Netflix’s new collection peps gender parity

Victor Akande

AS the world marks International Women’s Day tomorrow, March 8, 2020, Netflix is partnering the UN Women to launch a special collection curated by 55 ground-breaking women in entertainment from around the world, including Kemi Adetiba from Nigeria and South African film producer, Nosipho Dumisa.

Mokgadi Seabi who is currently leading the global streaming company’s communications’ team for Sub-Saharan Africa reached out on this laudable initiative called ‘Because She Watched’ collection. It celebrates the stories that have inspired the women who inspire us, and includes personal recommendations from Sophia Loren, Salma Hayek, Yalitza Aparicio, Millie Bobby Brown, Laurie Nunn, Lana Condor, Petra Costa and Ava Duvernay, among others.

From ‘Unbelievable’ and ‘Luna Nera’ to ‘Lionheart’ and ‘Sex Education’, female creators have enabled audiences around the globe to see themselves – and new perspectives – on screen. These series, films and documentaries – and the creators behind them – have started important, often hard, conversations that have helped to challenge the way we see the world.

In the wake of a cascading set of revelations and scandals set off by the Harvey Weinstein story, the conversation around women in the film industry seems to have finally shifted, with initiatives in both Hollywood and the global film industry that are forcefully pushing for a safe work environment for women, as well as parity both in work opportunities and pay. 82 women, led by Cate Blanchett and Agnes Varda, had protested on the red carpet during the 2018 edition of Cannes. Organised by a French movement called 5050×2020, the call was for a 50-50 gender equality in the French film industry by the year 2020. Here we are!

For the Berlinale which just rounded off, this year’s program, under the new leadership of Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, continued the trend among European festivals reaching for gender parity in its programming, with six films directed by women in the main competition — many of them gaining upbeat reviews and global buyer interest — as well as many other strong stories by and about women throughout the sprawling Berlinale selection.

Taking a side look at TIFF’s initiative called ‘Share Her Journey’ campaign, the North American film festival is currently on a five-year commitment to increasing participation, skills, and opportunities for women behind and in front of the camera by prioritising gender parity through mentorship, skills development, media literacy, and activity for young people. Interestingly, one of the festival’s campaign ambassadors is Nigerian actor and filmmaker Omoni Oboli who believes that her stories have helped to start conversations that were swept under the rug for a long time in Nigeria and other societies. Yeah, something like the title ‘Wives on Strike’ (2016).

“Women have expressed how my movies have helped them start a tough conversation with a man, or acted as a mirror to their lives so they can see their mistakes. They simply see me as a woman who has demonstrated that being a filmmaker isn’t the exclusive reserve of the menfolk. By supporting female filmmakers, you can make sure the stories women are longing to hear are told truthfully. Not only does it empower the filmmakers, but it also helps an audience to see the possibilities of women instead of our limitations,” Oboli hinted in a TIFF publication of August 2017.

Here in Nigeria, Niran Oladokun is leading the campaign through ‘Ladies Calling The Shots’ (2017), a book that chronicles the exploits of 16 female film and television directors in Nigeria. Inspired by the irrepressible spirit of ladies who have forged on in a male-dominated field in spite of all the challenges that they face, the author continues the conversation in a series of public outing in the creative industry.

Back to Netflix, the world’s leading streaming entertainment service with over 167 million paid memberships in over 190 countries, the ‘Because She Watched’ collection, launched in Hollywood California last Wednesday is in tandem with this year’s International Women’s Day, whose official theme is: “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”. These series, films and documentaries – ‘Unbelievable’, ‘Followers’ and ‘Luna Nera’ to ‘Orange is the New Black’, ‘Lionheart’ and ‘Sex Education’ – have started important, often difficult, conversations that have helped to challenge the way we see the world, according to UN Women Deputy Executive Director, Anita Bhatia.

For actress Laverne Cox, “having a world where everyone is truly represented is about true democracy. And truly seeing ourselves allows us to envision endless possibilities for ourselves, and each other,” adding that, “Orange is the New Black is the first project where I felt genuinely empowered as a woman, thanks to the woman at the helm of the show, Jenji Kohan, and the many women directors, writers, producers and crew members as well as the stories that centre diverse women in an unprecedented way. This show created a space and platform for me as a black openly trans woman that created space for other openly trans women of all races to be truly seen in the depth of our humanity.” Well done.

Well, the collection is available at Netflix.com/becauseshewatched – or by searching for ‘Because She Watched’ on Netflix. Every title in the collection will be labelled “XXXX’s Women’s Day Pick” so members can easily see who picked which story. Mokgadi adds that members will be able to choose from a selection of ‘Because She Watched’ profile icons to celebrate their favourite female characters from the collection.

Happy International Women’s Day!