Kerry Washington, Kate Winslet, Joey King, and More Were Recognized at the 2024 WIF Honors

For obvious reasons, it’s no easy feat to gather a number of the most in-demand women in film in a room all at once (such is a scheduling nightmare), but when the occasion is the WIF Honors, the annual event presented by fashion partner Max Mara which brings together among the top women professionals in Hollywood, the seemingly impossible inevitably becomes doable.

Hosted, as customary, at The Beverly Hilton, the event is always a spectacle, with onlookers lining the outdoor entrance for a glimpse of the arrivals of the likes of Jane Fonda, Kerry Washington, Kate Winslet, and more. A cocktail hour allowed for all the VIP attendees to make it down the red carpet in their gala-ready gowns, before heading in for the seated ceremony alongside dinner.

With the evening’s theme set as The Power of the Collective in celebration of the strength of collaboration and inclusion in the industry, WIF landed on an impressive roundup of industry leaders to honor, each taking to the stage with a few words, some for an entire sit-down panel.

With her usual crowd-moving charm, Jane Fonda kicked off the evening by presenting Annette Bening with the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award, honoring Bening’s advocacy for reproductive and trans rights and cancer research. “I so appreciate the theme of this evening around celebrating our collectsive strength—something that resonates with all of us here, I’m sure, as anyone who’s ever been involved in a production knows all great change and growth comes from the merging of talent of skills, talent, minds, and souls.”

Then came a panel conversation between Kate Winslet and director Ellen Kuras, who were honored with the Crystal Award for Advocacy in Film in celebration of their film Lee, which chronicles female photographer Lee Miller on her quest to document World War II for Vogue. On stage, Winslet spoke about the difficulty of getting a film about a woman-backed, sharing that at one point, a potential financier asked Winslet about the film’s subject, “Why should I like this woman?” “When you can get to the end of [an incredibly difficult] day and smile, and hug it out, and know that the blood, sweat, and tears were all female-driven — I want to be on that set,” Winslet said. “And also,” she laughed, “I want to know that I can turn to the person next to me and say, ‘Have you got a spare tampon?’ and know that they probably have one in their back pocket.”

Joey King, amid a year of one project release after another, was the evening’s receiver of the WIF Max Mara Face of the Future Award. “It’s lucky enough to be raised and loved by women who are rooting for you to be your most authentic self,” she told the audience, “But I have gotten incredibly lucky with the women I have had the honor of working with over the course of career year so far.”

This was followed by a presentation of the Crystal Award for Advocacy in TV to Michelle Buteau and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel in recognition of the Netflix comedy series Survival of the Thickest. At the evening’s close, Kerry Washington took the stage to accept the Entrepreneur in Entertainment award, celebrating Washington’s segue from leading roles to executive producing, directing, and political advocacy.

“I think I stepped into producing to try to protect myself and give myself a voice, but what I fell in love with in producing was creating a space for other people to have a voice and chase excellence.“ When asked what her advice would be to women, or anyone, in moving forward among the industry’s current uncertain times, Washington’s response was a resounding echo of sentiments from many of the night’s speakers. “Vote.”