Women only make up 20% of behind-the-scenes roles in TV and Film. Tribeca’s newest program, Through Her Lens, aims to change that.
According to research from SDSU’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, women only made up 20% of key behind-the-scenes roles in 2014. It’s a percentage that is very concerning since women make up half of the U.S. population. Often times, there are not enough programs directed towards helping women become filmmakers, but that’s about to change.
Tribeca Film Festival and Chanel intend to change those numbers with Through Her Lens, a new program that will provide filmmakers with support for their new projects. From their website, Tribeca describes their new program as:
“Inaugural three-day workshop in collaboration with Pulse Films and supported by Tribeca Film Institute® will provide seven female filmmakers with project support, master classes and mentorship, and award $75,000 for project development.”
From October 26-28th, the participants attended a variety of workshops, which included “script to screen development, story structure, casting, finding collaborators, festival strategy and distribution”. The program culminated with presentations of their projects to the Leadership committee for Through Her Lens. The committee consisted of many notable Hollywood women like Patricia Clarkson, Mary Harron, Mynette Louie, Julianne Moore, Debora Cahn, Leslye Headland, Donna Gigliotti, Riva Marker, Emily Mortimer, Celia Costas, Catherine Hardwicke, Ellen Lewis, and Lydia Pilcher.
Anna Martemucci was chosen as the recipient of the $75,000 grant for production support from Pulse Films and Tribeca Digital Studios.
Source: Tribeca Film
Martemucci’s selected project, One Cambodian Family Please for My Pleasure, centered on “a young mother living in the bleakest of American landscapes seeks to help a refugee family despite her own hardships and through her desire, reveals truths about herself, America, and the nature of the word “freedom”. Martemucci got her start as a writer and director with the film Hollidaysburger and her screenplay was honored by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
By supporting women’s voices in cinema, Tribeca Film Festival and Chanel are giving women the opportunity to break through the film industry and have their voices heard. To view the entire list of the talented filmmakers who participated in the inaugural year of Through Her Lens, head on over to Tribeca’s website for more information.