Local Film Festival Puts Women at The Helm

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In its fourth year, the GIFF has been a huge success throughout the region. (Michelle Moskowitz photo)

By Michelle Moskowitz
Sentinel Correspondent

For its fourth consecutive year, the Greenwich International Film Festival (GIFF), a non-profit organization whose mission is to bridge the worlds of film, finance and philanthropy – enjoyed great success showcasing the compelling work of artists and activists last weekend, leveraging the power of film to shed light on societal issues including human rights, education and healthcare.

The curated four-day festival encompasses film premieres and screenings, engaging panel discussions as well as star-studded events and has emanated into a much-anticipated weekend fete for the local arts community, drawing crowds from all over the globe.

As 2018 has been marked as the year of the woman, resulting from the shake-up of the MeToo Movement in Hollywood and the media industry, GIFF, a female-run organization, selected half of this year’s featured films that were either written or directed by women.

According to the Center for Study of Women in Television and Film, only 8% of the top 100 grossing films were directed by women last year. To date, Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to have won an Academy Award for Best Director for 2010’s The Hurt Locker, and only five women have ever been nominated for the coveted award.

But GIFF is paving the way for change.

One of this year’s centerpiece films, garnering much buzz was, A Woman Captured from first-time Hungarian documentary director, Bernadett Tuza-Ritter. The harrowing film profiles a European woman who had been kept as a domestic slave for ten years and finally musters up the courage to free herself.

This year’s Best Narrative Short went to Kayayo – The Living Shopping Baskets, directed by Mari Bakke Riise – about an eight-year-old girl sent away to support her family working as a ‘Kayayo’ carrying heavy loads on her head.

Winner of the Best Connecticut Short Film, directed by Molly Bareiss went to The Hammamis which explores the struggles of a Syrian refugee family after settling in the U.S.

In addition to this year’s female-focused programming line-up and award winners, GIFF held a compelling panel discussion about gender parity in filmmaking titled, Women at the Helm: A Conversation About Female Directors.

The Saturday afternoon event, held at the Cole Auditorium, included some of the festivals’ leading filmmakers and industry influencers including Tuza-Ritter, Maria Giese, co-founder of the Women’s Media Summit, Hannah Storm, Director, Rowdy, Annie Howell, co-director, Claire In Motion and Christine Woodhouse, director of One Vote.

“This is our kind of year,” said Wendy Stapelton, Chairman of the Board and Founder of GIFF. “To be able to provide awareness and support for the women in Hollywood doing such great work will hopefully encourage many more women to take a risk and get their projects out there.”

Moderator Briana Rodriguez, Managing Editor for Backstage Magazine engaged the panelists to share their respective plights in an industry predominantly run by men.

A central recurring theme throughout the discussion was the critical need and alliance in supporting and promoting the work of other talented women on a continual basis, not just in directing, but in all facets of the entertainment industry, including cinematography and production.

Giese, founder and president of Women Directors in Hollywood and founding chair of the Annual Women’s Media Summit was emboldened and quite passionate in her stance, often drawing applause from the well-attended audience.

After four years of activism in the Directors Guild of America, Giese instigated the largest industry-wide Federal investigation on behalf of women director’s in Hollywood history which is still on-going.

“Having women’s voices represented equally in our storytelling and our entertainment media means having half the population included in our cultural narrative so we truly can transform civilization by just this one step,” said Giese.   

Hannah Storm, a trailblazer in the field of sports broadcasting for women, now a producer and director with her company Brainstormin’ Productions emphasized the importance of seeking out like-minded individuals, “You play ball with people who want to play ball with you and you find people who are enthusiastic about women’s voices,” said Storm, whose documentary feature Rowdy about the inspirational journey of former competitive swimmer, Rowdy Gaines, whose vast accomplishments overshadowed his struggle with Guillain Barre Syndrome was showcased at the festival.

“I go out of my way to hire women in order to put these films together, so we can push this forward,” said Storm saying how she has often worked an atypical schedule in order to cater to the schedule of a highly competent, yet busy mother’s schedule just to include her on the project.

“When it comes to internships, hiring, or someone asking you to fund a film, think about what you can do as an individual and collectively we can make a difference” said Storm. 

Panelist, Woodhouse who produced and directed One Vote, which captures the compelling stories of American voters on election day 2016 and was filmed in five locations in just one day said change in the industry is already underway, “We are beginning this change on this stage right now,” said Woodhouse through a smile. 

“Women in the future will make so many great pieces of art because we have such a diverse range of skills,” said Woodhouse. “But confidence and courage are necessary.”

Rodriguez asked the panelists to share any valuable resources for women directors that had served them well.

Howell, screenwriter, professor at City College, NYU and co-director of this year’s film, “Claire in Motion,” said an excellent resource for film and TV directors is Film Fatales, a global professional networking group where people meet up on a monthly basis to share resources, collaborate on projects, and provide mentorship.

Other festival highlights included the Changemaker Gala, honoring Ashley Judd for her work as the UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador (also part of the MeToo Movement) ensuring the safety of women and girls.

Also honored as Community Changemaker was Greenwich’s Duncan Edwards, former headmaster of the Brunswick School, now Director of Waterside School in Stamford, an independent school serving children in PreK-5th regardless of their limitations or income.

By the end of 2018, GIFF will have raised almost half a million dollars for its charity partners and $120,000 for up-coming, emerging artists, hopefully comprised of more female filmmakers who can make animpact in the field of film and for the greater good.

Visit greenwichfilm.org for more information.

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