Zendaya, Marlee Matlin and Jean Smart have been named Women in Film 2021 Crystal Award honorees. Formerly, the Crystal + Lucy Awards, the annual benefit supports WIF’s educational and philanthropic programs and its advocacy for gender parity for women throughout the industry.
Also honored will be “Coda” writer Sian Heder, “Hacks” actress Hannah Einbinder and producer Ashley Levinson. The WIF honors will celebrate the women who are transforming the industry for the better, with innovative reimaginings of how the workplace can be set up for women to support women with compassion, care, and a renewed commitment to equity across intersectional identities.
This year, the awards ceremony will be held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on Oct. 6, in a return to an in-person event.
The WIF Honors Committee, chaired by Esther Chang, is comprised of Jamila Hunter, Michelle Lee, Monica Levinson, Talitha Watkins, and Lauren Williams. Chang stated, “We are thrilled to honor a handful of the many women in our industry who have taken on the unparalleled challenges of our time and created transformative and lasting impact and opportunity for the better, together.”
“We are honoring these pairs of women with the Crystal Award to reflect the collective effort it takes to transform this industry into one that rewards equality and succeeds as it becomes more inclusive. Even in the most difficult of times, these women have taken steps forward towards a more ideal future,” says Kirsten Schaffer, WIF Executive Director.
The WIF Honors are supported by sponsor Max Mara for the 18th year, alongside Visionary Partners ShivHans Pictures and Lexus and Major Partners Google and STARZ. The event is designed and produced by Carleen Cappelletti of Anchor Street Collective.