The Fourth Annual Athena Film Festival will present former Paramount and 20th Century Fox chief Sherry Lansing with the Laura Ziskin Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as salute Sundance Executive Director Keri Putnam, Nashville showrunner Callie Khouri, and Black Nativity director Kasi Lemmons.
Co-founded by Women and Hollywood’s Melissa Silverstein, the Athena FF is committed to “honoring extraordinary women in the film industry and showcasing films that address women’s leadership in real life and the fictional world.”
A new addition to the festival is The Athena List, which will “highlight between 3–5 completed screenplays with strong leading female characters that have yet to be made into films. The first group of selected screenplays on the Athena List will be announced at the festival.”
Athena events will take place on February 6–9, 2014, on the Barnard College campus in Manhattan.
Read the full press release below:
New York, NY (December 9, 2013) — Barnard College’s Athena Center for Leadership Studies and Women and Hollywood, announce the fourth annual Athena Film Festival — a celebration of women and leadership — to take place February 6–9, 2014 on Barnard’s campus in Morningside Heights. Honoring extraordinary women in the film industry and showcasing films that address women’s leadership in real life and the fictional world, the festival will include Q and A sessions with producers and directors, Hollywood conversations and master classes. Artemis Rising Foundation is the Founding Sponsor of the Festival and Regina K. Scully, Founder and CEO of Artemis Rising Foundation, will also serve as a festival co-chair.
The Athena Film Festival is proud to announce this year’s recipients of the Athena Film Festival Awards, which honor noted actors, directors, producers and other members of the film industry for their leadership and creative accomplishments. Philanthropist Sherry Lansing, former Chair and CEO of Paramount Pictures and former President of 20th Century Fox, who over her career was involved in the production, marketing, and distribution of more than 200 films, will receive The Laura Ziskin Lifetime Achievement Award. Additional awardees include Keri Putnam, Executive Director of the Sundance Institute, Callie Khouri, Academy Award winning screenwriter of Thelma and Louise, and creator of the series Nashville, and Kasi Lemmons, actress, director and writer of the current film Black Nativity as well as Talk to Me, Eve’s Bayou and The Caveman’s Valentine.
The Athena Film Festival is also announcing the creation of the Athena List, which will highlight between 3–5 completed screenplays with strong leading female characters that have yet to be made into films. The first group of selected screenplays on the Athena List will be announced at the festival.
“It is my great honor to receive an award in Laura Ziskin’s name from the Athena Film Festival,” said Sherry Lansing. “Laura helped lead the way for so many women in Hollywood and she would be incredibly proud of the filmmakers highlighted at this event.”
“As the founding sponsor of the Athena Film Festival, Artemis Rising Foundation looks forward to participating in the event every year,” said Regina K. Scully. “We always find it a great privilege to be involved in this festival which is so deeply invested in supporting and acknowledging women in the film industry.”
“The women we are honoring this year showcase extraordinary talents in the film and entertainment world,” said Kathryn Kolbert, co-founder of the Festival and the Constance Hess Williams Director of the Athena Center. “Each of these women bring with them experience and knowledge that is inspirational on every level.”
“Now entering our fourth year of the festival we continue to push boundaries with our films and filmmakers, focusing on celebrating women leaders and their talents,” said Melissa Silverstein, co-founder and Artistic Director of the Athena Film Festival and founder of Women and Hollywood. “We look forward to honoring these creative women and are excited for a diverse slate of programming and films this year.”
Early bird passes for the festival are now available online. Individual ticket sales and the announcement of the lineup will take place in early January 2014. Please visit http://www.athenafilmfestival.com for regular updates, announcements and to purchase passes.
ABOUT THE ATHENA FILM FESTIVAL
Now in its fourth year, the Athena Film Festival — a celebration of women and leadership — is an engaging weekend of feature films, documentaries and shorts that highlight women’s leadership in real life and the fictional world. The four-day festival, which includes conversations with directors, producers and actors, as well as activities for filmmakers, will be held Feb. 6–9, 2014 in the heart of New York — at Barnard College (117th & Broadway).
ABOUT THE ATHENA CENTER
Established at Barnard College in 2009, the Athena Center for Leadership Studies is a catalyst for the education, development and advancement of inspired and courageous women leaders worldwide. Renowned civil rights attorney, Kathryn Kolbert, is the Center’s Constance Hess Williams Director. For more information, visit: http://athenacenter.barnard.edu
ABOUT WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD
Women and Hollywood educates, advocates, and agitates for gender parity across the entertainment industry. In only six years, it has grown to be one of the most respected sites focused on women’s issues and popular culture, and its founder, Melissa Silverstein, has become a well-respected leader on the subject. For more information, visit: http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/
ABOUT ARTEMIS RISING FOUNDATION
Artemis Rising Foundation is committed to transforming our culture through media and education. Regina K. Scully is the founder and CEO.
ABOUT BARNARD COLLEGE
The idea was bold for its time. Founded in 1889, Barnard was the only college in New York City, and one of the few in the nation, where women could receive the same rigorous and challenging education available to men. Today, as the world-renowned liberal arts college for women at Columbia University, Barnard remains devoted to empowering extraordinary women to become even more exceptional. For more information, visit: www.barnard.edu.
