Jane Rosenthal Champions Female Filmmakers at Chanel Tribeca Luncheon

When actress Mira Sorvino thinks about what and who helped her launch her career, she credits Tribeca Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal for giving her that break. 

“Jane Rosenthal actually gave me my first job in the industry. It started off being a volunteer position — I was an intern at Tribeca Productions, reading scripts. Then it turned into a paid position as a reader after they ended up liking my coverage. I did that for two years, and during that time I actually read the script Amongst Friends that ended up being the first feature that I ever starred in. We went to Sundance and that launched my career,” the actress recalled. “Tribeca helped me start my career, and it’s always given a hand up to young artists and people who had the gumption to just go for it.”

So supporting the 10th anniversary of the Through Her Lens — a women and nonbinary filmmaker-focused program — as part of the exclusive Chanel Tribeca Festival Women’s Luncheon at The Greenwich Hotel Courtyard on Friday was an easy yes. Particularly, says Sorvino, in a moment where artists’ freedom of speech and expression are under attack.

“They are creating a circle here where people are very focused on humanity and intersectionality and opposing opinions, but like a dialectic where truth can arise that’s greater than the sum of its parts, with connection and recognition of one and the other,” she told The Hollywood Reporter on the carpet ahead of the event. “It’s standing here as a beacon of honesty and artistic expression in a time where all of those things are under attack.”

Inside the hotel in a packed room, Rosenthal acknowledged the importance of being vocal and openly supportive of artists and the communities’ work in the current cultural moment.

“The very act of us speaking up feels risky,” the Tribeca co-founder told the group. “This program reminds us that our voices matter, that storytelling is activism, and that art is a form of existence. A person whose words comfort me in these times are Toni Morrison, and she writes about how she would guide us into this objective and this chaos. She says this is precisely the time when art is going to work — not when everything is fine, but in times of dread.”

“There is no time to despair. No place for self-pity. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal,” she continued. “So, thank you for what you’re doing, for every script that you write, every scene, every story. Thank you for your work, your fire, your voices. And thank you for refusing to wait for permission. Thank you for continuing to lift one another up.”

Using your voice and continuing to do the creative work despite timely challenges was a theme of the event conversation. In terms of directly navigating the industry, Wonder Woman and Monster director Patty Jenkins told THR on the luncheon’s carpet that “the struggle is real and it’s very alive right now” for women and nonbinary filmmakers. However, evidence is still there that diverse storytelling matters. 

“The truth is there’s already all the evidence showing that the world is craving diverse stories and that everybody’s universal. But the old system of Hollywood, which is crumbling, has still not moved on, so there’s a collision,” she explained. “The thing I want to say to inspire people is that the indie film world is really starting to explode right now, and with the studio system really falling apart, it’s an opportunity. But we do all have to fight to get our stories told, to prove that they can make money and to prove that there’s an audience for them. But it’s an exciting moment as much as it’s been so frustrating.”

While speaking to luncheon guests, Jenkins later added that creatives should consider this opportunity and bring in their community to do it. “We have our own money. We have our own producers. We have our own skills. We actually also need to really embrace coming together and not asking for permission or partnership under the old system,” she said. “It’s why I love coming in this room. So grateful to Chanel and Tribeca for doing it. It gives a forum for having these conversations.”

Rosenthal, Sorvino and Jenkins were in attendance at the Tribeca and Chanel event alongside Chanel ambassadors Riley Keogh and Whitney Peak, as well as guests Lucy Liu, Olivia Munn, Parker Posey, Miley Cyrus, Carrie Coon, Beanie Feldstein, Nia DaCosta, Mariska Hargitay, Zosia Mamet, Annie Murphy, Ilana Glazer, Jurnee Smollett, Francesca Scorsese and Rachel Hilson. In addition to discussing how women and nonbinary artists can navigate the current moment, they all eagerly celebrated the mentorship program, which offers emerging U.S.-based creatives industry support, artistic development and funding. 

“It’s really a special one, this event, because it’s women and nonbinary people coming together looking gorgeous, obviously, in Chanel, but having really profound, meaningful conversations. It’s rare for everyone to be in one room. It’s rare to all gather in such a specific way,” Feldstein said. “I was so lucky to be on the jury last time they did it in the fall, and to hear all of these people pour their creativity into the room and present to us with open hearts, open minds — so receptive to questions and feedback — the artistry was on another level and inspired all of us.”

“This is such a resonant lunch to me because it’s about nurturing other people, and just by doing that and following our truth, we can inspire people,” said Hargitay, whose new doc My Mom Jayne premieres on HBO Max on June 27 and is screening at Tribeca. “What we all want personally and professionally is community. That is where our power goes. So, however, we do that on a scale from one person, if you’re supporting one person or a million, it’s the same.”

While the program itself focuses on providing mentorship of emerging talent, many of the attendees acknowledged the myriad of ways it can be meaningful, even as women and nonbinary creatives advance in their careers. “It’s super important and it’s not just mentorship from people who are way above you in their careers, it’s also your peers. I’ve had so much support from my peer female filmmakers,” DaCosta told THR. “Being able to call people and ask for advice and just commiserate or just be joyful together — all of that’s as important as talking about the craft and business.”

“To me, mentorship doesn’t even have to be someone on your same level. It can be someone who’s maybe not even at your level yet but thinks in a way that helps crack you open and guide you further on your path,” Mamet said. “I think when you choose an artistic lifestyle, it can be incredibly difficult and there are many dark nights of the soul. It’s not a linear path. So, I think community and support are just so important, and I think that is the essence of mentorship. Wherever you can find that, I don’t think it has to look like someone who’s older or necessarily more experienced. I think it’s just actually finding those people to help and, of course, and keep you going.”

The luncheon was the first of a two-part event spotlighting and connecting visionary creatives. Later in the day, “Through Her Lens Conversation: In Process with Riley Keough & Gina Gammell” saw Keough debut her latest project. “I was actually inspired by this event, Through Her Lens and Tribeca. We made three little short clips that are exploring different women’s creative process,” Keough explained. “We did one talk with myself and then with an actor and one with a director and an actor. Selfishly, I wanted to watch other females work.”

For White Lotus star Coon, connecting to other women and engaging about and beyond their creative process is one of the reasons she attended the event. “Anytime I meet these women, I am putting them in my phone and I’m ready to make that phone call now,” the actress said. “I think anytime you have women in a room, it’s possible that something very powerful will happen, but history has separated us. So the more events like this we have, the more probability there is that we will save not only creative industries but maybe the whole world.”