The award, bestowed by fest organiser Barnard College's Athena Center for Leadership Studies and Women and Hollywood, is given in Ziskin's name to a woman in the film industry whose leadership demonstrates vision and courage and sets a standard for other women to emulate, reported Deadline.
The 52-year-old 'Accused' actress becomes the third recipient of the honour, joining Sherry Lansing and Gale Anne Hurd.
The Athena fest, which runs February 5-8, will honor HBO Documentary Films President Sheila Nevins, writer-director-producer Gina Prince-Bythewood and producer Cathy Schulman.