ACADEMY WOMEN’S LUNCHEON, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHANEL, CELEBRATES WOMEN FILMMAKERS AT THE ACADEMY MUSEUM

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with CHANEL, hosted the Academy Women’s Luncheon in Los Angeles today (November 4), bringing together women from all facets of the filmmaking community to celebrate the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women, the Academy’s program to support emerging women filmmakers.

The luncheon at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures was attended by Academy governors and leaders, and women from across the film industry, including Pam Abdy, Stephanie Allain, Maude Apatow, Colleen Atwood, Odessa A'Zion, Stacey Battat, Lucy Bevan, Thora Birch, Janicza Bravo, Mary Bronstein, Alice Brooks, Patricia Cardoso, Ruth E. Carter, Kerry Condon, Embeth Davidtz, Zoey Deutch, Kaitlyn Dever, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Barbie Ferreira, Claire Foy, Amy Homma, Lynette Howell Taylor, Kate Hudson, Patty Jenkins, Felicity Jones, Laura Karpman, Riley Keough, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Emma Mackey, Leslie Mann, Allison McGourty, Dylan Meyer, Indya Moore, Tig Notaro, Katy O'Brian, Sarah Paulson, Arianne Phillips, Alicia Silverstone, Kristen Stewart, Kim Taylor-Coleman, Tessa Thompson, Nancy Nugent Title, Diane Warren and Janet Yang. The afternoon featured opening remarks by Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor, followed by costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who presented this year’s Gold Fellowships for Women to recipients Alina Simone (U.S. fellow) and Marlén Viñayo (non-U.S. fellow). Actor, director and producer Kristen Stewart delivered a keynote presentation.

Simone is a Ukrainian-born journalist and award-winning filmmaker whose work has appeared in “The New York Times,” “The Wall Street Journal,” “The Guardian,” “The Atlantic,” NPR and more.  Her debut documentary “Black Snow” (2024) was executive produced by Erin Brockovich and premiered at CPH:DOX before going on to screen at more than 20 international film festivals.  Simone has won numerous awards for her work, including the Cinema Eye Honors Spotlight Award, the F:ACT Award at CPH:DOX, the Sustainable Future Award at Sydney Film Festival, and the International Green Film Award from Cinema for Peace. “Black Snow” is being distributed in the United States by PBS as part of the 2025-26 season of its “POV” series. Simone is the recipient of fellowships from NYSCA/NYFA, Film Independent and Mountainfilm and has taught the art of nonfiction writing at Yale University.

Viñayo is an award-winning documentary film director, writer and producer. Since 2013, she has been based in El Salvador, where she founded her production company, La Jaula Abierta Films. Viñayo’s feature film “Cachada: The Opportunity” (2019) and short film “Unforgivable” (2020) have won awards at international film festivals such as SXSW, IDFA, Hot Docs, Slamdance, Palm Springs ShortFest, Guanajuato International Film Festival, Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival and DocsBarcelona, and have been selected at over 150 film festivals in more than 30 countries, including Telluride Film Festival, AFI DOCS, Göteborg Film Festival, Heartland International Film Festival and Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. In 2021, Viñayo won the Gabo Award and was named Ibero-American Filmmaker of the Year at POY Latam. She was nominated for an IDA Documentary Award in 2020 and an Emmy® Award in 2019.

Part of the Academy’s global talent development and education work, the Gold Fellowship for Women is a one-year program that combines support, personalized mentorship and access to once-in-a-lifetime networking opportunities for emerging women filmmakers to further their pursuits in the field of cinema. As part of the Academy’s global focus and outreach, the Academy awards two fellowships annually, one to a U.S.-based filmmaker and one to a non-U.S.-based filmmaker. The fellowship is presented in partnership with CHANEL.

The world of film—from its boldest directors to its most compelling actors—has been deeply intertwined with the history of CHANEL since the House’s inception. Founder Gabrielle Chanel collaborated with leading filmmakers of her time, drawing inspiration from and supporting fellow creatives. Her legacy of championing women in the arts lives on through the brand’s ongoing commitment to uplifting their voices in film, exemplified by programs such as the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women and other longstanding industry partnerships.

For more information about the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women, visit https://www.oscars.org/academy-gold/fellowship-for-women.

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's premier film organization and is home to a global membership of more than 11,000 of the most accomplished film industry artists and leaders. The Academy connects global audiences – its members, the film industry, and film fans – through their shared passion for making and watching films. The Academy does this by recognizing and celebrating the arts and sciences of moviemaking through renowned awards for cinematic achievement, including the Oscars®, the Governors Awards, and the Scientific and Technical Awards. The Academy’s affiliated charitable organization, the Academy Foundation, serves a public benefit through its robust educational, preservation and cultural activities. This includes the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the world's largest global film museum, the Academy Collection, the largest film-related collection in the world, and talent development programs for emerging artists. Year-round, the Academy creates opportunities for all communities to engage with the film world.

ABOUT CHANEL
Chanel Limited is a private company and parent of the Chanel group, a world leader in creating, developing, manufacturing and distributing luxury products. Founded by Gabrielle Chanel at the beginning of the last century, Chanel offers a broad range of high-end creations, including Ready-to-Wear, Leather Goods, Fashion Accessories, Eyewear, Fragrances, Makeup, Skincare, Jewellery and Watches. Chanel is also renowned for its Haute Couture collections, presented twice yearly in Paris, and for having acquired a large number of specialised suppliers, collectively known as the Métiers d’art. Chanel is dedicated to ultimate luxury and to the highest level of craftsmanship. It is a brand whose core values remain historically grounded on exceptional creation. As such, Chanel promotes culture, art, creativity and “savoir-faire” throughout the world, and invests significantly in people, R&D, sustainable development and innovation. At the end of 2024, Chanel employed over 38,400 people worldwide.

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