Istanbul Film Festival: Empowerment of women in the film industry – what’s next?
DCI turns the spotlight on gender inequality in cinema at this year’s
Istanbul Film Festival.
This April is filled to the brim with golden tulips, a Mediterranean climate and captivating cinematic arts. From 5 – 16 April Istanbul International Film Festival will be unfolding for the 38th time.
In collaboration with the American Embassy of Ankara and the Swedish General Consulate, DCI takes part in the festival which offers a variety of film premieres, music, art, design and theatre events.
Under the heading “Empowerment of women in the film industry: what’s next?” we attempt to assess and report on gender inequality in cinema. We will be joined by an international panel of female film professionals who will dissect the collective push for gender equality – amongst these, Danish documentarist Mette-Ann Schepelern, Swedish film producer Helene Granqvist, Ana Souza from the Sundance Institute in the U.S. and DCI’s Senior Advisor, Füsun Eriksen.
Melis Behlil, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, will be moderating the event.
The questions are both numerous and relevant. How far have we come so many years after the women’s liberation movement first struck a chord? What has led to the skewed gender representation in the film industry, and which initiatives have women’s organizations shown to promote a gender balance in the film industry as well as in other industries? Can we already tell what has changed from last year?
The debate will take place on 11 April at the Yapi Kredi Culture Art Centre and will be conducted in English. Afterwards, the panel of speakers and industry participants will engage in a closed workshop.
Meet the international lineup of speakers:
Mette-Ann Schepelern
Danish documentarist of films such as “Hjerter Dame” (2018), the “Lovesex” series (2017) “110% Greve – en film fra virkeligheden” (2004) and “Natsværmer” (2002). Numerous of Schepelern’s works have been screened on Göteborg International Film Festival, Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival and Melbourne Film Festival.
Karin Chien
Producer, distributor and independent film pioneer from China. Chien has produced more than 10 feature films, premiered on festivals such as Sundance and Berlin, has distributed her films in more than 20 countries and has received with more than 100 film festival awards.
Helene Granqvist
Producer, screenwriter and CEO of the production company Nordic Factory Film & TV Sweden. Granqvist is also known as President of the Swedish WIFT (Women in Film and TV) as an active advocate for Sweden’s gender equality scheme in cinema.
Ana Souza
Manager and Associate Programmer at Sundance Institute, the organization behind Sundance Film Festival. Sundance Institute is an NPO devoted to
the discovery, development and encouragement of independent film and theatre artists as well as audiences in the United States and around the world.
Rebecca Green
Film producer of blockbuster hits such as “It follows” (2014), “I’ll See You in My Dreams” (2015), “44 Pages (2017) and “And then I go” (2017). Prior to her breakthrough as a full-time film producer, she worked for Sundance Institute and the film production company, Lionsgate.
Ege Ortaçgil
Clinical psychologist from Istanbul Bilgi University. Ortaçgil has contributed to the Turkish version of The Essentials of the World Psychiatric Associations and has served as secretary for the International Congress organized by World Psychiatric Organization in Istanbul.
Claudette Godfrey
Senior Film Programmer and Curator for the South by South West Film Festival in Austin, Texas. The festival is abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By and is a yearly conglomerate festival for film, interactive medias, music and conferences.
Melis Behlil
Melis Behlil is an Associate Professor in Cinema Studies and Chair of Radio, Television and Cinema Department at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Turkey. She has been a Research Associate at Stockholm University, writes film reviews for various publications, co-hosts a weekly radio show and was formerly President of the Turkish Film Critics Association.
Cihan Asli Filiz
Producer and co-producer of features films and television series, known for works such as “Zephyr” (2010) and “Future Lasts Forever” (2011), both of which were selected for the Toronto Film Festival, “Voice of my Father”, (2012) and, most recently, “The Gulf” (2017). She is the founder of CAFÉ FILM (2011) and works pro tempore as head of production at Bir Film.
Header image: Festivalplakat 2019 ©Istanbul International Film Festival