The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the launch of Action: The Academy Women’s Initiative, designed to create opportunities for female filmmakers to connect, share their stories and celebrate inclusion.
The program consists of the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women, the Academy Directory and annual events, which this year will take place Oct. 15 in London and Oct. 30 in Los Angeles, and will see the announcement of the first two recipients of the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women.
The Los Angeles Women’s Lunch, in partnership with E! Entertainment and with the support of Swarovski, will bring together female filmmakers and will feature an onstage conversation with comedian Hannah Gadsby and writer-actor-producer Lena Waithe.
In addition to the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women, the event will launch the Academy Directory, a tool for Academy members to identify and connect with each other and build a filmmaker community for guidance, support and hiring opportunities.
The Women of the Academy Lunch in London will feature a keynote by AMPAS directors-branch governor Susanne Bier and will mark the second year the Academy and Swarovski have hosted a gathering of female filmmakers in the U.K. Swarovski will also support and award the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women to a U.K.-based filmmaker. Bier’s 2011 Danish film “In a Better World” won the Oscar for foreign-language film.
The efforts are an extension of the Academy’s A2020 initiative, which seeks to support inclusion and increase representation within the Academy and the greater film community.
“As we continue to advocate for inclusion, we are honored to bring Academy members and the filmmaking community together to support women in all stages of their careers, especially emerging Academy Gold filmmakers,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “We are grateful that E! and Swarovski support our commitment to a more inclusive film community.”
Pictured: Lena Waithe