Rome, 17 November 2022 – The song Applause, an ode to women’s empowerment from the film Tell it like a woman, composed by 13-time Academy Award nominee Diane Warren and performed by singer-songwriter, actress and activist Sofia Carson, was awarded Best Song in an Independent Film at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, a ceremony celebrating musical compositions in all arts and media (film, documentary, video games).

Applause was also selected by Deadline as one of the most celebrated soundtracks of the year and a favourite among the nominations for the upcoming Oscar ceremony.  The video was produced by ILBE – Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment and We Do It Together.

“The recognition we received last night, on such a landmark stage for the world of film and music as the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, is confirmation that Tell it like a woman and Applause, with contributions from the great Diane Warren and Sofia Carson, are a true celebration of female empowerment,” comments Andrea Iervolino founder and producer ILBE, “As a producer I can only be proud to have contributed to this ambitious project, having international talent and stories that will inspire future generations.”

The film, which had its world premiere at the Taormina Film Festival last July, is an all-female anthology that, through seven short films made by eight female directors, highlights stories of women, courage, and determination.

 “I’m so honored to have written the song, ‘Applause’ for the powerful film Tell It Like a Woman. To be part of a film that promotes women in front of and behind the camera has been a very rewarding experience,” said Warren. “Sofia Carson’s beautiful and dynamic voice embodies the emotion and strength of both the song and its message.”

 “I am honored to be the voice of ‘Applause,’” says Carson. “An anthem dedicated to the women of the world. A deeply timely reminder to applaud ourselves for how far we’ve come, and to applaud ourselves for how far we will go. Because we fight like women, we survive like women, and we do it together. On behalf of all women, thank you, Diane, for giving us Applause.”

 From Italy to Argentina, from India to the United States via Japan, Tell it like a woman directors Maria Sole Tognazzi, Lucía Puenzo, Catherine Hardwicke, Leena Yadav, Mipo O, Taraji P. Henson, Lucia Bulgheroni, and Silvia Carobbio have brought tales from true stories to the big screen – as in the case of Pepcy & Kim, a short film centered on the life of Kim Carter, a drug addict with a criminal past who struggles to free herself from her demons, and Elbows Deep, Catherine Hardwicke’s short film centered on the story of the medical director of a Los Angeles center that provides health care to the homeless. Some shorts, on the other hand, are the product of the imagination of female screenwriters, as in the case of Sharing a Ride, a drama signed by Leena Yadav that tells the story of a self-styled progressive’s encounter with a transgender woman, an encounter that will force her to reexamine her own unconscious prejudices.

Diane Warren

Diane Warren, one of the most celebrated songwriters in modern music, has written nine songs ranked #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and thirty-two top 10 hits and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001. She has received 13 Oscar nominations, 15 Grammys, one Emmy, and two Golden Globes, and her songs have been featured in more than 100 movies. Recently, she won a Golden Globe and received an Oscar nomination for the original song “lo Si (Seen)’ from the 2020 film The Life Ahead and received an Oscar nomination for the 2021 original song “Somehow You Do” performed by Reba McEntire for the film Four Good Days. Diane Warren is also the sole owner of her publishing company Realsongs, the most successful female-owned and operated company in the music industry. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Diane Warren is the first female singer selected to receive an honorary Oscar, which will be presented at the Academy’s 13th annual Governors Awards in November 2022.

Sofia Carson

Sofia Carson is a force of nature who has forged a singular path in music, film, television, and philanthropy. Carson is a multi-platinum, award-nominated singer and songwriter. She has achieved more than 2.5 billion streams, more than 8.5 billion total music consumption, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200. She recently released her self-produced album. He recently released his self-produced debut album. This year, Carson played Cassie in the Netflix global phenomenon Purple Hearts. She also served as executive producer and co-wrote and performed the film’s original soundtrack. Purple Hearts debuted at #1 globally and broke several viewing records on Netflix. It is one of the top 10 most-watched movies of all time on Netflix, with over 220 million hours of viewing in its first 28 days. Following the success of Purple Hearts, Sofia will star alongside Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman in the Netflix and Amblin thriller Carry On. In addition, she has starred in Netflix’s Feel The Beat, Michael Bay’s Songbird, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, and the global Disney phenomenon Descendants. As a philanthropist, she is an ambassador for UNICEF in the United States. She is committed to using her voice to engage young people around the world to relentlessly pursue an equitable world for every child through the life-saving power of education.

ILBE

Iervolino and Lady Bacardi Entertainment S.p.A. (ILBE) is a global production company, formerly known as Iervolino Entertainment (IE), founded by Andrea Iervolino and active in the production of film and television content including, mainly, films, TV shows, animated web series.  The Company also operates through its subsidiaries Arte Video, Red Carpet, IES Serbia, and Iexchange. And it has been listed on the AIM Italia market of Borsa Italiana since August 2019. In 2020, ILBE reported revenues of €120.7 million, EBIT of €22.8 million, and a net income of €19.5 million. www.ilbegroup.it/com

We Do It Together

We Do It Together (WDIT) is a 501(C)  (3) nonprofit film production company to pursue gender equality in society through the production of media content and films created “about women, by women, created for everyone.” We Do It Together was founded in 2015 by director and producer Chiara Tilesi and launched at the United Nations in 2016. The philosophy behind WDIT is to work together with men and women in the field and change the way women are represented in media and film.  www.wedoittogether.org