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Share Her Journey

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  • info_outlineAbout
  • filter_9_plusThe Numbers
  • content_pasteThe Plan
  • peopleAmbassadors

TIFF has made a five-year commitment to increasing participation, skills, and opportunities for women behind and in front of the camera. We will prioritize gender parity with a focus on mentorship, skills development, media literacy, and activity for young people.

Join the movement today to receive the exclusive updates and event information!

Unfortunately, there is a considerable lack of incredible female storytellers in key creative and decision-making roles in the film industry:

  • Of the top 250 films of 2019, only 21% employed women directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers.
  • Of the top 250 films of 2019, 31% featured zero or one woman in behind-the-scenes jobs, 45% of films employed two to five women, and 22% employed six to nine women.
  • In 2019, just 2% of the top 250 films employed 10 or more women, while 69% of films employed 10 or more men.

This hasn’t gone unnoticed at TIFF.


Since 2016, we have had an equal 50/50 gender split in selected participants for our Talent Development initiatives such as Talent Lab, Studio, and TIFF Rising Stars.
Of all the titles in this year’s lineup, 46% are directed, co-directed, or created by women.
We regularly showcase work by female artists, such as in our Winter 2019 retrospectives on revered filmmakers Dorothy Arzner, Claire Denis, and Anocha Suwichakornpong, as well as the iconic Katharine Hepburn.

The Plan

This work comes at a cost that cannot be supported by current revenue streams. To make this ambitious movement a reality, we need the support of film lovers like you.

Our goal is to raise $3 million. We are delighted to announce that, as of January 2019, we have raised $2.4 million to support the following initiatives:

  • The TIFF Micki Moore Residency, a 10-week mentorship programme for Canadian feature-film screenwriters who are women. The 2019 Micki Moore Writer-in-Residence, Joanne Sarazan, joined us after the TIFF 2019 premiere of her feature-length screenplay debut, Tammy’s Always Dying, to work on her screenplay Conception.
  • The RBC Female Creator Initiative, which helps creators who are women grow their careers by fostering artistic skills development, mentorship, and year-round networking opportunities through the new TIFF Producer Accelerator Programme, women’s participation in TIFF Filmmaker Lab, and access to TIFF Industry programming
  • The Betty-Ann Heggie Speaker Series, which aims to spark conversations on gender equity and gender identities in film
  • Designing comprehensive resources for educators to enhance the curriculum and support classroom discussions about women and gender in cinema
  • Using industry data to track career trajectories and improve outcomes for women in film
  • Championing diversity of gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and physical and cognitive ability within gender equity initiatives.

2018–2020: Share Her Journey in action

  • Since 2018, 276 women have directly benefited from Share Her Journey.
  • Nikki Saltz, the inaugural TIFF Micki Moore Writer-in-Residence, and Joanne Sarazen, the 2019 Writer-in-Residence, completed their residencies.
  • In 2019, TIFF Bell Lightbox screened 219 films (shorts and features) directed by women.
  • We reached 50/50 gender parity across all Industry programmes, in our lineup of Industry Conference speakers, and within our Festival programming team.
  • The year-round RBC Female Creator Initiative launched.
  • At TIFF 2018, Artistic Director and Co-Head Cameron Bailey signed the 50/50x2020 pledge, formalizing TIFF's commitment towards gender parity and inclusion.
  • The Betty-Ann Heggie Speaker Series launched at TIFF 2018 with the groundbreaking keynote “Diversity on Film Criticism with Dr. Stacy L. Smith.”
  • Over 22,000 people came together at TIFF 2018 for the Share Her Journey Rally to hear from Geena Davis, Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Amanda Brugel, Keri Putman, Mia Kirshner, Amma Asante, Cathy Schulman, Nandita Das, and Zavia Forrest.

2017: Share Her Journey launches



"Achieving gender parity within the film industry is vital. But, more than anything, I’d love to see the cultivation and celebration of female auteurs – women exercising their unique authorial voices in their own ways is where I see radical changes brimming in cinema."

—Ashley McKenzie, award-winning filmmaker

Meet the Ambassadors

The Share Her Journey Ambassadors have joined a movement to champion female storytellers, supporting TIFF's commitment to increase participation, skills, and opportunities for women behind and in front of the camera.

Rima Das

Director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor, filmmaker

Bulbul Can Sing, Village Rockstars, Man with the Binoculars: Antardrishti

Mira Nair

Director, producer

Queen of Katwe, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Amelia, The Namesake, Monsoon Wedding, Mississippi Masala, Salaam Bombay!

Sarah Rafferty

Actor

Suits, All Things Valentine, Small Beautifully Moving Parts

Carmel Winters

Director, writer

Float Like a Butterfly, Snap, Limbo

Ellen Wong

Actor

GLOW, Condor, Dark Matter, The Carrie Diaries, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Jennifer Podemski

Actor, producer, director

Mocassin Flats, Cardinal, Future History, Empire of Dirt, Blackstone

Joyce Wong

Director, producer, writer

Wexford Plaza, Sunbathing, Power of Love (Celine Dion Fans in Kenya)

Shohreh Aghdashloo

Actor, producer

The House of Sand and Fog, Star Trek Beyond, The Expanse, 24, The Stoning of Soraya M.

Priyanka Chopra

Actor, producer, activist

Fashion, What’s Your Raashee?, Mary Kom, Quantico

Erika J. Olde

Producer; President and Founder of Black Bicycle Entertainment

Home Again, Woman Walks Ahead, November Criminals, The Female Brain, A Tale of Love and Darkness

Jill Soloway

Writer, director, creator

Transparent, Afternoon Delight, Six Feet Under

Jennifer Baichwal

Documentary filmmaker, writer, director

Long Time Running, Watermark, Payback, Act of God, Manufactured Landscapes

Deepa Mehta

Documentary filmmaker, writer, director

Anatomy of Violence, Beeba Boys, Midnight's Children, Heaven on Earth, the Elements trilogy (Water, Earth, Fire)

Stella Meghie

Writer, director, producer

Everything Everything, Jean of the Joneses, Recovering Undercover Over Lover

Ann Marie Fleming

Writer, director, animator

Window Horses, Stories Sarah Tells, Big Trees, Seven Sins: Gluttony, I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors

Omoni Oboli

Actor, writer, director

Okafor's Law, The Duplex, Being Mrs Elliot, Brother's Keeper

Ashley McKenzie

Writer, director, editor

Werewolf, 4 Quarters, Stray, When You Sleep, Rhonda's Party

Carol Nguyen

Director, writer, cinematographer, editor

Facade, Every Grain of Rice, This Home is Not Empty, How Do You Pronounce Pho?, Uprooted

Molly McGlynn

Writer, director

Mary Goes Round, 3-way (Not Calling), Dawn, Stasis, Given Your History, I Am Not a Weird Person

Amma Asante

Writer, director

Where Hands Touch, A United Kingdom, Belle, A Way of Life

Donate Today

Prefer to make a donation by phone? Please call us at 1-888-258-8433.

Charitable Registration No. 11930 4541 RR0001. Tax receipts are issued for all donations $10 or more.

Are you an industry professional who would like to stay informed or submit an idea for the programme? Let us know!

Want to join the movement and share the message? Download the Share Her Journey social media kit (zip) here.

Share Her Journey
TIFF has made a five-year commitment to increase participation, skills and opportunities for women both behind and in front of the camera. Add your voice and support women in film.
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