Viola Davis to Receive Women In Motion Award at Cannes
Viola Davis is set to be honored at Cannes this month with the 2022 Women In Motion Award, to be presented by the festival in partnership with global luxury group Kering.
As noted by a press release announcing the award ceremony, “Davis is one of the few Hollywood personalities to have won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, four SAG Awards, and what Hollywood calls the Triple Crown of Acting: two Tony Awards, an Oscar, and an Emmy, for her roles in the stage play ‘King Hedley II,’ ‘Fences’ and its remarkable film adaptation, and the TV series ‘How to Get Away with Murder.’”
The award will recognize Davis not just for her achievements as an actor and producer, but also for her activism — as part of the Me Too movement, in calling out the historical underrepresentation and marginalization of people of color and specifically Black women in the creative industries, and her work combating poverty and child hunger.
In addition to her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Fences,” Davis has received nominations for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Doubt,” and “The Help.” Since founding her own production company, JuVee Productions, with her husband Julius Tennon, she has produced films such as “Troop Zero” and Gina Prince-Bythewood’s upcoming “The Woman King,” in which she also stars.
Last month, Davis also published her memoir, “Finding Me.”
Since 2015, the Women in Motion program has recognized inspirational figures in the film industry, rewarding and highlighting women’s creativity and contributions to culture through its award and a series of talks. Previous winners of the award include Jane Fonda, Gong Li, and Salma Hayek.
