Category: Diversity

Filmmaker Cinder Chou Tells How a Smelly Sweater Inspired “What Happened to Susan”

January 20, 2016

We live in a very complicated world, but sometimes it’s the little everyday things that can really drive you mad. For writer/director Cinder Chou, a fairly mundane annoyance became the inspiration for her first film, What Happened to Susan, screening on February 20th at 8 p.m. as part of the Winter Film Awards Festival in New York … More Filmmaker Cinder Chou Tells How a Smelly Sweater Inspired “What Happened to Susan”

DGA Publishes Inaugural Feature Film Diversity Report

December 10, 2015

Two-Year Study Reveals Women Account For Only 6.4% of Film Directors – Dropping to Just 3% for Major Box Office Titles.  Warner Bros and Disney hired no female directors at all, despite collectively releasing 53 films in total. The Directors Guild of America (DGA) today released its inaugural Feature Film Diversity Report analyzing the gender … More DGA Publishes Inaugural Feature Film Diversity Report

Gender Parity in Theatre #‎ParityPerc‬

December 7, 2015

Now you can read the entire series on Gender Parity in Theatre on HowlRound.com curated by Women in the Arts & Media Coalition Co-President, Shellen Lubin. #‎ParityPerc‬ Click here to see all the articles in the piece! Exploration on How Change Happens and Where We Go From Here by Shellen Lubin StageSource’s Gender Parity Task … More Gender Parity in Theatre #‎ParityPerc‬

Inside Afghanistan’s Extraordinary DSLR Revolution

November 19, 2015

Until 2001, taking or having photographs was outlawed in Afghanistan. But after the Taliban lost their stranglehold on the country, what followed was nothing short of a photojournalist uprising. The weapons of choice? DSLR. From NoFilmSchool.com: In their feature documentary Frame by Frame, which can now be requested through Gathr’s Theatrical-On-Demand, Alexandria Bombach and Mo … More Inside Afghanistan’s Extraordinary DSLR Revolution

25 Great Movies About Racism That Are Worth Your Time

June 22, 2015

From TasteOfCinema.com: Racism is the most troubling societal issue, it is the bane of our existence on this space rock, preventing us from becoming more understanding of each other and living in a world free of hatred and suffering. Once, there was no concept of racism at all, not because it did not exist, but … More 25 Great Movies About Racism That Are Worth Your Time

China to Send Filmmakers to Countryside for "Ideological Training"

December 8, 2014

 In a Mao Zedong-style move, authorities tell China’s media elite it should learn from the peasantry In the latest in what is being seen as a crackdown on cultural affairs in the country, China’s media watchdog wants to send filmmakers and TV producers to the countryside “to do field study and experience life.” The move, … More China to Send Filmmakers to Countryside for "Ideological Training"

Russia's Obscenity Law Will Crush Independent Film

July 18, 2014

New legislation is being so quickly adopted in Russia today that anyone tracking it is bound to be suffering from a case of whiplash. Hundreds of new legal initiatives have already been ratified this year alone. Among the more frustrating and misguided laws to be adopted is the law that bans swearing in films, books and music. Although the swearing legislation technically only bans four obscene words … More Russia's Obscenity Law Will Crush Independent Film

Here's Why Female-Driven Films Are Important Right Now

June 4, 2014

By Alexis Ostrander Korycinski, IndieWire:  Korycinski, an award-winning filmmaker, is currently in pre-production on “The Haircut,” a short film about the first class of female cadets, as part of the 40th annual AFI Directing Workshop for Women. “The Haircut” team recently received the $5,000 Creative District Grant. Creative District, which Indiewire called “LinkedIn, but tailored … More Here's Why Female-Driven Films Are Important Right Now

Women in Hollywood Seeking to Help Out New Female Filmmakers

April 9, 2014

From Jezebel.com:  A group of high profile Hollywood women are joining a new initiative that seeks to help the next generation of female directors. “Females First” is a project that looks to established industry names to select work from women they think deserve to be highlighted. Jane Campion and Helen Mirren are among those participating … More Women in Hollywood Seeking to Help Out New Female Filmmakers

Controversial films and the MPAA

March 25, 2014

From Doctor RJ for Daily Kos Darren Aronofsky’s Noah and Lars von Trier‘s Nymphomaniac are being released this month. The movies are controversial for very different reasons, but they’re both indicative of the hot-button topics and issues that seem to always outrage some sector of society. Creationists are outraged and demanding equal time on Fox’s … More Controversial films and the MPAA

Where’s the Diversity, Hollywood? 85 Years of the Academy Awards

March 12, 2014

From Lee and Low The Academy Awards will soon unveil the very best in filmmaking in 2014. As the prediction chatter ricochets around the web, our curiosity about the level of racial and gender representation of the Academy Awards is the focus of our next Diversity Gap study. We reviewed the Academy’s entire 85-year history … More Where’s the Diversity, Hollywood? 85 Years of the Academy Awards

Taking Aim At Gender Bias In Movies w/ The Bechdel Test. How Would It Work w/ Race?

November 13, 2013

by Tambay A. Obenson, Shadow and Act Does your film pass the Bechdel Test? Imagine if the test caught on here in the USA. Theaters in Sweden have adopted the test as a new way to highlight gender bias in cinema. In short, if your movie passes the Bechdel test, it gets a passing grade. … More Taking Aim At Gender Bias In Movies w/ The Bechdel Test. How Would It Work w/ Race?

Where Are All the Zombies of Colour?

November 7, 2013

By Jenn, The Nerds of Color I don’t mean the zombie survivors. I mean the zombies. Ironically, The Walking Dead is pretty racially diverse compared to other zombie movies in the genre. Remember Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake? There are, in that case, two sole surviving Black men, although one (Mekhi Phifer’s Andre) is singularly stupid. Meanwhile, … More Where Are All the Zombies of Colour?