‘Women in Film’ still fighting for equality and diversity

The glitz and glamour of the entertainment world are often associated with celebrity actresses. But behind the camera, the film and TV business remains a boy’s club.

To address the issue of female representation behind the scenes, the Apollo Theater Education Program and New York Women in Film and Television presented “Women in Film: Breaking Barriers.” The Monday, March 28, event, held on Apollo’s famed stage, brought four female industry insiders together to discuss their journeys to make it in a male-dominated field.

Moderated by culture guru and image activist Michaela Angela Davis, the panel included film and music producer Lisa Cortés (“Precious”), Managing Director of the Tribeca Film Institute Eileen Newman, film and TV producer Dana Offenbach (“Mooz-lum”), and film producer Frida Torresblanco (“Pan’s Labyrinth”).

Davis prefaced the discussion by specifying that the event was to be a “critical conversation” that remained “sugar free,” meaning that the participants should be as candid as possible.
Offenbach, who joked that she entered the film industry because she “had no other skills,” stated that the biggest lesson she had to learn to make her way through the ranks was to not care if she was liked by her—often male—peers.

“You can’t care if you’re liked. You can care if they respect you,” Offenbach said. “But no one can respect you without liking you a little bit.”

Torresblanco underscored that she has never shied away from making tough production decisions just because she is a diminutive woman. “Being tough is part of the job. It’s a part of the dynamic of who I am,” she said.

Conformity of the types of stories told in films and on TV and of the entertainment community in general was a recurring topic of the night. When describing the opportunities the Tribeca Film Institute provides for young filmmakers, especially women and people of color, Newman was passionate about the lack of diverse representation in Hollywood. “Don’t even get me started on the Academy Awards,” she said.

Offering a closing nugget of advice, Offenbach and Torresblanco both stressed the importance of never giving up. Newman emphasized volunteering and networking in order to become a part of the film community.

Cortés impressed two further pieces of advice. “Always say thank you. And the house you want to live in is a house of possibility,” she said.

Coinciding with Women’s History Month, “Women in Film: Breaking Barriers” identified the growing diversity slowly permeating through film and TV, with the goal of perhaps inspiring a few more cracks in the entertainment industry’s glass ceiling.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Dana Offenbach's name. Spectator regrets the error.