Women in Film Celebrates 50 Years by Recognizing the Work of Jane Fonda, Yara Shahidi, America Ferrera, and Others
Note to all gala producers: If you want to get your show off to a good start, have Lily Tomlin deliver one of the first speeches. At last night’s Women in Film Honors—the 50th anniversary of the organization dedicated towards gender equity in film—the Max Mara–sponsored event paid tribute to a host of trailblazing women in Hollywood, from Jane Fonda and America Ferrera to Eva Longoria, Yara Shahidi, Celine Song, and Greta Lee.
To open, Women in Film co-founder and columnist Sue Cameron gave a speech recalling her experience writing an industry-shaking article for The Hollywood Reporter in 1973 where she called out that only 2% of TV episodes were being written by women. The story ended with a battle cry for women to take action, which they’re still doing today. As the first recipient of their award and still an active supporter of the organization today, Lily Tomlin then came on stage to recall how far Women in Film has come.
“Things have definitely gotten better in the last 50 years. Now, over 20% of female TV writers are women of color, and the total number of TV episodes written by women has gone from 2% to 50%,” she shared. “Also, this year, we have to acknowledge the Barbie movie, [which was] the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the U.S. and worldwide. And, no one can say that Barbie succeeded by sleeping her way to the top. She did not even have a vagina.”
When the laughter in the 500-person Dolby Theater died down, Tomlin brought on her friend Jane Fonda, who was there to give the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award to America Ferrera, star of the Barbie movie. “There’s great joy in being an actor… But to be an activist is something else,” said Fonda. “To act is to put on a performance, but to be an activist is to perform a service of the world.” After recognizing Ferrera’s advocacy for democracy, voting rights, women’s rights, reproductive rights, climate change, immigrant rights, and human rights, Fonda presented Ferrera with her namesake award.
“Like you, [Jane], I believe that storytelling isn t just something we do in film and books and TV and entertainment. We tell stories every day in every single room we walk into… So, when we get to make our art as women in film, we are either upholding the stories that have shaped our lives historically, or we are challenging them with new stories that compel us toward a more different and just reality. Jane, in every aspect of your work, you’ve shown us how to do this. Thank you,” said Ferrera, dressed in a stunning bubble gum pink gown.
“If we stick together, we’ll win,” followed Fonda.
For the last 20 years, Max Mara has supported the organization, and two years into the partnership, they created the Women in Film Max Mara Face of the Future Award, with previous recipients including Elizabeth Banks, Katie Holmes, Zoë Saldana, Gemma Chan, and Emily Blunt. So, it was in excellent company that Yara Shahidi found herself recognized with this year’s honor.
Shahidi was quick to acknowledge her peers in the room when she said, “Because of the work you’ve done, my most impactful times on set have been surrounded by empowered women in every department and at every executive level. I’m grateful that I got to come into the industry at a time when that was the norm… I’m thrilled to be in this room and continue the legacy.”
The 23-year-old Shahidi, a recent Harvard grad, stunned the room with her grace, presence, and effortless style, dressed in a white halterneck gown from Max Mara, who sponsored her Face of the Future Award.
“When it came time to review our shortlist for the award, we were struck by Yara’s work as an actress and loved that she works with her mom as an executive producer and the idea of cross-generational-work,” Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti, Max Mara founder Achille Maramotti’s grand-daughter and current Global Brand Ambassador, told Vogue. “On top of it, though, she’s such a strong advocate, not just politically, but she’s also so invested in education, which is something that for Max Mara is very important, as we see that as a sustainable and steady way to promote change.”
Additional support for the event came from industry leaders and trailblazers like Eva Longoria, Linda Yvette Chavez, Celine Song, Greta Lee, Janice Min, Lake Bell, Diane Warren, and Lili Reinhart, as well as men like John Hamm, who also presented, and Harry Hamlin.
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images1/14Greta Lee
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images2/14Greta Lee