Gauteng Film Commission launches Women’s month programme
The Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) has launched their month-long Women’s month 2020 programme. The programme will mostly showcase the work and efforts of women in the film and television sector in Gauteng, using virtual platforms across popular social media channels from the 10th till the 31st of August 2020.
The programme is being launched during a very difficult period, when the country is under a restricted lockdown due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. In South Africa, we have witnessed the difficult circumstances and challenges faced particularly by women – the gender-based violence as well as food insecurity among other realities. Under the theme “Generation Equality: Realising women’s rights for an equal society now” the South African government has highlighted this year’s focus for Women’s Month as gender-based violence and discrimination, the advancement of the rights of women and girls in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres of life.
South Africa commemorates Women’s Month in August as a tribute to the more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, in protest of the extension of Pass Laws to women. It is following on this premise that the GFC has brought in partners to commemorate Women’s month this year. The programme will explore issues faced by women in the industry, and solutions will be discussed in virtual activities, delivered mostly by women, namely a virtual roundtable series, women empowerment lecture with City Varsity and an Online Women Film Festival.
“Reflecting on how women came together in 1956 to fight an unjust system, we have also brought in a variety of stakeholders to work with in executing this programme. We have partnered with City Varsity who will run the virtual empowerment masterclasses delivered by women lecturers, we also have Netflix onboard, a global media company that has made available relief to the distressed industry – they are providing a once off, short-term emergency relief grant to below-the-line workers who are usually hired on a freelance basis, are paid hourly wages and currently have most of their work put on hold” said GFC’s Desmond Mthembu.
The programme has pulled more than 30 film and TV industry practitioners and will engage on issues ranging from sexual harassment in the sector, diversity, decolonising spaces to women empowerment. All activities will be virtual and will be delivered through the GFC’s social media platforms. WATCH ON YOUTUBE – https://www.youtube.com/c/GautengFilmCommissionTV