NYWIFT Blog

Sound Bite: Actor Carmen Ejogo at Designing Women

By Terisa Thurman

In recognizing women in film & television at the annual Designing Women Awards, NYWIFT supports talent from underrepresented groups, including women of color, who face even more daunting statistics than their white counterparts. I spoke to British actor Carmen Ejogo about this on the red carpet of Designing Women 2017, where she was on hand to present an award to hair stylist Melissa Forney:

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Ejogo is best known for her leading role as Coretta Scott King in Ava Duvernay’s Selma and her lead role in Sparkle, as well as Starz’s acclaimed drama The Girlfriend Experience, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

See more coverage of the 2017 Designing Women Awards.

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terisat

terisat Acquiring management knowledge and skill at Columbia University to help transform the way that organizations do business. Interested in increasing equal opportunities in film and television. Also interested in another cup of coffee.

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