Women in Film Has a Beachfront Brunch in Malibu

Nearly 40 women, and a few men, gathered at the Malibu home of actor, producer, author and philanthropist Dianne Burnett on Sunday for the Women in Film Los Angeles Executive Members' "Brunch at the Beach." It was an opportunity for invited guests to meet, mingle and network with board members, lifetime members and executive members of the organization.

"I'm glad so many members met our new president Cathy Schulman (head of Mandalay Pictures and Oscar winner for Crash) and other females who are making a difference," said Burnett, a lifetime member who has a couple of entertainment projects in the works and is gearing up for the launch of her social networking site theotherside.com.

She continued, "With Women in Film events, you can always find a wide array of professions from entertainment attorneys to producers to publicists represented, and this was no exception. I had a great time because I had an opportunity to talk on a one-on-one basis with a variety of members.”

Women in Film is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women achieve their highest potential within the global entertainment, communications and media industries and to preserving the legacy of women within those industries.

Also in attendance on Sunday were Leslie Beavers, president and CEO of Timepiece Entertainment and whose film All Alone will compete at next month's Hollywood Film Festival; WIF Foundation Trustee Marion Rosenberg, who co-founded BAFTA LA and Marla Maples. Hillary Bibicoff and Robert Nieto, WIF Executive Committee members, co-chaired the affair along with Burnett.

"I hope there are more of these events so we can get to know each other on a personal level," Bibicoff, a transactional entertainment attorney and partner at Greenberg Glusker, told the group. "I know there are men here, but women need to help each other."

During her speech, Janet Hranicky used the analogy of Brad Pitt's new movie Moneyball to compare the WIF's power to change perceptions and images.

"It's not about the recognition; it's not about the money," said Hranicky, a board member for Burnett's , named in honor of Burnett's mother who lost her battle to esophageal cancer. "Women in Film has a pivotal role in providing leadership to change the perception in the way the game is played and it has an evolutionary role in the change of consciousness on the planet because media is the most powerful medium we have to educate."

She continued, "Women in general have been naturally good at communicating and seeing the invisible threads that connect us all. This organization is about more than a collection of individual projects. It's using the industry of media to find solutions."

Stephen Powers, CEO of Agape Media International (which will publish Burnett's memoir The Road to Reality next summer) said he was impressed with the manner in which the women networked as they congregated first in Burnett's den and bar area before food was served and the females seated themselves inside and outside.

"One thing about women as opposed to men is there is no elitism," Powers said. "A quality of women is they are more real and have the power of connection."

Maples was among those who left the brunch feeling even more empowered.

"It's always magical to gather with women who know how important it is to come together with like-minded women and who have the power to affect positive change in the medium," said Maples, who recently completed her album Visions of Eternity. "And to do so in Dianne Burnett's gorgeous home made it even more special."