AWD works to support and promote the work, visibility, and professional development for women-identifying and gender non-conforming directors through a variety of programs including screenings, educational events, and networking events both for their members, and the general public.
Celebrating AWD Achievements of 2017
Year 2017 was a year of paradigm shifts with "Wonder Woman" becoming the top grossing origins film of all time and sexual harassment scandals and their aftermath permeating as topic-du-jour. Alliance of Women Directors contributed to the productive metamorphosis and campaigned for the continuous growth of women representation in the entertainment industry.
AWD has a lot to celebrate this year, an obvious cause célèbre being our 20th Anniversary. This milestone helped us spring forward in our outreach, educational programs, and networking and craft-enrichment events. We are now a 280+ members-strong organization of emerging and established TV and film directors, whose experience secured placements in the CBS and DGA Mentorship Programs, WB Emerging Film Directors Workshop, and Ryan Murphy's Half Initiative; led to two Oscar-qualifying short films; and involved participation in many panels on diversity and inclusion.
Numerous veteran filmmakers participated in an expanded number of AWD events. Throughout the year we’ve hosted Living Room Chats with Patty Jenkins and Dan Attias, CBS Episodic Directing panel with Kimberly Peirce and Anna Mastro, Writers Boot Camp with Lesli Linka Glatter, Pre-production Workshop with Mary Lou Belli, TV Shadowing How-To with Hanelle Culpepper, and developed our In-House Shadowing and Industry Support program. Our exclusive mixers with ICFC, Film Powered, Women in Media, PGA, WGA, ICG, Cinefemme, Alliance for Women Film Composers, The Society of Composers and Lyricists, and ASC were in high demand. Equally thriving were the industry panels “The Future Is Female” at the HollyShorts and AFM, multiple “50/50 by 2020” gender parity discussions, and the salon with ACLU’s Melissa Goodman strategizing solutions to hiring bias.
AWD’s outreach was multi-faceted. We have developed our Atlanta branch (launching in January 2018), sponsored female-helmed films at upper-tier festivals (Marianna Palka’s “Bitch” at Sundance NextFest, Camille Thoman’s “Never Here” at LAFF, and Noël Well’s “Mr. Roosevelt” and Ildikó Enyedi’s “On Body and Soul” at AFI FEST), participated in industry screenings (“Lady Bird” by Greta Gerwig and “Mudbound” by Dee Rees), and enhanced our burgeoning reputation through expanded social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Monthly Newsletter). And we rebranded our logo with a new website to follow!
Alliance of Women Directors’ commitment to its members is the foundation of the organization. Benefiting from ESC’s Developing Development Program, we strive to provide more opportunities and mentorships, create robust partnerships with industry professionals, and support career advancement. As a volunteer-based organization, we are thankful to our board members, committee chairs, and contributors for their selfless investment into AWD, and to all our partners who support us in our mission of magnifying the voices of women directors. Here’s to an even grander 2018!
To cap the year of extensive achievements, let's celebrate in style at Pour Vous!
As we celebrate our individual and joint accomplishments, one of AWD's biggest goals is to hire an Executive Director to embody the role of an advocate for all our qualified, professional members, to speak as our voice to the studios, networks and diversity programs, and to campaign as a steadfast champion for equality and change.
Our volunteer-based organization has grown spectacularly this year and, to remain on its trajectory, it will require hiring someone to focus exclusively on expanding our Career Advancement programs, to spearhead our Film Development Pipeline with the guilds, to instate a Film Finishing Fund with greenlight power, and to continue to offer impactful events, like our Fireside Chats and masterclasses.
We must empower ourselves and our prospective Executive Director to be the best we can be. Your support would transform this goal into reality. A tax-deductible donation request campaign will follow shortly. Please consider contributing and spreading the word in support of women filmmakers.
East Coast News
Our Atlanta Branch Will Open to Membership in January 2018!
Join the Atlanta Chair Chaun Pinkston and the Leadership Committee for a Holiday Meet and Greet. Please spread the word to friends and colleagues in the Atlanta region.
AWD member Soma Helmi directed one of the episodes for CA Technologies' mini docu-series exploring diversity in STEM. It recently premiered on YouTube.
AWD member Julia Verdin screened her film "Lost Girls" during Social Messaging through Film seminar presented by Artists for Change and The Camera Division, followed by a discussion about making of the film and effective messaging through narrative storytelling.
FlyGirls, a documentary series by AWD member Matia Karrell, screened at The Museum of Flying with 3 Women Airforce Service Pilots and 5 Female Military Aviators in attendance.
The roundtable's lively discussion focused on the current developments in the industry: lack of female directors, strife for parity in front and behind camera, and the tangible increase in viewership of projects helmed by women or having new viewpoints toward storylines and characters.
Davis' interest in this topic originated from observing the lack of female characters in children's programming that later expanded toward casting diversity and unconscious bias. Both Davis and McGowan agreed that choosing a director often falls into the conscious bias category, which then trickles down to the department heads, as experienced by McGowan. To combat that, McGowan setup Film Powered, a community of almost 1,500 women in the industry that allows for networking and sharing knowledge and expertise on a barter-basis. Hand and Whitaker added that DuVernay provided them with a new experience of having a director actively seek underrepresented above- and below-the-line talent. The panel attendees left with an inspirational advice from Hand to not give up because there are an increasing number of opportunities to be heard in a highly-connected world.
"The Future Is Female" roundtable was organized by AWD board member Kate Rees Davies. More information about the panel can be found in Shoot.
Panel: Wendy Calhoun, Geena Davis, Jen McGowan, Catherine Hand, and Jim Whitaker.
Above: Calhoun, Davis, and Jennifer Warren. Images courtesy of AFM.
AWD Sponsors Films at AFI FEST 2017
Alliance of Women Directors sponsored two films that screened during AFI FEST 2017:
Mr. Roosevelt, directed by Noël Wells (feature debut), tells the story of Emily Martin who returns to her college town and is forced to spend the weekend with her ex-boyfriend and his new and improved girlfriend.
On Body and Soul, directed by Ildikó Enyedi, creates an uncanny world in which two individuals working in a slaughterhouse, who share the same dream at night, decide to recreate it in daylight.
Members Successes and Updates
Rosser Goodman Part of Fatelink's
30 Days/30 Directors Initiative
AWD member Rosser Goodman is one of the directors included in the 30 Days/30 Directors initiative. In her interview, Goodman addresses her preparation and development approaches, the narrative of the queer filmmaking, distribution advice, and the trust on and off set.
AWD Members Fetted at AFI FEST
21st Century Fox hosted a breakfast honoring alumnaes of Fox Filmmakers Lab at the AFI FEST 2017.
Alliance of Women Directors members attended discussions around women empowerment, interactive workshops, and one-on-one sessions with top executives, casting directors, a networking reception at the Women Creating Change event.
Top: WCC attendees participate in one-on-one sessions. Bottom: Ruby E. Lopez (Women in Film), Tema Staig (Women in Media), and Kate Rees Davis (Alliance of Women Directors) address WCC attendees.
Photos by: Karen C Photography and Mary-Lyn Chambers
Donations to Alliance of Women Directors, a 501(c) (3) charitable organization, are tax-deductible and help us grow our programs and expand our advocacy to serve even more women directors.
Help us raise all voices!
