Page 61 - ATT DEI Annual Report

Filmmaker Lab

CALLING “ACTION!” ON WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP BEHIND industry,” she says. “The Lab experience will help me get closer
THE CAMERA: FILMMAKER LAB INSPIRES THE NEXT
GENERATION OF FEMALE CONTENT CREATORS to attaining my goals because of the advice I received and the
The lights of Hollywood shined brighter this summer during connections I was able to make during my time there.”
the 2019 AT&T Hello Sunshine Filmmaker Lab, where 20 young
Whether it’s in the newsroom, the director’s chair or the Intro Employees Communities Customers Content Suppliers Awards
women from across the country shared diverse perspectives
boardrooms of companies driving innovation in production
and talents behind the camera. For the second year in a row,
and distribution, women are vastly outnumbered by men in the
the Filmmaker Lab offered aspiring female moviemakers an
entertainment business. In 2018, men directed 96% of the year’s
eight-day crash course in professional production.
highest-grossing films. Minority female filmmakers face even

Participants – selected from a pool of hundreds nationwide – starker disparities: among the top money-making films from

traveled to Los Angeles to sharpen skills in film production, 2007 to 2018, there were no black female directors for eight of
directing, audio and camerawork. They also learned from other those 12 years. Just three Asian women and one Latina woman
women in the industry, including actress and Hello Sunshine directed movies during that time.
founder Reese Witherspoon.
The Filmmaker Lab aims to remove barriers for young,
diverse female content creators and storytellers. “Including
For Zamzam Elmoge, a 17-year-old from Lewiston, Maine, the 61
more women of color in the film industry will create more
Filmmaker Lab experience was confidence boosting. She learned
authentic stories that showcase the powerful women I see
more about the technical aspects of filmmaking, and the
every day,” says Valeria Cazares, 19, a participant from Las
experience affirmed her dream of becoming a director and giving
Puente, California.
underrepresented people in her community a platform to share
their stories. AT&T D&I Annual Report 2019
It’s a wrap on the 2019 Filmmaker Lab. But the promising careers
of these ambitious female filmmakers are just beginning.
“The [Filmmaker Lab] has helped me understand the kind of

woman I want to be and the kind of impact I want to have in this