JODIE FOSTER TO RECEIVE LAURA ZISKIN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD AT THE FIFTH ANNUAL ATHENA FILM FESTIVAL
2015 Athena Film Festival to run February 5 – February 8
New York, NY (January 6, 2015) – Barnard College’s Athena Center for Leadership Studies and Women and Hollywood are honored to announce that Academy Award® -winning actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster will receive the Laura Ziskin Lifetime Achievement Award at the fifth annual Athena Film Festival on Saturday February 7, 2015. Celebrating her extraordinary 49th year in front of the camera, including groundbreaking performances in The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs, Foster’s influence also extends behind the camera as an acclaimed director and producer. Foster joins previous awardees Sherry Lansing and Gale Anne Hurd who were recognized for their leadership and creative vision.
With her first acting role at just three years old, Jodie Foster’s career was launched with early performances in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver, where her astonishing maturity and talent stood out amongst veteran actors. She has gone on to appear in more than 40 films; earning two Oscars for The Silence of the Lambs and The Accused, and working with directors such as David Fincher, Robert Zemeckis, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, among many others. She also starred in her directorial debut, Little Man Tate, and went on to direct Home for the Holidays, The Beaver and most recently episodes of the acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. Foster is about to begin shooting on Money Monster, her fourth film directing, starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O’Connell.
Previously announced awardees at the 2015 Athena Film Festival include Sheila Nevins, President of HBO Documentary Films, Gina Prince-Bythewood, director, writer and producer behind films such as Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees and Beyond the Lights, and Cathy Schulman, Academy Award-winning producer, President of Mandalay Pictures, and President of Women in Film, known for films including Crash, The Illusionist, Darfur Now and Bernie.
“It is truly an honor to receive the Laura Ziskin Lifetime Achievement Award at the Athena Film Festival, which celebrates the power, creativity and leadership of women in the entertainment industry,” said Jodie Foster. “These are values I share deeply with the festival and I am thrilled to be recognized amongst my colleagues and peers.”
“We are privileged to celebrate the career of such an inspirational and talented woman this year at the Athena Film Festival,” said Melissa Silverstein, co-founder and Artistic Director of the Athena Film Festival and founder of Women and Hollywood. “Jodie Foster is a trailblazer in the industry, and since the beginning of her career has broken down barriers for female filmmakers and actresses. We look forward to celebrating her amongst our other 2015 awardees.”
“We are so honored to present Jodie Foster with this years Laura Ziskin Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Kathryn Kolbert, co-founder of the Athena Film Festival and Constance Hess Williams Director of the Athena Center. “She is a unique force, greatly accomplished on both sides of the camera.”
Regina K. Scully, the Phoebe Snow Foundation and the Artemis Rising Foundation are the festival’s Founding Sponsors.
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 2015. Please visit https://athenafilmfestival.com for regular updates, announcements and to purchase passes.
ABOUT THE ATHENA FILM FESTIVAL
Now in its fifth 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. 5-8, 2015 in the heart of New York — at Barnard College (117th & Broadway).
ABOUT WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD
Women and Hollywood educates, advocates, and agitates for gender parity across the entertainment industry. In only seven 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 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 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. This year, Barnard celebrates 125 years as the premier liberal arts college for women at Columbia University and remains devoted to empowering extraordinary women to become even more exceptional. For more information, visit www.barnard.edu.
ABOUT ARTEMIS RISING FOUNDATION
Artemis Rising Foundation is committed to transforming our culture through Media, Education, the Arts and Spirit. Regina K. Scully is the founder and CEO.
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