There’s nothing we love more than a grant that puts itself out of business. We don’t want to say that the “diversity problem” in filmmaking has been solved, but some of the biggest names in independent film are pleased with their progress.
Chicken & Egg Pictures created and ran a Diversity Fellowship program designed to give special opportunities to filmmakers from underrepresented groups.
We’re all about expanding the skills, contacts, and “lucky breaks” for a variety of new storytellers, so we were pleased to support that initiative.
The good news is that the Diversity Fellowship is no longer needed at Chicken & Egg because their forward-looking strategic vision includes building diversity and inclusion into every aspect of their work. No special anything needed, everyone is conscious of being inclusionary, it’s now one of the key values of the company.
We admire the leadership of the founders, Julie Parker Benello, Judith Helfand, and Wendy Ettinger. If it seems like there’s a mighty wave of inclusionary independent filmmaking, these women helped create the riptide. Oh, and when you win your Oscar and you thank the members of the academy, you should know Julie and Wendy are among the newest members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.