MISSION AND MANDATE 

Incorporated as a BC-registered society in 1989, Women In Film + Television Vancouver Society (WIFTV) is an internationally affiliated non-profit society committed to advancing and celebrating women in screen-based media. We are one of the approximately 35 chapters of Women in Film + Television International (WIFTI), which counts more than 10,000 members world-wide.

WIFTV’s main objectives are: to further the artistic and professional development of women in the Canadian screen-based media community; and to recognize and promote the artistic and professional contributions of women in the Canadian screen-based media community and in the community at large.

WIFTV’s first major endeavour was the Producer’s Workshop series: a three-year educational program aimed at increasing access to information about funding to increase the number of indigenous productions being created by women. The best and brightest guest speakers were invited to co-write the first Producer’s Workbook.  This launched the careers of many of Vancouver’s female media creatives: producers, directors and industry managers. In 2010, we published the fourth edition of the Producer’s Workbook, which is now used as a curriculum resource at the Vancouver Film School.

Founded in 2006, our Vancouver Women in Film Festival is one of only three film festivals in Canada featuring women filmmakers: the other two are Toronto’s Female Eye Film Festival, and the St John’s International Women’s Film Festival.  As such, we bring filmmakers and audiences together, offering opportunities for women filmmakers in Western Canada that would not exist without us.

Several European studies point out a lack of access for women to professional artistic networks, and fewer women in the career facilitating roles of teacher or mentor. WIFTV’s activities address both those issues. Every year, we run a variety of workshops, mentorships, film screenings, and networking events – as well as offering financial support through small bursaries and scholarships. Our workshops routinely sell out, and our monthly Networking Breakfasts (featuring a different guest speaker each time) are averaging 50 attendees per occasion.

Women constitute only four per cent of feature-film directors, 11 per cent of writers and 13 per cent of editors.  The percentage of women who were nominated and won a 2011 Gemini Award remained at only 19%. http://www.pleaseadjustyourset.com/stats.html

In a 2010 report prepared by Marilyn Burgess for Telefilm Canada noted, “Women professionals report they are disadvantaged with respect to access to professional networks, opportunities for on-the-job experience, and visibility at Canadian film festivals, factors which are considered crucial to successful career development.” The study also notes how the lack of a family-friendly working environment impacts more negatively on women’s careers. http://www.womeninfilm.ca/_Library/Advocacy/2010-Needs-Assessment-Gender-Based-Impact-Analysis.pdf

WIFTV wants women to make films.  More importantly, we want women to continue to make films, find their artistic voices, and to keep on telling their stories through screen-based/digital media.  While statistics show us that post-secondary institutions are graduating high percentages of women out of the various film programs, we continue to see that women creatives find it difficult to continue to tell their stories through film.

WIFTV’s activities, and particularly VWIFF, are designed to help women advance artistically – to find their artistic voices and hone their creative vision in film, television, and across multiple digital platforms. Our Spotlight Awards on International Women’s Day actively celebrate the successes of women who are advancing in screen-based media, who are breaking through the “celluloid ceiling”, and who are becoming role models for other young women.