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In a powerful speech to leading figures in Hollywood, actor Kristen Stewart urged women in film to "print (their) own currency" and reject industry tokenism, while simultaneously championing the next generation of female filmmakers. Stewart, who recently directed The Chronology of Water, an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s 2011 memoir, began her remarks with humour before swiftly pivoting to the pervasive issue of gender inequality in Hollywood. "It’s awkward to talk about inequality for some people," Stewart stated at the Academy Women’s Luncheon on Tuesday. "We can discuss wage gaps and taxes on tampons and measure it in lots of quantifiable ways, but the violence of silencing. ... It’s like we’re not even supposed to be angry. But I can eat this podium with a fork and ... knife, I’m so angry." The actor revealed she was invited to speak about her inspirations, beginning with Yuknavitch, whose memoir she credited with "giving voice to certain truths I inherently understood." "Hard truths, when spoken out loud, become springboards to freedom,” Stewart elaborated. “The permission to be unpalatable, unsanitary, and to come from the inside out … led me to acknowledge the invisible cage that we are all living in and how easy it is to story our way out there." Stewart was the keynote speaker at the event, hosted at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, with attendees including Tessa Thompson, Kate Hudson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Claire Foy, Kerry Condon, Patty Jenkins, and Emma Mackey. Many attendees were dressed in Chanel, the luxury fashion brand that sponsored the event and boasts a long association with film and women creatives, stemming from founder Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel’s vision to empower women through her designs in cinema. Reflecting on the state of women's filmmaking in the post-MeToo era, Stewart acknowledged the potential for stories by and for women to finally receive their rightful recognition. However, she quickly added, "But I can now attest to the bare-knuckle brawling that it takes every step of the way when the content is too dark, too taboo," before declaring that "our business is in a state of emergency." After a pause, as the audience murmured in agreement, Stewart concluded, "We are allowed to be proud of ourselves. But let’s try not to be tokenised. Let's start printing our own currency." Tuesday’s event aimed to unite women from across the filmmaking community and celebrated the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women, a programme supporting emerging female filmmakers. Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter presented this year’s fellowship awards to US recipient Alina Simone and international fellow Marlén Viñayo. Carter described mentorship as the crucial bridge between aspiration and opportunity. "For me, mentorship was someone seeing me before I could see myself," said Carter, the costume designer for the Black Panther films, who made history in 2023 as the first Black woman to win two Oscars. "From my college professor Linda Bolton Smith, who refused to let me quit, to director Spike Lee, who offered me my first film, to the late John Singleton, who gave me room to learn and grow — that’s what mentorship and fellowship do. They say to every woman filmmaker and artist: We see you. We believe in you. You belong here." From Carter's heartfelt praise to Stewart's bold statements, a powerful spirit of solidarity and sisterhood remained central to the afternoon. "I am so for you," Stewart told the room. "I hope you are too. Let’s make art in the face of it."
