You'll open new doors at the WIFTI and The Power of Inclusion
summit! Meet Kirsten Schaffer, executive director of Women In Film,
Los Angeles (WIFLA). Kirsten was the director of programming and
then executive director of Outfest, and is widely credited as
having helped Outfest become a leading LGBT media arts
organisation. She was named one of POWER UP's Top 10 Women in Show
Business, has been awarded a Women in Business Award and is a
member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Kirsten was instrumental in launching ReFrame, an industry-wide
initiative focused on advancing inclusivity and gender equity in
the screen industry. ReFrame has also set up a variety of
programmes with WIF aimed at increasing skills and opportunities
for women in the screen industry. Last year WIFLA and the Sundance
Institute came up with the ReFrame 'stamp', in conjunction with
industry site IMDbPro. The 'stamp' is tabulated using an algorithm
that awards points for film and television productions with women
in key on- and offscreen jobs, and gives extra points for women of
colour. "It basically amounts to a gold star, with a logo that can
be added to a production's end credits," said Cara Buckley of
The New York Times. Films with the ReFrame stamp include
Lady Bird, Crazy Rich Asians, The Favourite and TV series
Orange is the New Black, Dear White People and
Fleabag. There are other programmes too, such as ReFrame
Rise, which launched in June and focuses on helping female
directors who find themselves stalled mid-career. With people like
director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), Jenji Kohan (Orange
is the New Black creator) and Ryan Murphy (Glee) as
ambassadors, ReFrame and Kirsten continually strive to set the bar
higher.
Click here to listen to a podcast
where ReFrame Ambassador and director Olivia Wilde talks about
making Booksmart, how the Bechdel test is not enough, and
about ReFrame.