Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Geena Davis hesitates to call herself a leader. The Oscar-winning actor and activist will accept Variety’s Creative Impact in Leadership Award at the Bentonville Film Festival June 10 recognizing her work advocating for marginalized voices.
But she admits the title of the honor gives her pause. “I don’t necessarily think of myself as a leader,” she says. “But then again, here I am, launching things left and right.
I’m just thrilled to be in a position where I can try to do something about the issues I care so deeply about.” Davis is being modest.
In addition to her acting, producing and writing work, she’s been a tireless advocate for representation. In 2004, she launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a nonprofit organization that conducts research examining parity in film, TV and advertising.
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