Point Foundation (Point) will honor innovative TV and film writer, director, and producer Jill Soloway with the Point Impact Award at the Point Honors Los Angeles gala October 7. The award is presented to an individual who has made a significant impact on improving the lives of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Point Foundation is the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students of merit.
Soloway, who identifies as non-binry and prefers they pronouns, has won two Primetime Emmy Awards for the direction of the Amazon series "Transparent," as well as a
Sundance Film Festival Award for directing the 2013 film "Afternoon Delight." They received multiple Emmy nominations for work as a producer of "Six Feet Under." Solloway's latest series for Amazon, "I Love Dick," has received critical acclaim for its smart, humorous, and provocative look at gender roles.
"There's a similarity between what I try to do in my work and what Point's scholarship recipients are accomplishing in getting their degrees and living their lives authentically," said Jill Soloway. "My aim is to put people who often have not had a voice at the center of the story. Point Scholars are student leaders and newly minted graduates who are in control of their stories and are ready to change the world. Whether we are filmmakers, doctors, lawyers - we, as LGBTQ+ people, will not be silent or invisible."
"Many of our scholarship recipients are redefining gender and sexual identity and there with them, educating millions through groundbreaking work in TV and film, is Jill Soloway," said Jorge Valencia, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Point Foundation. "We often speak of the 'Point family' and Soloway, who included our alum Rhys Ernst in the production team for 'Transparent,' as well as cast our Honorary Board member Judith Light as a lead on the show, is like an extended member of our Point family."
Past honorees recognized by Point include Jeffrey Tambor, Lena Dunham, Jonathan Groff, Robin Roberts and other allies and members of the LGBTQ community. Additional celebrity participation for the October 7 Point Honors Los Angeles event will be announced in the coming weeks. Information about attending or supporting Point Honors is at www.pointfoundation.org/LAHonors.
Some of Point's 98 current scholarship recipients and 300 alumni will be present at Point Honors to share with the audience their inspiring stories about how they have overcome challenges to get their higher education degrees.
