Out Takes

2 Apr 2023

Gender Equality and Diversity Representation in Media

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Gender Equality and Diversity Representation in Media

We talk about representation a lot on Out Takes but it always deserves revisiting. For this show, we took a deep dive into women’s representation on screen and behind the scenes This ties in with the Being Seen on Screen Conference at Melbourne’s ACMI on April 5 which is presented in partnership with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, one of the world leaders in research and advocacy for representation of women on screens. Actors, activists, writers, directors, academics and creators will pull the curtain back on some of the most pressing issues facing our culture and screen industries including body image, ageing and diversity, with a special focus on Australian created content.

We were joined by two special guests who will appear at the conference to give us their take on what’s working and what still needs to be done in regards to gender equality and diversity on our screens. First up was filmmaker, historian and author Santilla Chingiape who is also the founder of Behind The Screens, an annual program supported by VicScreen, aimed at increasing the representation of people historically excluded from the Australian film industry. We were also joined by First Nations actor, singer, songwriter and writer Elaine Crombie, who has a career that spans over 20 years as well as a wealth of experience behind the scenes.

Finally we took a look at ‘Loving Highsmith’, a fantastic documentary that is released exclusively on DocPlay on April 27 which explores the life of celebrated American author Patricia Highsmith. Based on her diaries, notebooks and the intimate reflections of her lovers, friends and family, it also looks at Highsmith’s quest for love, her troubled identity and writing.