Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and distinguished film producer-executive Amy Pascal will be honored at The Hollywood Reporter’s 2017 Women in Entertainment breakfast, it was announced today.
The star-studded gala will take place Dec. 6 at Milk Studios in Los Angeles.
Academy Award-winning actress-filmmaker Angelina Jolie will deliver the keynote speech at the VIP event, where $1 million in university scholarships will be given to young women from disadvantaged backgrounds who have taken part in the Reporter’s highly competitive, eight-year-old Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program.
Lawrence will become the youngest person ever to receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, given annually to a woman who has been a pioneer and philanthropic leader in her industry. Last year, the four-time Academy Award nominee (and winner for Silver Linings Playbook) donated $2 million to establish the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Kosair Children’s Hospital in her hometown, Louisville, Kentucky. The Jennifer Lawrence Foundation also assists a wide range of charitable organizations, supporting abused and neglected youth, along with many educational and health organizations. Lawrence recently joined the board of Represent.Us, the nation’s largest grassroots anti-corruption campaign which brings together conservatives, progressives and everyone in between to work towards fixing America’s corrupt political system. She also has been outspoken on issues of gender pay disparity and privacy rights in Hollywood.
Lawrence follows a long line of extraordinary Sherry Lansing Award recipients, including Barbra Streisand, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, Halle Berry, Jodie Foster, Glenn Close, Barbara Walters and, most recently, Tina Fey.
Meryl Streep, a former Lansing Award recipient, will present Pascal with the second annual Equity in Entertainment Award, given to an individual in the showbiz community who has proved committed to providing opportunities for women and people of color. Pascal follows writer-producer Ryan Murphy, last year’s recipient. A former chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Pascal is also the producer of such movies as Spider-Man: Homecoming and the upcoming Molly’s Game and The Post. Her company, Pascal Pictures, strives to create avenues for women and people of color, in front of the camera and behind it.
“Both Jennifer and Amy perfectly embody the driving force behind THR’s Women in Entertainment initiative,” said Matthew Belloni, Editorial Director of The Hollywood Reporter. “They continue to use their voices and their talent to create opportunities for women in the industry, and I can’t think of two more deserving individuals to honor.”
“Having Jennifer agree to accept the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award is a wonderful honor,” said Lansing, the former CEO of Paramount Pictures and the first woman to head a Hollywood studio. “In merely a decade, her remarkable professional achievements, her willingness to take risks, and her philanthropic generosity have inspired millions. She reminds young women all over the world that their voices are meant to be heard. The Hollywood Reporter could not have chosen a better individual to recognize.”
Jolie, whose Cambodian war drama First They Killed My Father was recently selected as that country’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Picture at the upcoming 90th Academy Awards, has enjoyed a year of striking achievement. In addition to continuing her humanitarian work — which includes over a decade of service as Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees — she is soon to reprise her title role in Disney’s upcoming sequel to its 2014 blockbuster Maleficent.
“Angelina Jolie has dedicated her life to helping women and girls in war zones, from her girls’ school in Kenya to her primary schools in eastern Afghanistan,” said Belloni. “Her efforts to end sexual violence worldwide is unparalleled in the Hollywood community, and we’re humbled and exhilarated that she’ll be delivering our keynote speech this year.”
Additionally, $1 million in university scholarships will be given to girls now taking part in The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. Among the scholarships, each of the 18 girls currently in the program will receive $10,000 to attend the university of her choice (jointly funded by Lifetime and Entertainment Industry Foundation), with two girls receiving full-ride scholarships worth more than $240,000 apiece to attend Loyola Marymount University.
The Women in Entertainment breakfast, sponsored by Lifetime and Loyola Marymount University in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, coincides with the publication of The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women in Entertainment: Power 100, the definitive guide to the leading women in film and television.
