From left to right: Dr Susan Liddy (President WIFTI, Chair WFT Ireland, Director Catalyst International Film Festival), Martina Durac (Executive Director, Screen Directors Guild of Ireland), Jennifer Davidson (Chair, Writers Guild of Ireland), Aisling Malone (Project Manager, Raising Films Ireland), Lara Hickey (Co-creative Director, X-Pollinator), Grace Odumosu (Producer, Raising Films Ireland, GORM Media, Catalyst International Film Festival)
“We tend to believe that with the passage of time comes change and that we just need patience. We tell ourselves it cannot change overnight. But I think we need to wake up to the fact that that can be a bit of a salve sometimes. Even if you’ve been patient and asked nicely, sometimes change doesn’t necessarily happen at all. So being vigilant and devising different strategies is extremely important.”
– Dr Susan Liddy at the Galway Film Fleadh 2026
Upon the launch of the 50/50 by 2020 project by the Swedish Film Institute in Cannes in 2016, there was a buzz around the initiative, a sense that this was a tangible goal across many countries.
And while undoubtedly strides have been made across the global screen industries, in the intervening years there has perhaps been a complacency as well, hence the need for these conversations well beyond 2020. The status of gender equity across global screen industries was a major focus at the 2026 WIFTI Global Summit in Adare this past February. To further the conversation around the progress, challenges, and future of this initiative, Dr Susan Liddy (President WIFTI, Chair WFT Ireland, Director Catalyst International Film Festival) was joined by a panel of female industry leaders for a WFT Ireland Presents Event at the Galway Film Fleadh on Friday July 10, 2026.
Panellists included:
- Martina Durac, Executive Director, Screen Directors Guild of Ireland (SDGI)
- Jennifer Davidson, Chair, Writers Guild of Ireland (WGI)
- Aisling Malone, Project Manager, Raising Films Ireland (RFI)
- Lara Hickey, Co-creative Director, X-Pollinator
- Grace Odumosu, Producer, Raising Films Ireland, GORM Media, Catalyst International Film Festival
Dr Susan Liddy reminded the audience that a decade ago in the Irish screen industries ‘Irish stories’ largely meant male stories. With the launch of 50/50 by 2020 came policy statements and support, with people coming on board across the industry to champion paths of entry for women and minorities. But 10 years on, what is clear is that there is much to be done to ensure that these entry points lead to sustainable careers. Indeed, according to WGI Chair Jennifer Davidson “When we look at the positive, when we look at the change that has happened, it’s in schemes, it’s in low budget projects, it’s in mentorship and development, which is all really important and really vital. But that does not create sustainable careers.” Executive Director of SDGI Martina Durac spoke of women’s fatigue working for equality that has not yet emerged.
What’s clear is that goodwill and opening doors is not enough if the industry is to build career paths for women and minorities. If there is no clear path beyond trainee programmes and shorts productions, how is the landscape of feature films and television series going to change? What is needed is cross-collaboration across all levels of production and distribution and a commitment to ensuring that women are not only included, but given the opportunity to be visible, to take up space.
Much of the conversation has remained the same across the past decade. Until there is a systemic, organisational reckoning, one that is not solely led by marginalised people but also by industry allies, we very well may be having the same conversations a decade from now, Dr Susan Liddy suggested. The panel agreed, women and minority filmmakers need funding and the opportunity to create without having to be hailed as ‘exceptional’.
We are grateful to the team at the Galway Film Fleadh for their help in organising such a meaningful event, demonstrating the importance of keeping the momentum around these conversations going. A big thank you to Screen Ireland and Coimisiún na Meán for their support of this event, as well as to the wonderful folks at The Production People for partnering with us and sponsoring the reception which allowed for the conversations to continue following the panel event.
Reigniting these conversations around 50/50 by 2020 is a major focus of Dr Liddy’s Second Term as WIFTI President. In the coming months our goal is to share statistics and case studies with the WIFTI community so that we can see where and how screen industries are succeeding in reaching gender equity, and where improvements can be made.
For further insights on this important panel, read this Screen Daily article.