The Rome Film Fest will join the likes of Cannes, Locarno, Toronto and Venice in agreeing to sign on to a festival gender parity and inclusion pledge.
The festival will commit to releasing gender statistics on festival submissions, being transparent about its board members and agreeing to reach gender parity on executive leadership of the event, according to multiple sources.
Laura Delli Colli, president of the Fondazione Cinema per Roma, will sign the pledge on Oct. 20 at a special private ceremony before the fest’s screening of The Miseducation of Cameron Post. There also will be a photo opportunity and celebration for the signing with key industry women in Rome on the festival’s red carpet before the screening.
The pledge was first introduced at the Cannes Film Festival this year by French organization 5050×2020. As more fests sign on, they will be able to share and compare future data about submissions and selection processes in order to see what is working and what needs improvement across international festivals.
In addition to the gender parity pledge, Rome’s MIA market attendees will explore introducing Women In Film LA and Sundance Institute’s ReFrame to Europe, an initiative which currently offers a culture change toolkit, a sponsor/protégé program and a stamp of approval for studios, networks and creative demonstrating parity.
MIA will host a panel discussion on Oct. 21 with key industry leaders as well as ReFrame ambassador Paul Feig and Kirsten Schaffer, executive director of Women in Film, LA, to discuss how ReFrame could be implemented in Italy and across the European Union.
