Tears were shed at Chanel ’s Tribeca Film Festival luncheon celebrating women filmmakers on Friday.

Paula Weinstein , Tribeca Enterprises executive vice president, made a speech to a restaurant full of female filmmakers, producers, writers, actresses and gatekeepers that acknowledged just how much things have changed in the entertainment industry.

“In my early days in Hollywood, there was very little reaching back to pull women forward,” she said.

Close to half of this year’s TIFF feature films were directed by women.

Held at Tribeca’s Odeon restaurant attending directors with films in the fest included Ondi Timoner (“Mapplethorpe”), Liz Garbus (“The Fourth Estate”) Assia Boundaoui (“The Feeling of Being Watched”) and Lisa D’Apolito (“Love, Gilda”).

“Blue Night” follows Vivienne (Parker), a singer in New York City, whose world is shattered after she receives some bad news.

The program, presented by Tribeca and CHANEL and facilitated by the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI), discovers and empowers rising filmmakers with project support, master classes, one-on-one mentorship and awards production funds.