Margaret Atwood at THR's WIE Canada event
At an elegant all-day gathering at the Ritz-Carlton in Toronto, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood took the stage with characteristic wit and charm. “I’m honored to be in your presence and I learned a lot tonight, including that long hair is back,” she quipped to a room filled with trailblazing women in entertainment. The event marked the second annual Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada summit, where Atwood was honored with the prestigious Icon Award.
Reflecting on the legacy of her seminal novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood recalled MGM’s bold 2016 decision to adapt the dystopian masterpiece into a Hulu series. “It was a gamble. And the gamble paid off,” she mused. “Anybody approaching me earlier with a film idea I would’ve said, ‘Who’s going to watch that?’” As the sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale nears its conclusion, production is already underway on The Testaments, its sequel, currently filming in Toronto.
The event, a vibrant celebration of Canada’s leading voices in television, film, and music, welcomed actors, producers, executives, and creatives among them Orphan Black’s Humberly González and TIFF’s Anita Lee. An emotional high point came with Amrit Kaur (The Sex Lives of College Girls), who passionately urged her peers to demand the support they deserve. “Women have intuition. We’re not afraid of truth the way men are. We’ve known oppression. We don’t take no for an answer,” Kaur declared, accepting the Breakthrough Award. “I want you to fund art that fuels our fire as women, as humanitarians, and as artists.”
Hollywood Reporter’s Shirley Halperin and Jeanie Pyun also revealed the WIE Canada Power List, spotlighting 45 influential women reshaping the entertainment landscape. The announcement was met with rousing applause from a ballroom brimming with pride and unity.
Attendees were serenaded by singer-songwriter Rachelle Show with a stirring performance of “I’m Done,” while the inaugural cohort of the WIE Canada Mentorship Program was officially introduced, offering the next generation of creatives access to vital career guidance.
Christina Jennings, founder of Shaftesbury and the powerhouse behind Murdoch Mysteries, received the Glass Ceiling Award. In her acceptance speech, she issued a cautionary reflection on the fragility of progress. “Women’s rights are being challenged, and it’s frightening to witness the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion especially in the United States,” she warned.
Tantoo Cardinal, honored with the Equity in Entertainment Award, paid tribute to Indigenous resilience and the healing force of storytelling. “I come from a powerful people,” she said. “Our history carries truths born of survival, shaped in the marrow of the children who endured, and whispered by the spirits of those who didn’t.”
Jeanne Beker, the legendary journalist and recipient of the Impact Award, offered a poignant perspective on her own early career. “There was a time when I felt threatened by other women in this industry,” she admitted. “But today, to see this extraordinary community shining so brightly with support it fills my heart.”
Produced by Access Canada, the summit built upon its 2024 debut, once again bringing together the brightest minds and most fearless voices in Canadian entertainment. Icons like Lilly Singh and Kim Cattrall lent their presence to a day that honored not just achievement, but momentum—an industry steadily being reshaped by the women leading it forward.
