Who we are
Women in Film and Television International is a voluntary foundation promoting greater representation of women on screen and behind the camera, with a membership of over thirteen thousand professionals worldwide. Women in Film and Television Ireland is a branch of Women in Film and Television International. The Irish branch is a voluntary body run by film and TV professionals of international standing. Our committee members represent the creative, business and technical divisions of the Irish audiovisual sector. We are all internationally credited and the recipients of industry-recognized awards. Our intention in creating this organization is to ensure that the film and television industry functions as a meritocratic, sustainable and successful force into the future.
Contact WFT Ireland at: info@wft.ie
Context
As a creative industry, leadership appointments in film and television are – through necessity – made using subjective judgments of creative ability, leadership quality and natural authority. But the international media industry has become increasingly atomized and decentralized over the past twenty years. With little industrial regulation or governance in place, these personal judgments are at increasing risk of unconscious bias.
As a consequence, we find fewer women are working as film and television directors and screenwriters today than there were two decades ago. Our closest neighbours in Directors UK report that only 8% of all working directors are female. This represents a significant year on year decline. In the US, of the top 250 grossing American films, only 7% were directed by women, marking a drop of two percentage points in twenty years. We are at an all time low. Without active engagement with this problem, traditional gender misconceptions and unconscious bias will increasingly hamper our industry.
Film and television play a profound and formative role in the cultural and economic life of our citizens, our society and our country. Yet there are scant figures available to quantify women’s participation in the Irish film and television industry. What we do know is that in the twenty year period, 1993-2013, only 13% of Irish-produced screenplays were penned by female writers. Comparable figures across Europe suggest that the percentage of women in directing remains in the single figures. Women in Film and Television’s aim is to create an equally balanced gender landscape in the audiovisual industry.
Our strategy
Women in Film and Television seeks to achieve gender balance in our industry by:
- Working towards equal employment opportunities for women
- Ensuring unconscious bias is eliminated in hiring practice
- Researching and maintaining quantitative data on women working in the audiovisual sector
- Providing a forum and networking opportunities for female industry professionals
- Supporting women’s continued professional development
- Spotlighting media women’s professional achievements
- Supporting diverse and positive representations of women in industry
- Supporting female professionals working in the audiovisual sector
Action plan
Women in Film and Television is a voluntary organization. Our intention is to ensure that the film and television industry functions as a meritocratic, sustainable and successful force into the future.
In order to achieve our aims, we offer a solutions-led approach and will undertake the following:
- Commission a detailed statistical analysis of the Irish film and television industry
- Offer support to companies, public bodies and institutions currently lacking female participation in leadership
- Administer a professional membership register
- Host masterclass events
- Host networking events
Gender imbalance in film and television presents a socio-economic and cultural problem. We can, and must resolve this issue to ensure the sustainability, and growth of Ireland’s €550 million audiovisual sector.
