WEEKLY SCREEN BRIEFING 24/FEB/23

I send this to my students and colleagues at the Film School, a round-up of interesting articles and insight that caught my eye. Each week has a different focus, and I encourage people at the school to comment, provided additional insight, add articles of their own and start a conversation. Please feel free to do the same below. [Click on the embedded links to see the original source material to dig a little deeper.]

The lack of diversity and inclusion in the film and TV sector was a key topic at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, so I thought it would be timely to highlight some of industry's activity that's attempting to address this on-going and critical issue. Victoria Thomas, who is London Film School’s course leader on MA International Film Business, is also part of Anti-Racism Taskforce for European Film (ARTEF). As part of the European Film Market, the ARTEF held a day-long seminar that laid out an action plan to guide industry towards becoming more inclusive. Its proposals included creating specific funding mechanisms for women, as well as other often-marginalized groups; pushing industry organisations to put in place advisory groups to hold them accountable; and to improve the collection of data. As Thomas said in?Variety, “I think there’s an awakening. We don’t have to explain to people anymore. There’s a general consensus that something needs to be done.”

However, despite ongoing attempts to make industry more inclusive, issues remain. On Sunday, although the UK BAFTAs had diversity in its nominations, the?winners weren't; the only black person in the photo line-up of recipients was the TV presenter of the show. A couple of weeks before this, female French filmmakers called on the César awards committee to address the fact that this year?not one female director has been nominated for an award. A recent article in The Face highlights the fact that in the US, "fewer minorities and women directed movies in 2022. Coupled with this year's disappointing snub of Black women at the Oscars, it’s pretty obvious that Hollywood still has a long way to go." In the week where?Harvey Weinstein continued to cast a dark shadow, the industry cannot afford to rest on its laurels and risk returning to an acceptance of unacceptable behaviour and inequity.

For instance, whilst?a recent report by the Film and TV Charity?shows that improvements in UK production crews’ wellbeing are slowly taking place, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Of the 2,000 industry professionals interviewed, reports of bullying, harassment, and discrimination dropped from 53% in 2021 to 46% in 2022. This may be because industry has started to take the issues seriously. An example of this is BAFTA, Times Up UK and the BFI working together to set up the?Independent Standards Authority?that will address on-set bullying and harassment. Another is the BFI making available?additional funding for a well-being facilitator?on its productions.?

There is not just a moral imperative behind opening-up accessibility to jobs in the sector and making it a safer place to work. There is also a commercial benefit. Creating pathways into industry that judge people on their talent and ability, regardless of who they are and their background, is critical if the industry is going to remain relevant. Audiences want to watch stories that project authentic representations of themselves on the screen, big or small. A study in 2021 by Berkley University has a clear view on this, and shows that?authentic diverse films?actually makes more money at the box office.

According to Gerald Higginbotham, one of the researchers on the project, it was not enough to just have a diverse cast. The key to success was authenticity, “What does it mean to bring an authentic story to a film? That takes this knowledge of the culture, it takes experiences of the culture, and being able to translate that in a way that’s both entertaining and realistic.”??Therefore, to reach wider audiences and remain competitive, the film and TV sector will need people from all backgrounds to create stories that enthral, entertain and educate.?

Change of this magnitude requires genuine engagement to ensure it is meaningful and long term. To quote Mia Farrell, the Director of the Hanson Film TV Institute, in the article from The Face I mentioned earlier, ?“I guess the question is: was it a?real sea change? Like any number of things in culture, things have a?moment, and people are active in supporting it, but then something else comes up and they move on. The sad thing was to see how performative it was for people that you knew were actually also perpetrating some bias behaviour in the workplace.”

It also takes time. However, it is critical that the current move towards a fairer, safer and more inclusive industry does not lose momentum. As Thomas says, “We saw how many people felt unseen, underrepresented, and they wanted to be visible. It’s not going to be easy going forward, but I think it was also a starting point, because it triggered a whole lot of ideas. You’re trying to dismantle centuries of infrastructure that clearly doesn’t work anymore. I think it’s baby steps.”

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