It appears that Lucy was a presenter again at the New Zealand WIFTI Awards (Women in Film and Television International) in New Zealand judging by the following tweet submitted by Barbara Davies:
http://twitter.com/frayzoor/statuses/3163342055
#WIFT Lucy lawless presenting outstanding contribution award: caterina
de nave. Very well deserved.
On trying to find out when Lucy was last at the WIFTI I came across this article:
A CONVERSATION WITH LUCY LAWLESS, WIFTI PATRON
"I just want to do the work," stated actress and 2004 WIFTI World Summit patron Lucy Lawless during a moderated conversation before a packed Summit crowd. "I want to make people laugh and make them cry." Lucy mainly had us laughing with her enthusiasm for life and her irrepressible sense of humor, not only that day but throughout the World Summit in April 2004. A native of New Zealand and longtime WIFT Auckland member, Lucy was involved in many activities at the Summit.
The hour-long conversation with the star of the cult television favorite Xena: Warrior Princess and veteran actress of many other films helped remind us all that the current trendiness of New Zealand as a "hot" filming location really began with Hercules, in which the Xena character was introduced, and then solidified when Xena was spun-off with her own series. Both series ran for many years, bringing New Zealand's gorgeous locations and multi-talented crew base to the attention of producers worldwide.
Lucy's love of her craft was obvious during the course of the conversation. When asked which medium she preferred, TV or film, she described them as the "performance sampler pack of life - I like them all... Film and TV are not different at all. It's that big, friendly black eye of the camera." What's important, she went on to say, was that you get to work "in an atmosphere where you can be free to fail; where you can work together with the crew to make things happen." Was "Xena: Warrior Princess" the high point of her career? Lucy replied that she hopes that is yet to come. "The things I'm really proud of - I'm proud of my work and the way we went about it. The demands of the (Xena) schedule needed a good work ethic. But I don't want to be the morale leader anymore or the cheerleader. I just want to do the work." Lucy admitted that she wanted to be an actress her whole life. She recounted a story from her childhood about when an uncle asked her, "What do you want to be when you grow up, Lucy Ryan?" To which she replied, without hesitation and with great enthusiasm, "Famous!"
Lucy's goals now include working back home in New Zealand more, even though she splits her time between New Zealand and the United States. She reveals that she would like to do something "culturally significant", explaining, "I used to think that I was a citizen of the planet, but I'm not. I'm a citizen of New Zealand. I'm proud to be a Kiwi. I think Bette Davis said, 'Do you drop out as you age or take the diminishing roles and make something more of it?' I want to fill my life with rich jewels, no coulda, woulda, shoulda. I hope that on my deathbed that I can go 'Yes! I sucked up life!'"
Lucy's involvement with WIFT is important to her, giving her "integrity of purpose." Being patron to the World Summit provided, she says, "such a joyous week hanging out with you guys. I had a tricky time earlier this year, so to come along this week and be in the moment has been so good for my spirit. It's been a real boost." She went on to add that, "I've been very blessed. I fell in with a production that was the first to revive the female action hero...Now look at Buffy and Alias."
Like many professional women, Lucy Lawless still finds time to be mother to her three children. In the future, she would like to do more writing, in which she is more interested than directing. But acting is still her love. "It's a great career. I need to have a real connection to people. You're paid to feel things deeply." Those of us who attended the World Summit in Auckland last April were also blessed and grateful to experience Lucy's incredible energy, naughty wit and down-to-earth attitude, as well as her much appreciated patronage.
SCENES: GLIMPSES & HIGHLIGHTS Lucy and Friends
WIFTI Summit patron, Lucy Lawless, in what many of us found
to be "typical" Kiwi fashion, gently corralled about 12 women
from various countries who were attending the Summit for an
impromptu performances before the screening of Gaylene
Preston's latest film, "Perfect Strangers." Called "Lucy &
Friends", attendees were treated to an assortment of talent
including poetry readings by Doreen Blunt of Washington, DC,
USA and Sherry Richardson of Atlanta, Georgia, USA; a
recounting of her experiences with Mother Theresa in India by
Pratibha Parmar of the United Kingdom, a re-telling of a
Greek myth by Gayle Economos of Baltimore, Maryland, USA,
with the grand finale a lovely rendition of the Judy Collins'
song "Suzanne" by none other than Lucy herself.