Friends,

Let’s not pretend that 2016 hasn’t been a tough year. But as I wrote after the election, we here at Women and Hollywood are deeply committed to continuing and expanding our work in light of what will most likely be a difficult couple of years.

We believe that stories — diverse stories told by diverse groups of people — are what we are going to need to endure the coming storm. So our promise is that we will keep pushing, agitating, and amplifying women’s voices.

2016 was a big transition year for the work of Women and Hollywood. The blog moved to Medium, where it looks gorgeous, and we launched a new aggregate site for all the additional work the project takes on. Here’s a reflection on our ninth anniversary.

This past year, I participated in, instigated and partnered on events in London, Australia (here’s another post), Cannes, and Toronto. People are not complaining (well they are) about the lack of opportunities for women, they are doing something about it. Because clearly, the people at the top are not concerned since we haven’t seen any movement in the numbers. But it will happen and it will happen because women won’t give up.

So as this year ends and we move into 2017, which will be the 10th year of Women and Hollywood, I want to thank everyone who reads the site and spends time with us on social media and in the real world for all the support and love.

2017 will be very exciting for Women and Hollywood. It marks 10 years since that day in the fall of 2007 when I opened the blogger website and picked the name and just started, not having a clue as to what I was doing. And now, I still don’t believe all the wonderful things that have come from this crazy idea. We have helped build a movement and we have endured, persevered, and thrived.

I remain an optimistic person. I have seen much change happen in my lifetime. I know that things will continue to improve for women filmmakers and for female storytellers. But I also know that it won’t be easy. We’ve made all the arguments. The research is clear. This is a fight. A fight we will never give up on. It’s too important.

I want to thank all the people that helped make Women and Hollywood a success this year. None of this would happen without you. Happy holidays.