Girls Voices Initiative’s Girl Nation Academy, has said although women in the Nigerian movie industry tell the best of stories, they are disadvantaged and unable to thrive seamlessly in the industry.
The group raised the concerns on Wednesday in Abuja, while briefing the media ahead of its Premier Women’s International Film Festival Nigeria (WIFFEN) scheduled to hold later in the week, in partnership with the French Embassy’s PISCCA Program and TSTV Africa, the Congo Embassy, Zenith Bank Plc, Aero Contractors, and a host of other partners.
The film festival would amon other things, present a programme curated to female filmmakers and other stakeholders globally; screening 200 short, student, animation, and documentary films selected from over 3,000 film submissions from over 130 countries; run discussions and masterclasses on issues affecting ting women in the industry; globally celebrate outstanding women in film; and raise awareness and inspire film standards for female filmmakers.
The Festival Showrunner, Stephanie Odia who wondered why poorly produced movies or movies with awkward stories make it to the public, insisted that both women and men in the Nigerian movie industry were not short of ideas.
She said: “It took us and the judges a hard work to pick the 200 movies. Women actually tell the best of stories. We are not short if ideas. When it comes to funding, putting stories out there distribution or marketing to a large extent women are disadvantaged.
“We are hoping to correct this now with the opportunity that WIFFEN is providing so that a lot of these women who have very beautiful stories to tell most of which you would want to watch, will have them in the society to teach lessons and encourage the entire society.”
The Festival Director, Carolyn Seaman who noted that the film festival was targeting women working in different aspect of movies, said it was deliberately created in that manner given that women were ranked really low when it comes to being in the leadership stream within the movie industry.
“This is a platform for women to project their skills, worth, their products. Women are working really hard they tell the best stories so we felt we need to create a platform for those stories to come across to reach the public and create the kind of change we want to see in society.
“We are unapologetically bias because for us this is how we bridge the gap and close the divide when it comes to women being able to get a space in the industry. We are very proud of the films we have received for screening because they are very high quality films.”
Commenting on the alleged demand for sex by some male counterparts before women and girls get roles in movies, she noted that, “We need to have those hard conversations and challenge women to know the value that they have because men do not have to do these things to thrive in the industry so why do we? We have to be valued for the skills we are bringing to the table
“We need to empower women with these information, connect them to the resources that they need to help them make significant value out of the work they are investing in the industry.”