TORONTO – TriBro Studios says that it wants to help put an end to gender inequality in North American film and television production.
Putting its money where its mouth is, the Toronto-based studio has kicked off an incentive program designed to encourage the hiring of women in leading creative positions. TriBro pledged to cut studio fees in half for any female-helmed productions at their existing 70,000 square foot studio in Toronto, and at their future studio at Durham Live in Pickering, located just east of Toronto.
“TriBro Studios’ female directors initiative will help close an alarming industry gap,” said president Peter Apostolopoulos, in the news release. “We want to open our doors to brilliant and talented women. Simply put, we want more female directors and showrunners to get a green light.”
According to the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, only 7% of the largest 250 feature films of 2014 were directed by women and the number of female TV showrunners stands at less than 23%.
“I’m proud of Tribro Studio’s leadership in creating new opportunities for women in film here in Ontario”, added Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “Initiatives like this will showcase all of the gifted, creative women working in film and television and help demonstrate the positive impact the arts can have on our communities.”
