After almost four years with Women in Film & Television (WIFT), Megan Riakos, the driving force behind the nationalisation of the organisation in 2018, will depart the board this month to focus on her slate of projects as an independent producer with Hemlock & Cedar Films.
"I am no less a mother because I hire carers to look after my children when I am unable to do so myself, and I am no less a film director or writer because I have children."
The screen industry needs to "meaningfully grapple" with the longstanding, systemic issues that impact upon parents/carers in the sector, according to Professor Deb Verhoeven, one of the researchers behind Raising Films Australia's recent survey report.
A key focus for Women in Film & Television (WIFT) Australia this year will be expanding its current programs, each of which addresses the exit and entry points for all women and non-binary people in the screen industry.
Almost three quarters of parents and carers who responded to a recent survey conducted by Raising Films Australia reported that their caring responsibilities have had a negative impact on their career in the screen industry. Of those, 86 per cent were women, many of whom were freelancers on incomes below the Australian median. As a result, many people hide the fact they have kids/are a carer, or take on more than a full-time load to survive. Others simply leave the industry altogether.
Producer Carolyn Johnson and director Catriona McKenzie are the inaugural recipients of the SAFC's Doing It Differently development initiative for their screen adaptation of Patricia Cornelius’ play, 'Love'.
All the talk about the need for structural and cultural change in the screen industry must be converted into widespread action, according to Women in Film & Television (WIFT) Australia
"When you’ve got a child screaming at your
legs not wanting to be let go as you drop them off to a carer, you need to know why you’re leaving them. For me, that is doing my creative work."