The staff and board of Women Make Movies want to express our deepest condolences to the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, and the countless others who have needlessly lost their lives at the hands of inhumane police brutality and condoned, extremist violence caused by white supremacy dominant in today’s society.
These recent events serve as painful reminders that we as a society and as an organization, have a tremendous amount of work to do. Historically, as a nation, we have not confronted the systemic and institutional racism that has been part of our legacy since 1619.
Black Lives Matter
As believers in the power of non-fiction film, we recognize that watching a film alone cannot create change. However, we do believe that the films and filmmakers we represent can educate, activate and create empathy — and, by doing so, are a starting point.
Statements of solidarity are empty without action. As feminists and allies, we commit wholeheartedly to improving our efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion within our own organization.
Women Make Movies is committed to amplifying the voices of Black women and the historically marginalized by sponsoring and acquiring more films by women of color. We also commit to leverage our organizational capacity to increase the number of Black women and women of color in decision-making positions in every aspect of the industry.
This is just a start. There is much more work ahead. But when the protests stop and the commercial media turn their attention to other news stories, we pledge to carry on.
In solidarity,
The staff and board of Women Make Movies
