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Emma Stone, Meryl Streep and More Badass Women in Film Unite at Pre-Oscars Party for a Night of Female Empowerment

The non-profit organization is dedicated to promoting equal opportunities for women within media

By Sara Kitnick Feb 25, 2017 6:36 PMTags
Emma Stone, Brie Larson, Oscar PartyVivien Killilea/Getty Images

Top actresses such as Emma Stone, Meryl Streep and Brie Larson gathered at Nightingale Plaza Saturday for a pre-Oscars 2017 party for Women in Film, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting equal opportunities for women within media.

It wasn't just a night about celebrating Oscar nominees (although there were plenty of Casamigos cocktails and Perrier-Jouët champagne on hand) but about what women can do together and how they can help one another. And Frieda Pinto made sure none of the evenings' food went to waste by having Copia's Food Heroes gather all the leftovers and deliver them to local nonprofits in need.

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"Women in Film has always been very welcoming to me" director Ava DuVernay said as she stood next to Streep.

"Always inviting me into the circle and now more than ever these types of gatherings have become very important, have become really powerful," she said. "Our ancestors have taught us how to fight. We're in a fight right now, so we need to come together, power in numbers, power in unity, and I hope we can take the energy that's in the room that's very celebratory and extend it throughout the whole year."

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As the party was really getting underway, Larson said to the audience who gathered around her, "I want to ask you all in this room today to connect with others. Let's share our stories, talk about where we came from, let's get excited about where we are right now because there is only room to grow. I hope that this can feel like a safe space to asks someone for their phone number. We don't have to be creepy, just ask for a phone number because we want to check in with one another."

"I am where I am today, and get to make brave choices because although while I do seem like I'm very confidant, I go home and cry to my best friend," she said. "And say, 'I don't know what I'm doing,' and she's like 'No, I know who you are.' So it's through those friendships and through those connections that I get to do what I do on this platform, so let's create that connection and learn from each other."

"So let's talk, let's not talk industry talk," the Room actress continued. "But let's talk about what's really going on, what worries us, what scares us, what we're excited about, what it feels like to be a mother, what it feels like to be a daughter, what it feels like to be a son or a father in this period of time, and let's incubate all of this and make something amazing because we will be here later, and we'll talk about how this was the moment when we went, 'I got it, I know how to make the world a better place'.

"Artists are the ones that the politicians fear," she said. "It's always been the case, so let's do it."

For complete Oscars coverage, tune in to E! News at 7 p.m. and Fashion Police at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27.