March 8 of every year is International Women’s Day! On this day, we celebrate all women regardless of race, color, religion, educational attainment, job, economic status, or title.
In this light, Netflix is moving to invest in the next generation of female storyteller. In her blog post, Netflix’s Global TV Head, Bela Bajaria, pointed out many firsts of women in the industry. She goes on to say that she wants to ensure that the next generation of female storytellers has more opportunities than those that came before her.
Bajaria recounts her own personal experience as an Indian woman growing up in the US. Despite the stereotype onscreen of a woman hero being a white woman, she said that in her mind, it wa always a “brown girl, with hopes and aspirations, strengths and talents just like her white counterparts.” Several years later, this dream became reality with Mindy Kaling in The Mindy Project, an American romantic comedy television series created by and starring Mindy Kaling, the daughter of Indian immigrants.
Since then, Netflix has had many firsts in front of, and behind, the cameras that involved women: the first Indigenous Mexican Academy Award actress nominee; the first Korean female stand-up special; the first Black woman to direct a superhero movie; and the first transgender woman to ink an overall deal with a studio.
Here is a video put together by Netflix to celebrate women.
Netflix also announced a Netflix Fund for Creative Equity “which will invest $20 million a year for the next five years in building more inclusive pipelines behind the camera”. Some of the initial programs for women that Netflix will support around the world include:
- Collectif 50/50, a year-long, national mentorship program for aspiring women creatives of various ages and backgrounds in France, including a series of masterclasses from 30 industry leaders.
- Into the Wild, a one-year mentorship program for young female filmmakers from film schools across Germany, including a script writing camp and a final pitch at well-known German festivals including Filmfestival Munich and the Max Ophüls-Festival.
- Women in Post, a new eight-month program that builds on the Netflix and Canadian Academy Directors Program for Women, will provide mentorship and training within post-production to women creatives from across Canada.
- Narrative Short Film Incubator for Women of Color, an incubator program by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers for Latinx women and women of color to produce short film projects through dedicated funding, production support, and mentorship.