The upcoming “Women in Film: Changemakers of Film and Screen” event taking place on Monday 12 May has announced that it will host Bridgerton star, Simone Ashley, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, star of the Apple TV+ series, Surface, to discuss and celebrate the role of women in film. The event is organised by ‘Oxford iS Extraordinary Events for All’ produced by the Cultural Programme, which is part of Oxford’s Humanities Division. The afternoon plans to be a celebration of how women have and continue to “shap[e] change and progress in the film industry”, and will highlight the changing perceptions “both on and off screen” of women and those with protected characteristics. These talks and panel discussions will take place in the Sheldonian Theatre, though there will also be events taking place in Curzon cinema. All tickets to the events are free to book.

Dr. Stacy L. Smith (founder of the University of Southern California’s (USC) Annenberg Inclusion Initiative) will be leading conversations with Ashley and Mbatha-Raw. Smith was a recipient of the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award earlier this year, and has been described as “the foremost disrupter of inequality in the entertainment industry”. Her work at USC has consistently advocated for the rights of women and other minority groups within the film industry, particularly with regard to financial inequality and a lack of inclusion. After her ‘4% Challenge’ to the stark disparities between the number of men and women in directorial roles, executives committed to ‘work with and hire’ women directors within 18 months. It is clear that Smith’s extensive work on the subject is already proving fruitful, and it will be exciting to see her in conversation with two young and influential women in the world of film. 

Oxford University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey will be introducing the talk at the Sheldonian. She has noted that she is “delighted” that this initiative is “bringing together industry talent […] and Oxford researchers to celebrate and discuss the critical role of women in the film industry”. The film industry and academia do not always seem like likely partners, but Smith’s research and the very real resonance that it has had within the industry have made it clear that the two spheres can be highly complementary. 

Also speaking at the Sheldonian will be a number of decorated producers and directors. The panel discussion will include talks from the casting director for films such as Barbie and The Batman, Lucy Bevan, producer for Juno Studios, and ex-Director of UK Film at Netflix, Fiona Lamptey, and many more. 

Later in the day, Curzon cinema will also be screening For Sama, an ‘intimate and epic’ story that illuminates the ‘female experience of war’. The director, Waad al-Katead, will also explore her own journey and the “power of storytelling through film”. 

Women in Film will be a day of celebration and examination: the event will bring together influential women from the film industry and leading academics to provide a refreshing approach to how the two realms can influence and shape each other. There is so much to celebrate with regard to how much has been done to further inclusion of women and those with protected characteristics, but Smith’s work on inequality shows that there is still much left to do. An event like this allows for the spotlight to shine on what people are already doing, and encourage others to think about how change can be further advanced.