Gender equality initiative Free The Bid launches in Australia; headed by director Jasmin Tarasin
Based on the successful US gender equality awareness campaign, Free The Bid has now launched in Australia, headed up by award-winning director Jasmin Tarasin.
A non-profit initiative advocating on behalf of female directors for equal opportunities to bid on jobs in the film and TV industry, Free The Bid calls on ad agencies, brands, production companies and broadcasters to take a pledge and commit to including at least one female director’s bid on every job.
With support from leading Australian production companies including Photoplay, The Sweet Shop, Eight, Curious, Jungle, Taxi, Otto, In The Thicket, AIRBAG, Tazer, Guilty, The Producers, Fiction and Truce, the first stage has seen Tarasin launch the Australian based website.
The second stage of the initiative will see the creation of a searchable database showcasing the work of 100-plus female directors, signed to a production company or working independently, to give producers easy access to female directors. This stage is being crowd funded by Tarasin with the aim to launch by the end of the year.
Says Tarasin: “I feel that people are unconscious when it comes to gender inequality in the industry so Free the Bid is a ray of light for any female director working in the film and television industry.
“Free the Bid works well to wake up the industry and to make an effort to end gender inequality. I think as women we tend to take inequality personally, which is why it’s important to group together and present a wall of talent and creativity that cannot be ignored. It’s exciting!”
Free the Bid US ambassador Gillian Armstrong adds: “Free the Bid is a simple, direct, real action to break the appalling cycle that has been keeping women directors out of the film and TV industry. One female bid for every job will certainly help make that unconscious gender bias more visible.”
To get involved and take the pledge or for more information, contact Jasmin Tarasin on 0411 159 177 or email jasmin@photoplay.co.
12 Comments
Many thanks for your initiative and hard work on this Jasmin. I know myself and many others are looking forward to having access to a database of female directors.
Fantastic to see this getting off the ground – thanks Jasmin for taking the initiative, as well as for all those supporting it.
Also remember, when you need a plumber and you’re getting 3 quotes, always get a quote from at least 1 female plumber. Why limit this to directing? Free the plunger!
agree @fairsfair why’ is there just a group for directors free the inner grip, gaffer, editor, colourist , Producer, EP, founders of Prod Co’s. Every bid… seriously. I’m a female and this even annoys me. Talent is talent.
Yes it’s pretty obvious, you might end up with a female director but where is the 50% female crew? Personally I have never, ever seen a female grip. Not once, and I’ve been on a ton of shoots. But directing is a glamour industry, hollywood and everything, and directors have more powerful voices. This movement… not started by an aspiring female grip or female plumber… a director out for more work. Obvious what is going on here.
Are you morons’ serious? The director is top of the creative food chain. You must have more female voices at the top of a system to empower and enlighten the rest of the system. Get a grip. (Maybe a female one. Lol.)
Great to see that a Director is advocating to be included in the mix simply based on gender. Who would ever expect that the Directors with the best reels be asked to pitch on a project. I’m all for equality, but this approach is flawed and will do more harm than good.
@Ha
We can’t get a female grip, no one is advocating for them to be forced to be included on bids.
Doesn’t screen Australia have females at the top of the food chain (CEO), and a “mandate” that 50% of everything under the sun has to be female?
Lets think about this. Say (I don’t know the numbers) 20% of directors are female. But the mandate is that 50% of productions require a female director.
But of that 20% female, 80% male, say only 30% of each of those are any good. There are good and bad apples in a box of any ratio.
Because of the mandate, you’re included the terrible female creatives in with the good ones, and good male creatives are missing out on pitching.
Explain how this is fair.
“Fair” is also not about saying “but males have had it so good for such a long time”. Equality is not about a period of opposite-oppression.
Thanks for the all the comments.
It would be wonderful if there was equality iniatives across all areas of the industry . Agreed. You will however find that female directors will more likely look to have as many woman across all departments as part of their crew.
Those male directors with the best reels only have them because someone gave them a chance.
The initiative is just about giving females that same chance.
@FreetheBid and @It’s quite simple
Giving females a chance shouldn’t come at the cost of giving males that same chance. Yes, males have had it good for a long time. Does that mean we should give males less chances now, for a period of time? That’s reverse oppression, and a lot of the younger generations shouldn’t have to miss out because of the sins of their chauvinistic fathers.
Saying “let’s start at the top” with directors is like saying forget about more female MPs, just worry about the PM being female again and she’ll hook up all her female mates.
We’re not interested in a female director hooking up more females – that’s called discrimination. A female director needs to choose the best candidates regardless of sex. You’re treading on dangerous ground otherwise.
@Fair’s Fair Thanks for your consideration on this. Some great points. The percentage of TV production made by women is roughly 10%- whatever way you want to look at it , its not cool. Thanks