On Thursday night, WIF (formerly known as Women in Film) kicked off their annual gala to raise funds for education, career development and advocacy programs. Among the night’s honorees were Mara Brock Akil and Regina King, who brought Judy Blume’s novel, Forever, to the small screen, and Tessa Thompson, whose latest film, Hedda, is the first project produced by her company, Viva Maude.
The theme of the night was unity, so it was only fitting that Queen Latifah’s U.N.I.T.Y. wafted through the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom as the lights dimmed. After comedian Atsuko Okatsuka opened the program with heart, humor and a nod to all of the powerful women in attendance, legendary actress Jane Fonda took to the stage to present the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award to Jamie Lee Curtis.
Karen Pittmanwho stars in Forever and The Morning Showpresented the Crystal Award for Advocacy in TV to Forever’s showrunner, writer and director, Mara Brock Akil, and executive producer and director, Regina King. The creative duo, who walked on stage hand-in-hand, shared their love of Judy Blume’s work, with Akil noting, “You become a writer as a reader first and I devoured every book that she wrote.” And while Blume was not in attendance, she spoke, via video, about the impactful ways Akil and King breathed new life into her seminal novel, originally published in 1975.
King went on to praise Akil for having the tenacity to reimagine the story and shine a light on the beauty and intricacies of young Black love. “Mara saw a void and she was the vessel for [the project] to happen,” King said. “Luckily for me, the project was greenlit before she felt that I would be a good partner to come in and help establish the visual language to all that she had in her head.”
Writer, director and producer Janicza Bravo presented the Crystal Award for Advocacy in Film to the creative team behind the 1950s-set drama Hedda – including Tessa Thompson and producers Dede Gardner and Gabrielle Nadig (the film’s writer and director, Nia DaCosta, was honored in absentia). Thompson spoke of the relationship between advocacy and curiosity. “If you have the great pleasure of being in a room, I feel like one great thing to do is to look around and think who else ought to be here,” she said. “That, to me, is the only thing I understand about advocacy and how to do it.”
The WIF Max Mara Face of the Future Award was presented to actress, producer and director, Maude Apatow, by former recipient Maria Bello. And closing out the night, Kaia Gerber presented WIF’s Inaugural Icon Award to her Palm Royale co-star and comedic genius, Kristen Wiig, who declared, “I love stories about women. We’re so crazy, we’re complex, and I want to keep telling stories about women, with women.”
With a guest list that included Jurnee Smollett and Taylour Paige, as well as attorney Nina Shaw, producers Effie T. Brown and Reina King, Kathryn Busby of Starz, and activist, Dolores Huerta, to name a few, the night was one of inspiration, empowerment and hope for the future of women in front of and behind the camera…and beyond. Okatsuka said it best, “The good news is, we have each other. We are crushing. We are powerful – here’s to us!”
