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How to promote gender equity in the European film industry?

Are positive measures required to promote gender equity in the European film industry?

After a Vienna meeting in December 2013 and a Budapest encounter in March 2014, the Eurimages gender equality working group meeting was held in Strasbourg’s Club de la Presse on Monday 13 October. This provided a charming setting overlooking the Place Kléber. Speakers included EWA’s Director, representatives from the Eurimages gender equality working group: Iris Zappe-Heller (OFI, Austria) and Emmanuel Roland (CFB, Belgium) with proceedings being opened by Claudia Luciani, Director of Democratic Governance at the Council of Europe as well as the Council of Europe’s Head of Gender Equality Unit, Carolina Lasen-Diaz.

After the presentations a round table event was held, which grew particulalrly animated as producers Anaïs Bertrand (Insolence Productions), and Pascaline Geoffroy (Seppia), as well as Creative Europe Strasbourg representative Aurélie Réveillaud, took part and  discussed their experiences of and opinions on the current state of the film industry and which measures might be taken to improve gender balance. It was generally agreed that rather than focusing on specific positive measures to address the film industry’s gender gap - more efforts should be undertaken to provide targeted training courses and mentorship to female professionals.

 
The event was attended by representatives from many national film funds, film-makers and representatives from the European Audiovisual Observatory amongst others.