shared, “I want to congratulate my dear friend Elizabeth Banks… You are not only a creative force in front of the camera and behind it – you are a passionate advocate for women’s equality and opportunity.”
Elizabeth Banks was awarded by Women In Film with the Crystal Award for Excellence in Film. She was first honored by the organization in 2009 with the WIF Max Mara Face of the Future Award.
Lupita Nyong’o presented the BMW Dorothy Arzner Directors Award to her Queen of Katwe director Mira Nair.
During Zoey Deutch’s acceptance speech for the WIF Max Mara Face of the Future Award, she thanked the women in her life including her mother Lea Thompson and sister Madelyn Deutch. Thompson recently directed her daughters Zoey and Madelyn in the film The Year of Spectacular Men, which was also written by Madelyn.
Robert Redford, who played Dan Rather in the 2015 film Truth, presented Rather with the Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award.
Women In Film premiered, Flip the Script, a new provocative digital series/social media campaign, which aims to open an irreverently fresh dialog about gender parity in Hollywood.
During WIF’s Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer’s remarks, she announced WIF has joined forces with APM Music, the leading creative music house & production music library, to launch the first ever Women In Film Library for female composers. This is part of an overall initiative to increase the number of female composers working in the industry, especially on top-grossing films (currently 1%).
The 2017 Crystal + Lucy Awards was designed and produced by Academy Award-winning producer Cathy Schulman and Tony Schubert of Event Eleven.
AWARDS: The 2017 Crystal + Lucy Award honorees are:
- ELIZABETH BANKS – The Crystal Award for Excellence in Film-Presented by DONNA LANGLEY
- TRACEE ELLIS ROSS – The Lucy Award for Excellence in Television-Presented by AISHA TYLER
- ZOEY DEUTCH – The Women In Film Max Mara Face of the Future Award–Presented by NICOLA MARAMOTTI, Max Mara Ownership and Brand Ambassador
- MIRA NAIR – The BMW Dorothy Arzner Directors Award–Presented by LUPITA NYONG’O
- DAN RATHER – The Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award–Presented by ROBERT REDFORD
- MICHAEL BARKER & TOM BERNARD – The Women In Film Beacon Award-Presented by JACKI WEAVER
Women In Film advocates for, and advances the careers of, women working in the screen industries – to achieve parity and transform culture. Founded in 1973, WIF focuses on advocacy and education, provides scholarships, grants and film finishing funds and works to preserve the legacies of all women working in the entertainment community. For more information visit www.wif.org.
