Jill Golick and industry leaders confirmed for Women in Focus Series, featuring three sessions and three awards aimed at supporting women in film at Whistler Film Festival, taking place from December 4-8.

WHISTLER – The conversation on gender parity, equity and inclusion in the screen industry continues with the return of the Whistler Film Festival’s (WFF) Women in Focus Series (previously called Women On Top). The series will take place as part of the festival’s Content Summit, and gathers industry leaders together in an environment that promotes open discussion, networking and learning to discuss making equal representation an uncompromising pillar of entertainment.

“The Whistler Film Festival’s Women in Focus Series is aligned with several industry-wide mandates that share the goal of addressing the imbalance of diversity in film, television and digital media. We aim to support collaborative efforts to achieve a more accurate, gender balanced, and diverse portrayal of society,” says Shauna Hardy Mishaw, WFF Executive Director. “Now, more than ever, showing diversity on screen and making media equitable matters, and WFF is maintaining a leadership role in continuing this conversation. The work isn’t done and we’re aiming to create systemic change by challenging the system one story at a time.”

The Women in Focus Series includes three sessions at WFF’s Content Summit featuring prominent industry guests who will provide insight into what filmmakers can do to support gender equity, diversity and inclusion on screen and behind the scenes. The series also includes the Women in Focus Mentorship program which supports three female filmmakers from British Columbia with films at the festival to help prepare them for their market experience.

The Women in Focus Series sessions kick off with a keynote address on December 6 featuring special guest Jill Golick, a veteran television show-runner, writer and producer, former President of the Writers Guild of Canada and current Executive Director of Women in View, who will present the findings of the Women in View On Screen 2019 Report. Key insights in the report reveal that in the Canadian film and television industry, women, especially women of colour and Indigenous women, remain seriously underrepresented. Yet, there are some segments of the industry that have reached gender balance and have achieved improved diversity.

The keynote will be followed by a progress report from Canada’s cultural institutions which have committed to 50/50 by 2020. This report will be presented by Nathalie Clermont, Vice-President Programs and Business Development for Canada Media Fund; Shirley Vercruysse, Executive Producer at the BC & Yukon Studio, National Film Board; and Stephanie Azam, National Feature Film Executive for English-language Market at Telefilm.

The conversation continues with examples of best practices to ensure equity and inclusion on screen and behind the scenes from Jill Golick, Executive Director, Women in View; Jesse Wente, Director, Indigenous Screen Office; Camille Beaudoin, CEO Mosaic Entertainment and co-founder of Girls in Film and Television (GIFT); Aisling Chin-Yee, Director, THE REST OF US; and Lynn Johnson, Capilano University instructor and intimacy coordinator. Audiences will hear examples, ask questions, and gain inspiration from a number of perspectives that will leave them poised to tackle the work still yet to be done.

The series concludes with a case study of PANDORA’S BOX, a documentary receiving its World Premiere at WFF that tackles the issue of menstrual equity. Hear from award-winning director Rebecca Snow, Executive Producer and CEO, Diva Cup, Diva International Carinne Chambers-Saini and producers Aine Corby and Cait Newhman for insight into the issues it raises and what it took to tell the story.

WFF’s female representation remains strong for 2019 with a record 40% of WFF’s 86 films directed or co-directed by women or non-binary individuals including 30% of the 43 features and 48% of the 21 shorts. In addition, 63% of the 54 participants in its 10 Talent Programs are female or non-binary including 16 directors, 5 producers, 3 screenwriters, 8 filmmakers and 2 actors, marking a 20% increase over 2018.

Recipients of the Women in Focus Mentorship at WFF are Mayumi Yoshida, Director, IN LOVING MEMORY; Lois Neu, Director, SKI LEGENDS; and Helen Liu, DIrector, BRAISED PORK BELLY.  The participants will receive mentorship from industry professionals Emily Alden, Camille Beaudoin and Tina Pehme as well as participate in the series and one-on-one meetings in order to progress their projects and careers.

Other female-focused talent programs that WFF supports include the Women in Film & Television Vancouver Film Market Preparation Mentorship, which provides the recipient with experience in preparing her feature film project for market by immersing her in the festival, and the Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) Story & Leadership program with eight Canadian women directors recently announced to attend the 22nd session of this highly acclaimed script development and director mentoring initiative.

The WIFTV Mentee is Joy Haskell with the feature film, COOKIES OR CRACK, currently in development and mentored at WFF by Camille Beaudoin, CEO Mosaic Entertainment and co-founder of Girls in Film and Television (GIFT).

This year’s Women in the Director’s Chair Story & Leadership-WFF Industry Immersion program includes UBCP-ACTRA members, Laura Adkin and Camille Hollett-French; multi-disciplinary artist, Monique Hurteau who is also supporting the WFF Indigenous Fellowship program; Montreal-based cinematographer/filmmaker Susanne Serresis; Ontario-based directors Lana Slezic and Sarah Galea-Davis; DGCBC District member Nimisha Mukerjii; and Kim Albright is polishing her feature set to go to camera in 2020 with Telefilm funding.

The Women in Focus Series is sponsored by CMF, Creative BC, IATSE Local 891 and Skybound North Entertainment.

WFF’s Women in Focus series began in 2016 as Women on Top when WFF took 100 women to the top of Whistler Mountain during the festival for a keynote breakfast, and expanded into a two part series in 2018. Keynote guests to date have included the following women who are championing gender in media: Canada Media Fund’s CEO & President, Valerie Creighton, American film producer and co-founder of Resonate Entertainment, Susan Cartsonis, Academy-Award winning actor and activist, Geena Davis, and Madeline Di Nonno, CEO, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

From December 4 to 8, the Whistler Film Festival will welcome film fans and filmmakers to experience its 19th edition featuring over 80 fresh films, special guests, epic events, unique industry and talent programs, and time to play in North America’s premier mountain resort.