Acclaimed Actor And Comedian Sasheer Zamata To Liven Up The Festivities As Host; Several Notable Suprise Participants Also Slated To Be On Hand
Makeup, Hair And Costume Design Teams Of Netflix’s Jessica Jones Will Receive The Variety Ensemble Award
~ 18th Annual Designing Women Awards On Tuesday, June 6th, 2017 ~
Press Release – NEW YORK, NY – MAY 18, 2017 – New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), which has supported and empowered women in the entertainment industry for nearly 40 years, is thrilled to celebrate the women behind the scenes at this year’s New York Women in Film & Television Designing Women Awards Gala on Tuesday, June 6, 2017. The 18th annual event will honor the renowned makeup artists, hair stylists and costume designers that truly bring characters to life in film, television and digital media.
This unique showcase of remarkable achievements by women in the film, television and digital media industries, co-presented by Variety, is attended by actors, producers, directors, writers, fashion industry leaders and, of course, designers.
Saturday Night Live actor Sasheer Zamata will host the evening’s festivities and actor David Costabile (Billions, Suits, Breaking Bad, Lincoln) will present the award to Costume Designer Melissa Toth. Additional presenters will be added to the program and announced over the coming weeks, including a special surprise celebrity guest.
The 2017 Designing Women honorees include three of the most talented women behind the scenes:
- Makeup Artist Kyra Panchenko (Snatched, The Girl on the Train, Kill Bill)
- Hair Stylist Melissa Forney (Hidden Figures, Empire, Selma)
- Costume Designer Melissa Toth (Manchester by the Sea, The Visitor, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
- The smash-hit Netflix series Jessica Jones will receive Variety’s Ensemble Award for its makeup, hair and costume design teams.
“Film and television would be nothing without the extraordinary women behind the scenes who bring our favorite characters to life,” says Terry Lawler, Executive Director of New York Women in Film & Television. “It’s essential that we applaud these remarkable artists with an evening to commemorate all of the outstanding women in this area of the industry. Our annual Designing Women event is always a lively celebration and a fantastic way to kick off the summer and support our hugely talented female colleagues.”
Past Designing Women honorees have included designers and artists from much-heralded TV shows, including Mad Men, The Good Wife, The Affair and Orange Is the New Black, and from films such as Midnight Cowboy, Titanic, The Devil Wears Prada, Moonrise Kingdom and Chicago – just to name a few.
This year’s event will take place at New York University School of Law, located at 40 Washington Square South, starting at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $75 for NYWIFT members and $150 for non-members. Proceeds benefit the non-profit educational programs NYWIFT throughout the year. To purchase tickets, please visit www.nywift.org/design.
