The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada is proud to announce that award-winning actress, writer, director and producer Devery Jacobs will receive the Impact Award at this year’s inaugural Canadian event in Toronto on May 30. The award is being presented to Jacobs in partnership with the Indigenous Screen Office.
The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada’s IMPACT Award was created to recognize the positive impact of Canadian trailblazers who are changing the narrative in media and entertainment by driving and creating opportunities for better representation and voices that reflect the full, authentic lived experiences of women.
Devery Jacobs is one of Hollywood’s most exciting rising stars. As a socially conscious voice from Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory, she uses her platform to advocate for Indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ rights.
Jacobs has amassed a significant body of work in several film and television productions with a wide reach in genres. She stars in the new Marvel series Echo, which launched on Disney+ in early 2024 to rave reviews. She also recently voiced the character “Kahhori” in Marvel’s What If….? series. The character is Marvel’s first Indigenous-Mohawk superhero and Jacobs speaks exclusively in the Mohawk language.
Jacobs starred as one of the leads in the groundbreaking, critically acclaimed FX/Hulu series Reservation Dogs, which follows a group of four Indigenous teens who live on an Oklahoma reservation. For her performance as “Elora Danan,” Jacobs earned back-to-back 2023 and 2024 Critics’ Choice Award nominations for “Best Actress in a Comedy Series” and a Gotham Award nomination for “Outstanding Performance in a New Series.” Jacobs was also a writer on the series and directed the seventh episode of season three.
Jacobs’ producorial debut narrative film Backspot, which is also executive produced by Elliot Page and directed by D.W. Waterson, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and will soon be released theatrically.
Jacobs’ first breakout role came when she was cast as the lead in the award-winning feature film Rhymes For Young Ghouls, resulting in a nomination for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” at the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards.
Jacobs has also explored the other side of the camera, with her directorial debut of the short film Stolen, which won “Best Aboriginal Film” at the 2017 Yorkton Film Festival. Her second short film, Rae, garnered “Best Youth Work” prize at the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival and was also an official selection of the 2018 Palm Springs Shortfest. The feature film This Place, co-written by Jacobs, was named a recipient of the Talent to Watch fund from Telefilm Canada.
Jacobs’ other passion lies in Indigenous rights and LGBTQ2S+ activism. While pursuing her acting career, Jacobs studied to be a counsellor and worked at the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal. She was an original founder of the Kahnawà:ke Youth Forum and has recently been focusing her activism through her art, hoping to create change within communities, and to alter the perspective of how modern Indigenous people are seen.
Don’t miss the chance to be part of this exciting new Canadian event taking place on Thursday, May 30 at the Park Hyatt Toronto. Tickets are now available for The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada summit at the introductory rate for a limited time.
As previously announced, actress, producer and author Kim Cattrall will be honoured with the ICON Award, Canadian filmmaker and director Deepa Mehta will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award, and mental health advocate and author Sophie Grégoire Trudeau will be featured in a Keynote Interview during the inaugural summit.
To purchase a ticket or for more information please visit our website at: www.womeninentertainment.ca. More awards, programming and schedule announcements coming soon!
Need a hotel? Use code G-HRC2 to book your room at the Park Hyatt Toronto at our discounted rate.
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