A more open awards window would help women filmmakers, suggests Reclaim The Frame distribution panel

Early viewer engagement, tax credits for P&A costs, and low emphasis on opening weekends are some of the ways to help bridge the distribution gaps among female filmmakers, according to a panel hosted by the UK Equality of Film Organizations.

“The (three-day opening weekend model) works in the studio, but it’s much more difficult for independent distributors,” said Cate Kane, co-head of Mubi’s global acquisition.

She added that the UK sector can learn from the US platform release strategy for independent films. “It’s really hard to pin everything on the weekend, and on Monday morning you’ll have to fight the exhibitors to get more screens.”

This challenge, according to Kane, is only elevated for women and marginalized gender filmmakers, who are often given a summer release window, and is excluded from the awards conversation.

“Summer (gives movies) has more space for them to grow, but that means your film is not spoken for the rest of the year.

“It would be useful to have a more open award corridor in terms of strengthening these filmmakers. and Note. “

Audience first

British producer Fiona Lamptey discussed the “audience-first” approach at company Juno Studios through social media and the use of “creator economy.”

“That doesn’t mean we have to be influencers as filmmakers, but these tools said Lamptey, who previously headed Netflix’s British films. “Instead of waiting until the end to understand how you’re going to tell your audience and how you’re going to sell this film, you’re thinking about them from the start.”

Vue Lumiere Director Eve Gabereau reflected these ideas when he spoke about the importance of implemented P&A costs.

“We talked a lot with producers and sales agents about building side-by-side within P&A budgets.

Referring to efforts led by the Film Streaming Association (FDA) for the P&A tax credit, Gabereau pointed out how it helps distribute risk. “The upfront costs are high and revenue is uncertain,” she explained. “(P&A tax credit) means that you are part of the production process and you are seeing it as part of the delivery to your audience.”

The power of a girl

As the US government began rolling back DEI policies, some of the panelists expressed concern about similar methods being deployed in the UK.

“In a way, we’ve already seen drops of interest in all sorts of schemes that began after Black Lives Matter’s return,” said BFI’s inclusion director Melanie Hoyes, who spoke more widely about the industry. “If you’re worried about not getting money, people bend their knees, so there’s always a risk. That’s what’s happening right now.”

Hoyes emphasized that the value of diversity is far beyond allocation filling. “It’s a good business to have a variety of voices in the room,” she pointed out.

“Women make great leaders for the empathy and emotional intelligence we have,” she continued. “We have to constantly adapt, read the room and change the way we behave. These are really good leadership qualities that aren’t always considered.”

The panel was hosted by Kate Gerova. Kate Gerova previously retrieved the frame as creative director and now runs Mustard Studios. The event was held as part of the Charity weekend event to celebrate International Women’s Day and 20^th Anniversary of the Bird Eye View Festival.