Weather 
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. () — With just hours to go before the Academy Awards, the Women in Film group gathered on Friday to celebrate this year’s Oscar nominees and highlight the ongoing push for gender equity in Hollywood.
The organization, which has advocated for greater representation in the industry for more than 50 years, hosted the event at the former West Hollywood home of screen legend Bette Davis – a setting that attendees said underscored the night’s themes of legacy and empowerment.
“I’m so honored to be here at Bette Davis’s house and just proud that I get to do what I do. I’m so lucky,” said actress Alicia Silverstone.
Actress Lisa Ann Walter of “Abbott Elementary” said she values spaces that spotlight women and their work.
“It’s fun, I love going to events like this where I can support my fellow women artists,” she said.
With awards season nearing its end, several women at the event remain in contention for Oscars. Among them is Kate Hudson, nominated for best actress for “Song Sung Blue.”
“For this there was a lot more to prepare for, the accent and the songs,” Hudson said. She added that the experience has felt rewarding on its own. “I know it sounds cliché but this feels like the win already, just being part of this year and the circuit.”
Animation contenders were also represented.
May Hong, who voices Mira in the best animated feature nominee “KPOP Demon Hunters,” said, “Now it’s kind of the final stretch of awards season – final boss.”
She added that she appreciates her character’s emotional depth.
“I love how much she cares and I love how sensitive she is.”
Behind the scenes, women were recognized for their influence across the filmmaking process. Pippa Harris, producer of the best picture nominee “Hamnet,” noted the challenges of bringing the story to the screen.
“It was quite a tough movie to make because it deals with very dark, difficult themes,” she said. She emphasized the significance of female leadership on the project: “The people behind the film… are obviously all women and it was just a joy to work with fantastically creative women.”
Still, the evening included frank conversations about the barriers women continue to face. Writer-directors Julia Aks and Steve Pinder pointed to a decline in the number of women directing films this awards season.
“We’re at an all-time low right now for female directors,” Aks said.
Kirsten Schaffer, CEO of Women in Film, echoed those concerns. “We definitely have seen a backslide in the numbers but that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of talent,” she said.
Advocates say the persistently low number of women directing Oscar-contending films underscores why gatherings like this remain important – both to celebrate progress and push for more change.
Hudson said the performances recognized this year reflect the breadth of women’s stories on screen. “This year especially, I have to say all the women I’m nominated with are so phenomenal and the parts are so extraordinarily different,” she said.
© 2026 Television,
