Board of Management meeting in Ljubljana (Tuesday 8 December).
At its October 2015 meeting in Tbilissi, the Eurimages’ Board of Management committed itself to adopting an overall strategy to promote gender equality in the European film industry. As part of this strategy, the Board of Managment established a permanent working group, replacing the study group which existed previously.
During the December meeting of the Board in Llubjlana, this working group decided to move forward with implementation of the action plan adopted after the Sarajevo declaration of August 2015 and to enhance the range of awareness-raising initiatives foreseen. They decided to create an award for a female film director, to organize masterclasses led by experienced female film authors and to support coaching and training for women aspiring to a career in the industry.
These last two measures proved to be of special interest to the group of woman professionals attending the public meeting hosted by the Slovenian Film Fund and the Eurimages Gender Equality Group, which took place at the Slovenian Film and TV Academy (AGRFT) on the occasion of the Board meeting in Slovenia.
Female producers, directors, fim critics and journalists were present, as well as key figures from the public fund. Urša Menart, a young documentary director, emphasised that the period immediately after graduation is of critical importance in the career of a filmmaker. This, she felt, was also a period when systematic support was most needed by female filmmakers in order to stay active within the industry.
The meeting ended on a very positive note, with two important announcements:
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The director of the Slovenian Film Centre, Joško Rutar, announced his commitment to start looking at what measures could be taken to deal with gender equality issues at the level of the Fund;
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The filmmakers and other film professionals present decided to establish a civil society body in order to make their voices heard and gain visibility for gender issues.