WOMEN IN FILM, LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES THE 2011 CRYSTAL + LUCY AWARDS® HONOREES:
ANNETTE BENING, NINA TASSLER, KATIE HOLMES, PAMELA FRYMAN and REED MORANO
The Annual Benefit Gala will take place Thursday, June 16 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, International Ballroom
Since 1977, Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF LA) has chosen to honor some of the most creative, dynamic and forceful women in the entertainment industry, those who excel and lead by example. This year’s prestigious Crystal + Lucy Awards®, a gala fundraising dinner in support of WIF LA’s many educational and philanthropic programs, is being held on Thursday, June 16th in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Announced today by the new President of WIF LA, Cathy Schulman, the honorees are:
2011 Crystal Award for Excellence in Film – ANNETTE BENING
2011 Lucy Award for Excellence in Television – NINA TASSLER
Women In Film Max Mara “Face of the Future®” 2011 – KATIE HOLMES
2011 Dorothy Arzner Directors Award® – PAMELA FRYMAN
2011 Kodak Vision Award – REED MORANO
Iris Grossman, President Emeritus, WIF LA returns this year as Chair Awards; Jane Fleming, President Emeritus, WIF LA will co-chair. Event Eleven will produce the evening.
This year, WIF welcomes PANDORA as a new Presenting Sponsor, joining long time supporters Max Mara and Kodak.
About the Honorees
Annette Bening / Crystal AwardAnnette Bening’s recent performance in The Kids Are All Right earned her widespread critical praise and “Best Actress” honors, including a Golden Globe and New York Film Critics Circle Award and Oscar, SAG, Critics Choice and Independent Spirit nominations. Bening also received Academy Award nominations for her performances in Being Julia (for which she won a Golden Globe Award), American Beauty and The Grifters. Her diverse and much lauded film career includes Mother and Child, Running with Scissors, The Women, In Dreams, The Siege, The American President, Sir Ian McKellen’s film adaptation of Richard III, Love Affair, Bugsy, Regarding Henry, Guilty By Suspicion, Valmont and Postcards from the Edge. Her performance opposite Ben Kingsley in HBO’s Mrs. Harris earned her an Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe nomination.
Bening’s theater credits include Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard at Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum, Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads at the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, the title role in Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and The Female of the Species at Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse and Medea at UCLA. On the New York stage, she received a Tony Award nomination and the prestigious Clarence Derwent Award for most outstanding debut performance of the season for her role in Coastal Disturbances, originally at the Second Stage, then on Broadway.
Bening was honored with the “Actress of the Year” Award at the 2010 Hollywood Film Festival, the American Riviera Award at this year’s Santa Barbara Film Festival and has been honored at the Deauville, Boston, San Sebastian, Palm Springs and Chicago Film Festivals.
Born in Topeka, and raised in San Diego where she performed at the San Diego Repertory Theater, Bening graduated from San Francisco State University and was accepted by the American Conservatory Theater there for training until she joined that acting company.
Nina Tassler / Lucy Award
Nina Tassler was named President, CBS Entertainment in September of 2004. She oversees the Network’s entertainment programming for prime time, late night and daytime as well as program development for all genres, including comedy, drama, reality, specials, movies and mini-series. Under her leadership, this fall, CBS premiered the top two new dramas Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods, and the top new comedy Mike & Molly. Also under her leadership, CBS was again “America’s most watched network” in the 2009-2010 season, marking the seventh time in the past eight seasons that the Network has earned that title. Tassler reports directly to Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation.
Since taking over the entertainment division, she has introduced the critically acclaimed comedies How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory; added the successful dramas Criminal Minds, The Mentalist and last season’s top two new scripted series NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife and ushered in last season’s #1 new program, the reality series Undercover Boss. Previously as Executive VP, Drama Series Development, Tassler developed many of the highest-rated and commercially successful dramas on network television, including the CSI franchise and NCIS.
Tassler joined CBS in August of 1997 as Vice President, Drama, CBS Productions before serving as Senior Vice President, Drama Development, CBS Entertainment from 1998-2003. Prior to CBS, she headed drama development for Warner Bros. Television, playing a major role in that company’s dominance as the industry’s leading supplier of network programming, including such shows as ER, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Sisters. Tassler joined Warner Bros. (then Lorimar Television) in 1990 as Director, Movies and Mini-Series, having served as Director of Television and Motion Picture Administration for Triad Artists, Inc. She also worked at Triad as a talent agent and was responsible for managing the overall operations of the television talent department.
A recipient of the 2005 Imagen Award, Tassler serves on the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation Board is a member of the board of her alma mater Boston University and is Chairman of the Jewish Federation’s entertainment division.
Katie Holmes / Women In Film Max Mara “Face of the Future®”
An actress who has showcased her ability to play a wide spectrum of diversified roles, Katie Holmes has appeared in films ranging from the action blockbuster Batman Begins to acclaimed art house features The Ice Storm (her film debut) and Pieces of April. She will next be seen in the Guillermo Del Toro-produced thriller, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, opposite Guy Pearce, the Adam Sandler comedy, Jack and Jill and Dito Montiel’s The Son of No One, with Al Pacino, Juliette Binoche and Channing Tatum. This Spring, she portrayed Jacqueline Kennedy opposite Greg Kinnear’s JFK in Joel Surnow’s controversial miniseries The Kennedys.
In 2010 Holmes both starred in and served as Executive Producer of The Romantics, an ensemble drama from writer/director Galt Niederhoffer, with Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Malin Akerman, Jeremy Strong, Candice Bergen, Adam Brody, Elijah Wood and Dianna Agron. Her film credits include Wonder Boys, Thank you for Smoking, The Gift, Abandon, Go, Phone Booth, The Singing Detective, First Daughter, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, The Extra Man and Disturbing Behavior. She made her critically-acclaimed Broadway debut opposite John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson in the 2008 revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. Holmes starred as ‘Joey Potter’ on the WB’s highest-rated series Dawson’s Creek for its entire six-season run.
Pamela Fryman / Dorothy Arzner Directors Award®
Pamela Fryman, a four time DGA nominee, holds the answer to one of television’s most guarded secrets. As the director and executive producer of the CBS comedy, How I Met Your Mother, Fryman has intrigued audiences with an array of possibilities that will culminate when the series answers the lingering question: Who married Ted Mosby? For six seasons, Fryman has guided a talented cast that includes Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Radnor, Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders, while also executive producing the show with creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. Now in it’s sixth season, the show has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards while maintaining an unorthodox multi-camera shooting style that requires a highly demanding production schedule for the unflappable Fryman and a very close-knit team of writers and producers.
A Philadelphia native, Fryman began her career as a high school intern on The Mike Douglas Show. When given the chance to work on the show in Los Angeles, she jumped at the opportunity and worked her way into game shows, soap operas and eventually primetime sitcoms. Her directing resume includes seminal comedies of the past two decades, including Frasier, Friends, King of Queens, Just Shoot Me and Two and a Half Men.
Reed Morano / Kodak Vision Award
Reed Morano was named one of this year’s “10 Cinematographers to Watch” by Variety. Her distinguished career as a cinematographer includes narrative features, documentaries, television series, commercials and music videos. She is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and taught as an adjunct professor in the cinematography department there for two years.
Her feature film, Frozen River, was nominated in 2008 for two Academy Awards, seven Independent Spirit Awards, including “Best Picture,” and won both the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and “Best Feature” at the Gotham Awards.
Morano’s latest feature as Director of Photography, Free Samples, stars Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter, Jess Weixler and Tippi Hedren. She recently wrapped three 35mm features: the Sundance Directors Lab film, Little Birds, written and directed by Elgin James, starring Juno Temple, Kate Bosworth, Leslie Mann and Kyle Gallner, which premiered in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; For Ellen, written and directed by So Yong Kim, starring Paul Dano, Jon Heder and Jena Malone; and Yelling to the Sky, written and directed by Victoria Mahoney, starring Zoe Kravitz, Gabourey Sidibe, Tim Blake Nelson, Jason Clarke and Shareeka Epps. Yelling to the Sky had its World Premiere at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival and its U.S. Premiere at SWSX. Morano’s work can also be seen in the feature-length documentary, Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa, which won among other honors the Michael Moore Award for “Best Documentary Film” at the Ann Arbor Film Festival and a 2007 Gotham Awards nomination. She is in pre-production for several features shooting in 2011.
About Women In Film and the Awards
Women In Film is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women achieve their highest potential within the global entertainment, communication and media industries and to preserving the legacy of women within those industries. Founded in 1973, Women In Film and its Women In Film Foundation provide for members an extensive network of contacts, educational programs, scholarships, film finishing funds and grants, access to employment opportunities, mentorships and numerous practical services in support of this mission. For more information about Women In Film and programs, visit www.wif.org.
The Crystal Awards were established in 1977 to honor outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. Past recipients include: Donna Langley, Jennifer Aniston, Diane English and the cast of The Women, Renée Zellweger, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Diane Lane, Halle Berry, Laura Ziskin, Jessica Lange, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Angela Bassett, Meg Ryan, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Alfre Woodard, Polly Platt, Lauren Shuler Donner, Diane Warren, Amy Heckerling, Paula Weinstein, Martha Coolidge, Buffy Shutt and Kathy Jones, Gale Anne Hurd, Nancy Malone, Maya Angelou, Lily Tomlin, Ruby Dee, Penny Marshall, Jessica Tandy, Barbara Boyle, Nikki Rocco, Jean Firstenberg, Lee Remick, Lina Wertmuller, Bette Davis, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Sherry Lansing, Nora Ephron, Dawn Steel, Fay Kanin, Lillian Gish, Whoopi Goldberg, Glenn Close and Amy Pascal.
The Lucy Awards were founded in 1994 by Joanna Kerns, Bonny Dore and Loreen Arbus and are presented in association with the Lucille Ball Estate. They were named for Lucille Ball, who was not only a legendary actress and comedienne, but also a producer, studio owner, creator and director. They are given to recognize women and men and their creative works that exemplify the extraordinary accomplishments she embodied; whose excellence and innovation have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television. Past recipients include: Courteney Cox, Holly Hunter, Salma Hayek, Shonda Rhimes and the women of Grey’s Anatomy, Geena Davis, Debra Messing and Megan Mullally, Blythe Danner, Lily Tomlin, Rosie O’Donnell, Amy Brenneman, Tyne Daley, Phyllis Diller, Marcy Carsey, Carol Burnett, Barbara Walters, Shari Lewis, Garry Marshall, Angela Lansbury, Marlo Thomas, Gary David Goldberg, Diahann Carroll, Tracey Ullman, Fred Silverman, Imogene Coca, Camryn Manheim, Norman Lear, Bud Yorkin and the casts of Sex and the City, If These Walls Could Talk and If These Walls Could Talk 2.
The Women In Film Max Mara “Face of the Future®”Award, inaugurated at Women In Film’s 2006 Crystal + Lucy Awards®, is given to an actress who is experiencing a turning point in her career through her work in the film and television industries and through her contributions to the community at large, in recognition of her outstanding achievements and her embodiment of style and grace. Past recipients have been Zoë Saldana, Elizabeth Banks, Ginnifer Goodwin, Maria Bello and Emily Blunt.
The Dorothy Arzner Directors Award® was the first woman member of the Directors Guild of America. In her honor, this award was established to recognize the important role women directors play in the film and television industries. Past recipients include: Lisa Cholodenko, Catherine Hardwicke, Nancy Meyers, Barbra Streisand, Mimi Leder, Barbara Kopple, Gillian Armstrong, Lian Lunson, Joey Lauren Adams and Nicole Holofcener.
The Kodak Vision Award was initiated in 1996 to acknowledge the accomplishments of female cinematographers with outstanding achievements in feature films and television, who also collaborate with and assist women in the entertainment industry. Past honorees include Cynthia Pusheck, Uta Briesewitz, Maryse Alberti, Tami Reiker, Pauline Heaton, Carolyn Chen, Amy Vincent, Lisa Rinzler, Joan Churchill, Mandy Walker and Petra Korner.
About the Sponsors
PANDORA has been making its mark in the international fine jewelry industry for almost 30 years, and is world-renowned for its high-quality, hand finished design. The collections inspire women to embrace their individuality with romantic and feminine pieces that capture the unforgettable moments of life. The strength of the PANDORA charm bracelet is the detailed design, the high quality and the unique threaded bracelet system (U.S. Pat. No.7,007,507). The affordable luxury collections include customizable charm bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces and watches made from sterling silver and 14K and 18K gold with handset gemstones. Perfect for any occasion, PANDORA jewelry is sold in 55 countries on six continents in more than 10,000 locations, including over 420 PANDORA branded concept stores. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, PANDORA employs over 5,000 people worldwide. To view the PANDORA collection, build a bracelet online or locate a jeweler, please visit PANDORA.net.
Max Mara, the premiere collection of the Max Mara Fashion Group, is the epitome of Italian style and luxury; a confident and contemporary collection of tailored silhouettes, sumptuous fabrications and couture details applied to ready-to-wear. Known for stylish coats, form-skimming separates, sharp suits and elegant accessories, Max Mara, was founded by the late visionary Achille Maramotti in 1951. The collection is now available in 2,250 locations in 105 countries and was the first of 21 collections under the Max Mara umbrella. The company remains privately held and managed by the Maramotti family.
Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging division is the world-class leader in providing film, digital and hybrid motion imaging products, services and technology for the television, feature film, commercial, music video, documentary and exhibition industries.
CONTACT
For additional information, please contact Catherine Olim or Alicia Mohr at PMK*BNC (310) 854-4800.
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