“ Chanel girls always look the coolest,” declared Sarah Paulson.
The actress was on the carpet outside of Locanda Verde in New York on Tuesday afternoon, two days after presenting at the Emmy Awards, and by her calculation, she was surrounded by “the coolest.” Chanel and Tribeca were kicking off the 10th year of the Through Her Lens program for emerging female filmmakers with their annual luncheon, and the crowd was, well, wearing Chanel.
Paulson is serving as a mentor for this year’s program, a three-day workshop that provides support and development opportunities — and networking — for five female-led projects.
“ One of the great things that success provides is an opportunity to give back,” Paulson said. “I don’t know that I have anything particularly valuable to say, but I certainly have ears to listen,” she added. “The more everyone gathers together and talks to one another about their experiences, the more you can normalize some of the stranger things that happen in this industry — and just, you know, walking around the planet as a woman.”
The actress is starring in the female-centric series “All’s Fair” later this fall, a Ryan Murphy production about “ a bunch of female attorneys who make it their life’s work to represent women and only women,” said Paulson, whose costars include Kim Kardashian, Glenn Close and Teyana Taylor. “And what happens between them when they are together as a group. The trials and tribulations, not just of the clients, but interpersonally, too.”
Katie Couric, sensing the trials and tribulations of the reporters gathered to cover the carpet before lunch, offered to pull some strings with talent. “Do you want me to wrangle some more people?” said the legendary journalist, noticing the VIPs that were posing for photos and then continuing to make their way inside for cocktail hour.
It was a kind offer, but most guests were more than happy to share their enthusiasm for the program.
”I started last year. They asked me to come on for the jury, which was an impossible mission to try to choose between all these wonderful, talented directors and producers,” said Lucy Liu, returning as a member of this year’s advisory committee. “ I know that it really makes a difference. It specifically nurtures women and nonbinary artists,” she added. “I wish that I had had that myself when I was starting out.”
Tessa Thompson
Lexie Moreland/WWD
Tessa Thompson is also returning to Through Her Lens as part of the advisory committee.
“ I’m just always excited to get to be in communal spaces with other storytellers, and also to be in a period of when people are in ideation and working through story. It’s such a vulnerable and beautiful moment of creation, and it’s really lovely to bear witness to that.”
The actress recently wore a Chanel look for the premiere of her film “Hedda” at the Toronto Film Festival, which was directed by Nia DeCosta. “It’s very auspicious now to be here for Tribeca, because the first film we ever made together was a film called ‘Little Woods,’ which was Nia DeCosta’s debut and premiered at Tribeca. And we met at the Sundance Filmmaker Labs, also through a similar program of mentorship and community.”
Meghann Fahy will be part of the jury selecting this year’s winning team, who will receive a full financing award to produce their short film. “ It’s such an incredible organization and it’s so important to get in with women at this stage in their careers and give them not only opportunity, but also mentorship,” said Fahy, who will help reveal the winner on Thursday.
Meghann Fahy
Lexie Moreland/WWD
Now in its tenth year, the Through Her Lens program has supported young filmmakers including past winners A.V. Rockwell and Nikyatu Jusu, who went on to direct breakout films like “A Thousand and One Years” and “Nanny.” “ It’s almost become a movement, and it’s become a community that’s intentional. And when you build a community that’s intentional, it can actually create some change,” said Tribeca cofounder Jane Rosenthal of the program hitting its decade milestone.
As guests including Edie Falco, Ilana Glazer, Hava Rose Liu, Kaitlyn Dever, Fala Chen and more sat for lunch, Rosenthal offered a tribute to Sundance founder and filmaker Robert Redford, whose death at 89 was announced earlier that day, and Through Her Lens cofounder and longtime champion Paula Weinstein.
“Before we start, take a moment and raise a glass to Robert Redford,” Rosenthal said. “For making the world a better place through his activism, his charm, his films. And as the late, great, Paula Weinstein would say: no one stood in a doorway better than Robert.”
