Over 150 women came together in Cannes to celebrate Black women in international film, including producer and former Netflix exec Fiona Lamptey, Rocks producer Ameenah Ayub Allen and founders of distribution and exhibition specialist We Are Parable, Anthony and Teanne Andrews.
“’Do better’ was our message to Cannes Film Festival leadership in May 2022,” said Yolonda Brinkley, founder of grassroots equality movement, Diversity in Cannes, who also launched a new initiative at this year’s festival, Black Women Cannes, to celebrate, support and uplift Black women at the festival, and to start a film fund. ”In [the festival’s] 75-year history, they’d only selected one Black women in competition. Two years later the number has increased to two.
“They continue to disregard us. Therefore, Diversity in Cannes is delighted to partner with the BFI, The British Blacklist and Times Up UK to provide a safe space to acknowledge, celebrate, support and uplift Black women in Cannes.”
Banel & Adama filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy was the second Black woman to have a film in Cannes competition, in 2023, following Mati Diop with Atlantics in 2019.
The Cannes gathering began in 2022 as an informal meet-up of just 15 people.
“The increasing numbers of Black women, marginalised genders and their allies attending this event speaks to how critical solidarity is at the Cannes Film Festival,” said Melanie Hoyes, director of inclusion at the BFI. “It is a privilege to hold space for this joyful community which represents, celebrates and elevates the incredibly talented Black women who continue to endure in the screen industry in spite of the multitude of barriers against them.”
Hoyes anticipates the event will continue “for many years to come”.
Also taking part this year were Toronto programmer Nataleah Hunter-Young, Story Compound producer Tolu Stedford, the BFI Filmmaking Fund’s Mia Bays, Ama Ampadu and Aoife Hayes, and US showrunner and executive producer Felicia D. Henderson, the inaugural recipient of the Black Women Cannes Global Legacy award.
Heather Rabbatts, chair of Times Up UK, said of the event, “It underlined the amazing talent that all our Black filmmakers are bringing to this industry and the urgent need for greater recognition and support from financiers, distribution, and our other partners. The various award ceremonies and Cannes Film Festival are essential moments in the film calendar to re-state the importance of diversity even if the backdrop is still unrepresentative.”
Rabbatts was also in Cannes launch a campaign with Garden Studios, The PMA Diverse Squad and The British Blacklist for fairer hair and make-up experiences for Black and global majority actors to become a contractual obligation.
“To be able to raise awareness of issues such as the discrimination Black women are facing on set when it comes to hair and makeup provision is demonstration of the essential work that we can do together as a collective,” noted Akua Gyamfi, founder of The British Blacklist.
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