Last month at the Berlinale, Power To Transform held the 2024 Edition of the Global Forum For Women. The conference featured panels and workshops attended by women film organisations from around the world.
Barbara Rohm, Yvonne de Andrés and the Power to Transform! Team reflect on the events and express their gratitude:
“We would like to thank you all for your participation in the Global Forum for Women’s Film Organizations @berlinale2024 at the Embassy of Canada. Your presence greatly enriched the event and we are very grateful for your commitment. Your contributions to the cause of women in the film industry are essential to promoting positive change. Post-Heroic Storytelling: Moving beyond the Male Gaze and reimagining the Female Gaze points the way forward and we are glad to have contributed.
We would also like to express our deep appreciation to our esteemed partners: sjiwff St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, Federal Foundation for Gender Equality, WIFT International, EWA – European Women’s Audiovisual Network, Women and Hollywood, SWIFT – Sisters Working in Film and TV South Africa, Screencraft Works, and CIMA – Asociación de Mujeres Cineastas y de Medios Audiovisuales.”
The panels are now available to watch on YouTube!
The first closed panel “Heroines for Change” held at the Embassy of Canada to Germany featured 5-Minute Power Speeches from a wide-ranging group of fellow campaigners working in the field of gender equality and diversity.
Power To Transform then welcomed Anna Hints (Estonia), Minnenhle Luthuli (South Africa), Gail Maurice (Canada), and Joey Soloway (USA) in a panel discussion moderated by Manori Ravindran (UK). Exploring the topic of “Post-Heroic Storytelling: Moving beyond the Male Gaze and Reimagining the Female Gaze,” the panellists posed questions about how to move beyond the male gaze and how Post-Heroic Storytelling can shape the future of a innovative and diverse screen industry.
The conference also launched the study “Re-Framing the Picture: An International Comparative Assessment of Gender Equity Policies in the Film Sector.” The research by the Gender Equity Policy (GEP) Analysis project underscores that policies need to address systemic issues, not only target numerical representation. The research highlights that film industries do not just need more women, but women in the right positions. Re-Framing the Picture advocates for policies with strong accountability mechanisms, financial incentives, and the ability to actively drive industry change. Read more about the research here and download the report here.