#FIRSTLOOK: TANTOO CARDINAL TO RECEIVE EQUITY IN ENTERTAINMENT AWARD AT HOLLYWOOD REPORTER WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT CANADA EVENT

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada today announced that acclaimed actress Tantoo Cardinal will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award at this year’s second annual event on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto. The award will be presented to Cardinal in partnership with the Indigenous Screen Office.

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada’s Equity in Entertainment Award was created to recognize women in the Canadian entertainment industry who are working to reflect and amplify the voices and stories of underrepresented communities.

2025 Equity in Entertainment Honouree

Of Cree and Métis heritage, Tantoo Cardinal is a celebrated actress who over a 50-year career has performed in many significant films and television series including Dances with Wolves, Killers of the Flower Moon, Legends of the Fall, Black Robe, Hold the Dark. Lead or recurring roles in series Longmire, Echo, Stumptown, Three Pines, Godless, Blackstone, Moccasin Flats and North of 60 to name just a few. Cardinal has received many prestigious awards for her extensive body of work, including the Earle Grey Award for lifetime achievement, she was Inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, and received the Governor Generals Award for Artistic Achievement.

Cardinal was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2009 “for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a screen and stage actress, and as a founding member of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company.”

An inspiring leader in the growth of Indigenous performing arts in Canada, she is a tireless mentor and started a Film School in Northern Alberta for Indigenous youth. Cardinal is also a passionate environmental activist.

The Equity in Entertainment Award was created in 2016 by The Hollywood Reporter as part of its Women in Entertainment annual event in Los Angeles, with past honorees including Selena Gomez, Kerry Washington, Issa Rae, and Amy Pascal. The first Equity in Entertainment Canada Award was presented to Deepa Mehta at the inaugural Women in Entertainment Canada Awards in Toronto on May 30, 2024.

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada is a first-of-its-kind summit bringing the industry together across television, film, and music to celebrate and recognize the achievements of Canadian women who are driving the industry forward in their respective fields. For more information visit www.womeninentertainment.ca.

Additional award recipients and programming for Women in Entertainment Canada 2025 details will be announced this spring.