Screen Australia today releases two new infographics providing the latest statistics on the participation of Australian women working in film.
The statistics are also published as part of a recent edition of AFTRS’ Lumina, focused on women in the media and screen industries. In her chapter ‘Women in Film and Television’ for Lumina, Screen Australia’s Deputy Chair, Deanne Weir, outlines the latest data:
“In Australian feature films, Screen Australia’s figures show that women’s participation as producers, writers and directors is nowhere near equal: 32, 23 and 16 per cent respectively. Women do better in the documentary sphere, where the relevant numbers are 46, 33 and 38 per cent.”
She also notes, “We need the make-up of decision makers in our screen sector to continue to change if we are to continue improving the depth, quality and diversity of the content that we make, and truly represent the richness of Australian life and culture.”
Ms Weir expresses the view that this is important because “stories that ignore the breadth and depth of human characters aren’t that interesting. Women make up over 51 per cent of the Australian population and occupy incredibly diverse roles in our society, but this wouldn’t necessarily be apparent from watching our key cultural products.”
Screen Australia funds content that is innovative, high-quality and of cultural value to Australians – our ambition for the stories we support is that they be ‘engaging and culturally relevant’. We have been exploring ways to work with the industry both domestically, via, for example, professional development workshops on writing strong female characters, and internationally, by hosting networking events for women in the screen industry as part of our presence at international markets.
Check out the infographics below and explore more publications from Screen Australia’s Strategy & Research Unit at: www.screenaustralia.gov.au/research/viewpoint.aspx
