Women in Film and Television International and the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) are tackling inclusion in the film industry. With support from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and Walt Disney Studios, the orgs will host The Power of Inclusion Summit this fall, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The two-day event “will look at the changes enveloping the industry through discussion of issues, including how distribution models are being disrupted, how the boundaries of storytelling are being pushed, and how the technology landscape is widening — all with a focus on representation, gender, and diversity.”
Directors Niki Caro (the upcoming “Mulan” remake,“The Zookeeper’s Wife”) and Haifaa Al-Mansour (“Mary Shelley”), writer-producer Philippa Boyens (the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” franchises), Annenberg Inclusion Initiative founder and director Dr. Stacy L. Smith, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, and more will attend the event, scheduled for October 3-4 in Auckland, New Zealand.
“[The Power of Inclusion Summit] demonstrates New Zealand’s international leadership in women’s rights and reinforces New Zealand’s commitment to equality in the industry,” said NZFC CEO Annabelle Sheehan. “The summit will be a dynamic forum for expanding the opportunities for real global connection that comes with the rising wave of underrepresented voices now breaking through old screen industry norms and barriers. In hosting the summit the New Zealand voice will figure in the expanding global screen economy.”
News of the summit comes on the heels of the NZFC announcing the recipients of its 125 Fund, THR notes. Commemorating the 125 years women have had the vote in New Zealand and the nation’s contribution to global women’s rights, the investment fund awarded $1.25 million NZ ($850k USD) each to three narrative films featuring a woman director and a woman in at least one other key creative role.
The 125 Fund awardees are “Hawk Mountain,” from writer-director Loren Taylor (“Eagle vs Shark”) and producers Georgina Conder and Ainsley Gardiner (“She Shears”); “The Justice of Bunny King,” directed by Gaysorn Thavat (“Brave Donkey”), written by Sophie Henderson (“Fantail”), and produced by Emma Slade (“The Changeover”); and “Poppy,” from writer-director Linda Niccol (“Second Hand Wedding”) and producer Susan Parker (“Loving in Limbo”).
