EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Halle Berry is set to headline the 12th annual espnW: Women+Sports Summit, where she will talk about her feature directing debut Bruised.
The in-person/virtual event will be held October 18-20 at The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, north of San Diego.
Berry will sit with SportsCenter anchor and Summit host Sage Steele on the first day of the summit for a keynote discussion of Bruised, in which Berry also stars as a mixed martial arts fighter.
“Each year the Summit brings together intriguing executives and personalities for much-needed conversations at the intersection of women, sports, and culture,” said Laura Gentile, and EVP, Commercial Marketing, Networks & ESPN and founder of espnW. “We are honored to welcome Halle as the opening keynote to discuss her inspired directorial debut with Bruised. It’s the perfect conversation to kick off our event.”
Bruised stars Berry as former MMA fighter Jackie Justice, who who left the sport in disgrace, down on her luck and simmering with rage and regret years after her last bout. She’s coaxed into a brutal underground fight by her manager and boyfriend and grabs the attention of a fight league promoter who promises Jackie a life back in the Octagon. But the road to redemption becomes unexpectedly personal when the son she gave up as an infant shows up at her doorstep.
Watch on Deadline
Berry directs from a script by Michelle Rosenfarb. The pic premieres November 24 on Netflix.
All programming from this year’s espnW: Women+Sports Summit will be livestreamed across select espnW and ESPN digital and social platforms. The full agenda for this year’s event will be announced in the coming weeks.
