Cinematography is one of the film industry’s least equal fields. In the last five years, women accounted for just 3% of all cinematographers among the 250 top-grossing films.
In what might be the only current effort from a film tech company to address gender disparity behind the camera by offering female-specific grants, the Digital Bolex Grant for Women Cinematographers is now accepting applications.
Here’s their summary of the grant:
Awarded on a rolling basis to short and
feature film productions employing a female cinematographer, the grant program offers
a camera and lighting package loan worth approximately $10,000 to qualified
productions in North America for up to twenty one days.
“The
relationship between a director and cinematographer is the most important on
any film set, and the most famous director/cinematographer pairs have
collaborative relationships spanning decades,” says Elle Schneider, Creative
Director of Digital Bolex, co-producer and cinematographer of 2014 SXSW
selection THAT GUY DICK MILLER. “We
would like to see women cinematographers and directors involved in that kind of
intimate collaborative process, and hope that we can start to help move our
industry in that direction.”
“Fair
wages and access to equipment are crucial for emerging cinematographers of any
gender to support themselves while pursuing their craft and to create bodies of
work that can build a stable, publicly recognized career in the field of
cinematography, and we believe that by providing access to technology to the
hugely underrepresented population of female cinematographers will help
alleviate the massive inequity that keeps women from being able to shoot moving
pictures from their own perspectives.”
Applications
are always open and applicants are selected on a rolling basis throughout the
year by an advisory board of sponsor representatives and working
cinematographers. Both new
and experienced filmmakers are encouraged to apply.
Learn more at the grant’s official site, or send an email to grant@digitalbolex.com.
