Last night, at Fouquet’s New York, filmmakers, actresses, and movie buffs alike gathered together for Tribeca and Chanel’s annual Through Her Lens event. Attendees (many of whom donned Chanel’s classic tweed) filled the room for a spirited discussion about diversity, the power of storytelling, and the importance of empowering women in film.
The evening kicked off with champagne and opening remarks from Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, which hosts the Tribeca Film Festival. “In the darkness and the light, women’s voices are always vital sources of inspiration, clarity, passion, and, yes, hope,” Rosenthal told the audience—which also included Havana Rose Liu, Tommy Dorfman, Clara McGregor, and Coco Baudelle.
Shortly after, Through Her Lens advisor and filmmaker Patty Jenkins and actress Zazie Beetz hit the stage for the evening’s conversation. “I really wanted to make people understand that all of our voices are universal and anyone’s voice could become a major one, no matter who you are,” Jenkins told ELLE.com. “I want to encourage diverse filmmakers to tell diverse stories. From the industry position, they make efforts to hire people, but there are big strides that still need to be made in the kinds of stories that are told.”
Jane Rosenthal, Patty Jenkins, and Zazie Beetz.
Zazie Beetz echoed similar sentiments. “The formula of what we’ve been making isn’t working,” she told ELLE.com. “And I think there’s a really cool opportunity in that to redefine a lot of stuff, be creative, and try different things. For me, as a creator, that’s exciting.”
Over the past 10 years, Through Her Lens, which is part of the Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program, has made great strides to support the next generation of artists through mentorship, artistic development, and funding. Several alumni of the program have gone on to make critically acclaimed films, like A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand And One, Numa Perrier’s The Perfect Find, and Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny, to name just a few.
“Now, more than ever, we need the perspective, tenacity, and creativity of women storytellers,” said Rosenthal. “And the ongoing work of Tribeca and Chanel will ensure that their stories are heard.”
For an inside look at this year’s Through Her Lens event, click through the gallery below.
Juliana Ukiomogbe is the Assistant Editor at ELLE. Her work has previously appeared in Interview, i-D, Teen Vogue, Nylon, and more.
