Kristen Stewart urges solidarity and honesty in emotional keynote at Academy Women’s Luncheon

LOS ANGELES — On a rooftop filled with some of Hollywood's most powerful figures, the actor Kristen Stewart gave a strong speech calling on women in film to stand united, reject tokenism and celebrate the next generation of female filmmakers.

Stewart, who led “Chronology of water”. an adaptation of Lydia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir, began its run with some humor but quickly turned to gender inequality in Hollywood.

“Some people are uncomfortable talking about inequality,” Stewart said Tuesday at the Academy's women's luncheon. “We can talk about the wage gap and tampon taxes and measure it in a lot of quantitative ways, but the violence of silence… It's like we shouldn't even be angry. But… I'm so angry.”

Stewart said she was invited to talk about the women who inspire her, and started with Yuknavitch, whose memoir she felt “sounded out certain truths that I initially understood.”

“Harsh truths spoken out loud become a springboard to freedom,” Stewart said. “Giving permission to be unpleasant, unsanitary, and from the inside out… made me aware of the invisible cage we all live in and how easy it is to find our way out of there.”

Stewart was the keynote speaker at the event, held at the Academy Museum, which was attended by Tessa Thompson, Kate Hudson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Claire Foy, Kerry Condon, Patty Jenkins and Emma McKee.

Many of the actors in attendance wore Chanel clothing, jewelry, shoes, makeup and accessories. The luxury fashion brand, which sponsored the event, has a long-standing connection to cinema and female creators, ever since founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel saw an opportunity to bring her work to film and empower women in film.

Reflecting on the state of women's filmmaking in the post-MeToo era, Stewart said it may be that stories made by women, for women, are finally getting their due.

“But I can now attest that bare-knuckle fights happen every step of the way when the content is too dark, too taboo,” she said, before adding that “our business is in a state of emergency.”

After Stewart's remarks, she paused as the audience murmured in agreement.

“We are allowed to be proud of ourselves,” she said. “But let's try not to be tokenized. Let's start printing our own currency.”

Tuesday's event was held to bring together women from all walks of filmmaking. It was also a celebration of the Academy's Gold Fellowship for Women, a program that supports aspiring female filmmakers.

Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter presented this year's fellows to U.S. scholarship winner Alina Simone, who was born in Ukraine, and international scholarship recipient Marlen Viñayo, who resides in El Salvador.

Carter described mentoring as a bridge between aspirations and opportunities.

“For me, mentorship was about someone seeing me before I could see myself,” said Carter, a costume designer on the “Black Panther” films who became the first black woman to win two awards. Oscar in 2023.

“From my college professor Linda Bolton Smith who refused to let me leave, to director Spike Lee who offered me my first film, to the late John Singleton who gave me the opportunity to learn and grow, that’s what mentorship and connection do,” Carter said. “They say to every woman director and artist: we see you. We believe in you. You belong here.”

From Carter's praise to Stewart's bold statements, the energy of solidarity and sisterhood remained a central theme of the day.

“I’m here for you,” Stewart told the room. “I hope you do too. Let's create art in spite of this.”