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ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:
"Transform promotes a welcoming atmosphere with inclusive language & outreach through key partnerships with organizations for women, those that are women-led and leading arts organizations in Texas. This ensures all interested in submitting, attending, or learning more about Transform have access to information on how to make those next steps.
This film fest was created out of need & passion to highlight films created by women of vast cultural and economic backgrounds but also raises awareness to the public of the underrepresentation of women within creative sectors in Texas.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
In 2017, women comprised 18% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the top 250 domestic grossing films. Last year, only 1% of films employed 10 or more women in the above roles. In contrast, 70% of films employed 10 or more men. Women accounted for 11% of directors working on the top 250 films in 2017, up 4 percentage points from 7% in 2016.
In the top 250 grossing films:
88% had no women directors
83% had no women writers
45% had no women exec. producers
28% had no women producers
80% had no women editors
96% had no women cinematographers
Need more? From 2009-2016, only 10% of indie film releases were directed by women. Women speaking roles still clock in at only 31.8 percent as of 2017, a number that has barely budged over the past 10 years, and of the top films in 2017, only 33 percent featured a woman lead or co-lead. Studies further found that 70.7 percent of film characters are white and continue to lack representation for LGBT characters and characters with disabilities, especially when those categories intersect with race / ethnicity. Although the numbers paint a depressing picture for progress, change isn’t hopeless.
THIS FESTIVAL IS NOT ONLY A DIRECT RESPONSE TO THIS BUT A CHANCE FOR TEXAS TO CHANGE THE CREATIVE CULTURE TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE TO WOMEN. PROVIDING MORE OPTIONS FOR TEXAN WOMEN AND GIRLS TO BE INVOLVED IN FILM EDUCATION, RESOURCES, SURROUNDED BY INSPIRING WOMEN IN THE FILM + CREATIVE INDUSTRIES."

Photos by Candice Ghai