A brand new initiative was born this year at CineEurope 2019, from the Cinema Technology Community (CTC), and in partnership with Celluloid Junkie (CJ). The “Women in Cinema” series saw a host of interviews carried out in Barcelona by yours truly, with 12 female participants from the global cinema industry. All at varying stages of their careers, and all from very different roles and backgrounds, our interviewees joined me on my white sofa to talk about their industry journeys thus far.

Devised on a plane journey from the UK to Vegas by CTC President Richard Mitchell and CTC member Adam MacDonald, the purpose of this project was/is to maintain the spotlight on the work and achievements of women in the industry. With more and more initiatives designed to boost female profiles (also see: CJ’s Top 50 Women in Cinema), but with still more to be done to level gender inequality, Mitchell and MacDonald wanted to showcase the talents of their female peers and inspire younger female generations to enter and work in the industry. And so we delved into what it is to be a woman in the male-dominated world of cinema.

A set of questions were devised prior to the international conference, for interviewees to gather some thoughts beforehand. These ranged from how their entry to the industry came about, to how challenges they’ve experienced (as females in the industry) have manifested themselves to advice they’d give, to women looking to enter the industry now. Some responses were – interestingly, although perhaps unsurprisingly – very similar in content. And some reflected the differing angles from which our participants were coming, but all were informative and multifaceted. 

Across the board, it’s safe to say that all participants were very happy to be asked to participate, and clearly appreciated the opportunity and support from male colleagues, in the devising of this series. 

Be sure to keep an eye on CTC’s website for the release of all 12 videos over the next couple of months. Celluloid Junkie is very pleased to share exclusive access to the interviews with Laura Houlgatte, Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen and Mariam el Bacha in the weeks ahead. 

CTC and CJ’s “Women in Cinema” series features: 

Jess Carlin – Co-Founder, Screen Moguls

Toni Purvis – Director of Distribution & Operations, Amblin Entertainment 

Sarah Lewthwaite – Managing Director, EMEA, Movio

Sandie Caffelle – Global Sales Manager, Jacro

Laura Houlgatte-Abbott – Chief Executive Officer, UNIC

Debbie Stanford Kristiansen – Chief Executive Officer, Novo Cinemas

Araceli Vaello – Chief Commercial Officer, Volfoni

Alessandra Bernacchi – Senior Manager, Theatre Development, IMAX

Theresa English – Principal, TK Architects International

Heather Blair – President, OuiMarket4U Inc. 

Mariam el Bacha – Chief Executive Officer, Cinepax

Grainne Peat – Managing Director, Event Cinema Association