GPFO MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS INITIATIVE

In 2001, the Greater Philadelphia Film Office (GPFO) became the first, and only, film commission in the country to launch an initiative to engage local filmmakers from diverse backgrounds, its Multicultural Affairs initiative. The focus of GPFO’s Multicultural Affairs initiative is to identify the unique barriers of entry for filmmakers and crew who are of color, women, LGBTQ, and/or disabled and provide resources (below) to help them overcome those barriers to create tangible career paths.

The Multicultural Affairs initiative also aims to build awareness among diverse communities about government incentives and the benefits of filming in the Greater Philadelphia region, create inclusive programming and workshops in collaboration with GPFO’s Filmmakers program, and promote efforts of organizations that support inclusion in film and media, in front of and behind the camera.

Resources

The following list strives to identify the unique barriers of entry for filmmakers and crew who are of color, women, LGBTQ, and/or disabled and provide resources to help them overcome these barriers to create tangible career paths.  With sharing these resources, we hope to see an increase of diverse people, onscreen and behind the camera.

We thank the Producers Guild of America (PGA) for providing us with much of the list of resources you see below.  The list is divided into toggle sections with the problematic statistics on lack of inclusion, followed by the response of networks, studios, and organizations with programs and incentives that we hope you can become involved in and benefit from.  Together, we can move media to accurately reflect our society and get our stories told.  We will be adding many more resources so be sure to check this page again soon.

If you know of an incentive, resource, program, or initiative you feel should be added to this page, please email the information to mail@film.org.

Inter-Guild Diversity Coalition created with Writer’s Guild of America, Producer’s Guild of America, and the Screen Actor’s Guild

Writer’s Guild of America (WGA East)
Wright-Hannon Bill (Proposed NY State Legislation) (sign the petition!)
Director’s Guild of America
DGA’s Inaugural Feature Film Diversity Report
Producer’s Guild of America (PGA East)
• Highlights diverse filmmakers, content, and change-makers of the industry
• Make efforts to partner with diverse organizations
MsFactor Toolkit.com
PGA Power of Diversity Workshop

Ranking Most Economically Diverse Top Colleges (NYT)

New York University
Tisch Future Filmmakers Workshop
Fusion Film Festival
Radical Artists Aiming for Diversity (RAAD)

Emerson College
Flawless Brown (all women of color arts collective/sisterhood)
Women in Motion
Vassar College
• Received $1M in scholarship funding as a result of their efforts toward gender/ethnic/economic diversity
• Rated #1 among US colleges for ethnic/gender diversity
• Successful because they increased their endowment – 60% of incoming freshmen are on financial aid
New York Times article on Vassar & Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

The Posse Foundation- Scholars Program
Quest BridgeScholarship Program
La Cine Fabrique (France)
• 3-year program in Rhone Valley, France
• Accept 30 per year (15 male/15 female), recent high school graduates
• Must be French citizen or EU national
• Mission: to expose students to filmmaking in a diverse environment

Diversity Initiatives (network & studio)

Disney/ABC Directing Program– Two year directing program spanning two television seasons

CBS Diversity Institute– Writing mentor-ship program, writing fellowship, directing initiatives, talent showcases, daytime initiative, and actor career workshops

Fox Audience Strategy– Writer’s Intensive, Global Director’s Initiative, and Film Fellowship

HBO Access– Directing and Writing Fellowships

Lifetime’s Broad Focus Program– Program for women directors, producers, and writers

NBC Female Forward– Annual initiative that aims to solve that problem by giving female directors a pipeline into scripted television.

NBC Universal Emerging Director’s Fellowship– Directing fellowship

NBC Universal Shorts Fest– Nationwide search for talent behind and in front of the camera with a bi-coastal film festival

Warner Bros. Writers & Directors Television Workshops– Directing program for television

Incubator and Lab Programs

Alliance of Women Directors (AWD)– is the only organization solely dedicated to education, support and advocacy for women directors in the entertainment industry

Asian American Feature Film Fellowship– For writer and writer/directors of Asian descent writing first or second narrative feature film relating to the Asian American experience

ARRAY– Independent film distribution and resource collective comprised of arts advocacy organizations, maverick volunteers and rebel member donors worldwide. Formerly the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM), ARRAY was created by Ava DuVernay to amplify independent films by people of color and women filmmakers globally.

Film Independence: Project Involve– Free, intensive nine month program allowing for industry networking, mentor-ship, short film production, and masters workshop

Game Changer– Film fund for women directors and their projects

Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media–  organization working within the media and entertainment industry to engage, educate, and influence the need to dramatically improve gender balance, reduce stereotyping and create diverse female characters in entertainment targeting children 11 and under.

Indigenous Media– Incubator for The Big Script and Project HER mainly online media based

Latino Film Fellowship– Fellowship to support one Latino writer or writer/director in either Sundance Writing Lab or Sundance Screenwriting Intensive

Philadelphia Women in Film and Television (PWIFT)– is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to recognizing, celebrating and advancing the professional development achievment of women working in all areas of film, televison, video, multimedia and related disciplines.

Seed and Sparks- Crowdfunding Platform– an organization to help make movies & shows independently/ streaming and crowdfunding in one platform

Sundance Institute– Women’s Fellowship available to apply for

The Women’s Media Center– has the goal of making women visible and powerful in media

Time Warner Foundation Fellowship Program– Grant program for diverse filmmakers whose work uniquely positions and advances the concept of storytelling

Tribeca Film Institute– All Access program, Sloan Fund, and Documentary program

We Do It Together– Production company to fiance and produce media dedicated to the empowerment of women

Women At Sundance– Various programs for women

Women in Film LA– non-profit organization dedicated to promoting equal opportunities for women, encouraging creative projects by women, and expanding and enhancing portrayals of women in all forms of global media.

Women’s Initiative Resource Map– Resources for women filmmakers

Women Occupy Hollywood–  to build a movement to achieve equality for women in film and all women in the United States of America