There was a lot of talk around the lack of representation of women directors, producers and writers at Sundance this year. Following the Women’s Rally with Jane Fonda, Gloria Allred and Common, we held a panel discussion in the Dell Den with female filmmakers to talk about where we are today, where we are going and how we’ll get there.
Maybe the Academy Awards heard our roar given they nominated three women for Best Original Screenplay. If one of them wins, it will be the first time in 10 years.
But diversity and inclusion isn’t just a Hollywood and film industry conversation. It’s a big conversation in the tech industry, too. So I want to share a few calls to action from the panel and audience discussion with you that I think we can all act on starting today – #FemaleFilmmakerFriday.
Our panelists included filmmakers and media powerhouses Ondi Timoner (Director, Dig! and We Live in Public; two-time Sundance Grand Jury Winner), Robyn Moreno (Co-President, Latina Media Ventures) and Robin Houser (Director and Producer, Bias and CODE). We discussed how they’re using film to impact society and what their experiences are like in today’s world; as well as the underrepresentation for women and people of color on camera and in film.
Take a few minutes to watch it now, or skip past the video to see key takeaways about how we can drive change.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVjpIODz0Pw
Takeaways for women in film, tech and everywhere:
- Make unconscious bias conscious – this is the only way to change it.
- Apply for those jobs and go for it. Robin Hauser shared a study on how women will not apply for jobs if they do not feel 90 or 100 percent confident they qualify.
- If you have a child, go speak at their school. Young women need role models.
- If you’re in a position to do so, hire more women and people of color. You can accomplish this by broadening your selection pool.
- Be bold. We have more power than we think and we need to use it.
- Acting agents need to help female actresses land the next film.
- Include programs in schools to get young women and minorities interested in film.
- Support Latin films and filmmakers by going to watch their films. Vote with your wallet.
- Be loud and own your voice. We can’t stay quiet.
One thing we are doing at Dell is investing in women and film. Dell is a sponsor of Robin Hauser’s Bias documentary, which she made on our technology. Super proud of that and of her amazing work and accomplishments.
Panelist and director, Ondi Timoner concluded the panel by challenging us to collaborate and not to compete with one another. She also encouraged us to challenge others and spread the conversation. I want to do that here. What calls to action would you add? What do you want to see change for women in film or the industry you are in?
