London

Held at Claridge’s, London, the event shined a light on the film industry with a glamorous audience including Oscar^® nominees and actresses Miranda Richardson (Churchill) and Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) and filmmakers, such as Gurinder Chadha (Blinded by the Light), Oscar^® winner Andrea Arnold (American Honey), Susanne Bier (Bird Box), Carol Morley (Out of Blue), Lone Scherfig (The Kindness of Strangers), and Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir).

Presented by last year’s inaugural recipient, Ethosheia Hylton, the fellowship was awarded to Northern Ireland-based Aislinn Clarke. She was given a £20,000 bursary and a year’s mentorship through the scheme.

New York

Held at the famous Rainbow Room in New York City, the event featured a conversation, moderated by two-time Oscar nominee Laura Dern (Rambling Rose, Citizen Ruth,) between Oscar^® nominees Greta Gerwig (Best Director for Lady Bird – one of only five women in Oscar history to be nominated in this category) and producer Amy Pascal (The Post). It also featured an impassioned keynote speech given by Oscar®-winning documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, whose work highlights inequality and human rights abuses of women around the world. The luncheon gathered an incredible group of filmmakers and actors, including Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), Jennifer Nettles (Harriet), Andrea Riseborough (Birdman), Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally) and Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians).

The fellowship award was presented to Eliana Pipes – an alumna of the inaugural class of the Academy Gold diversity internship – who was given a $35,000 grant. 

Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board, commented: “Swarovski is delighted to partner with the Academy on the 2019 Gold Fellowship for Women as part its Action: The Academy Women’s Initiative. As a company we are committed to empowering women and to providing emerging creative talent with the support it needs to develop and thrive, so we are pleased to congratulate Eliana Pipes and Aislinn Clarke and we look forward to watching all the young Academy Gold Fellowship award winners share their work with the world.”