There is still a little bit of life left in film’s award season, as Cate Blanchett and Kerry Washington will be among four women entertainers honored by Women In Film (Los Angeles) at a June 11 gala in Century City, it was announced.
Blanchett and Washington will reportedly join Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lee, and Eva Longoria in receiving the 2014 Crystal + Lucy Awards by WIF – Los Angeles.
The quintet of women will be individually honored at a dinner and fundraising gala June 11 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.
Each woman is to be recognized for her contributions to film, television, and the community.
According to WIF – Los Angeles, Blanchett follows up her Oscar-winning role as the lead actress in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine with the 2014 Crystal Award for Excellence in Film. The WIF – Los Angeles honor is the latest award on Blanchett’s mantle for her portrayal of Jasmine Francis in Blue Jasmine. To date, she has won 40 awards for her lead role in Allen’s film, including nods from the Australian Academy, British Academy, Critics Choice, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild.
Washington will be given the Lucy Award for Excellence in Television for her leading performance as Olivia Pope in ABC’s Scandal. Her portrayal of Olivia Pope also earned a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild earlier this year for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. In 2013, Washington’s performance in Scandal also earned the Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.
Meanwhile, Byrne reportedly will be receiving the WIF Max Mara Face of the Future Award; the Australian actress is currently filming the Paul Feig film Spy, which also stars Jason Statham alongside Jude Law and is set to release in 2015. She is also starring in Annie, which is slated to release later this year.
Behind the camera, WIF – Los Angeles is honoring Frozen co-director Lee with the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award. Lee won an Oscar for co-directing Frozen and was also a co-writer on Wreck-It Ralph. According to several news reports, Frozen just became the highest grossing animated film of all-time, passing Toy Story 3 with an estimated $1.072 billion in worldwide box office collections.
Finally, Longoria is being recognized for her work as an activist. Founder of the Eva Longoria Foundation, WIF – Los Angeles is honoring the Desperate Housewives star with the Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award. While Longoria shared two Screen Actors Guild awards with the cast of Desperate Housewives in 2005 and 2006, the actress has also been recognized for her many philanthropic ventures. The Hollywood Reporter, for example, once named her Philanthropist of the Year. She also founded Eva’s Heroes in 2006 to help developmentally disabled children.
The first-ever WIF – Los Angeles awards were handed out in 1977. According to the group, it annually honors “exemplary women in the entertainment industry – women who lead by example, who are creative, groundbreaking, and who excel at their chosen fields.” The June 11 fundraiser and gala helps support the WIF -Los Angeles’ “many educational and philanthropic programs and initiatives.”
More information about Women In Film can be found on its website.
