The night before Hollywood’s biggest awards ceremony, a different kind of celebration took place. On March 13, Women in Film Los Angeles gathered more than 75 women nominated for the 98th Academy Awards at Wheelhouse in West Hollywood the former party villa of Oscar-winning actress Bette Davis for the 19th annual WIF Oscar Nominees Celebration. The evening, presented by Max Mara with additional support from ShivHans Pictures, Delta Air Lines, Maison Perrier, and Peroni, was equal parts party and powerful statement of purpose.
A room full of history in the making
More than 30 Oscar nominees were in attendance on the night, with some meeting each other in person for the very first time. The gathering spanned every corner of the film industry, from leading actresses to documentary filmmakers, animators, costume designers, sound engineers, and producers, a reminder of just how many women are shaping the stories audiences will carry with them for years to come.
Among the nominees present were Kate Hudson, nominated for Actress in a Leading Role for Song Sung Blue, Renate Reinsve, also nominated for Actress in a Leading Role for Sentimental Value, and legendary songwriter Diane Warren, nominated for Best Original Song for Dear Me. Tig Notaro attended representing her Best Documentary Feature nomination for Come See Me In The Good Light, while Domee Shi, Madeline Sharafian, and Mary Alice Drumm represented the Best Animated Feature nominated film Elio. Maggie Kang and Michelle L.M. Wong were present for KPop Demon Hunters, also nominated for Best Animated Feature, alongside Pippa Harris and Liza Marshall representing the Best Picture nominated film Hamnet.
Each nominee was invited on stage to introduce themselves to the room and take part in WIF’s traditional Oscar nominees class photo, a ritual that has become one of the most meaningful traditions in the organization’s calendar.
A celebration with something deeper at its core
WIF CEO Kirsten Schaffer took the stage to address the room with words that captured the spirit of the evening and the organization’s broader mission. She reflected on a career and an industry where the fight for a seat at the table has never been simple, while celebrating this year’s nominees not only for their extraordinary storytelling but for their commitment to underrepresented voices and gender equality.
WIF Board President Syrinthia Studer followed with her own remarks, honoring the women who showed up, told stories that needed to be told, and shaped entire worlds from both in front of and behind the camera.
A star-studded room beyond the nominees
The celebration drew a remarkable gathering of additional guests who came to honor the nominees and the mission behind the evening. Alicia Silverstone, Dove Cameron, Natasha Rothwell, Bella Thorne, Auliʻi Cravalho, Bianca Lawson, Jurnee Smollett, Nava Mau, and Charithra Chandran were among the actresses in attendance. Kumail Nanjiani and musician Jon Batiste also joined the celebration, alongside television personalities Lisa Rinna, Maura Higgins, and Ciara Miller. Olympic ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates rounded out a guest list that reflected the full breadth of women’s influence across entertainment and culture.
Kate Hudson and Auliʻi Cravalho both wore Max Mara for the evening.
Five decades of fighting for what matters
Founded in 1973, Women in Film has spent more than 50 years advocating for gender equity in Hollywood, building careers, funding research, and pushing for systemic change across the screen industries. The Oscar Nominees Celebration represents the culmination of that advocacy work each awards season, a night that reminds the industry and the world that the women shaping cinema deserve to be seen, celebrated, and supported not just once a year but every single day.
The 98th Academy Awards air tonight.
Source: Women in Film Los Angeles / Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis
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