As part of its ongoing efforts to bring new and diverse voices into the entertainment industry, 21st Century Fox has partnered with the American Film Institute (AFI) on two new programs designed to increase the number of women cinematographers working in Hollywood.
This partnership builds on 21CF’s previous work with AFI to expand opportunities for women in the entertainment industry. The first of this two-part series, AFI Cinematography Introductory Intensive for Women (CIIW), brought 19 emerging female filmmakers to the AFI campus in August for a four-day course exploring the fundamentals of visual storytelling. Meet the 2018 CIIW participants and learn about their backgrounds and interest in pursuing a career in cinematography. The second program, the Fox DP Lab, will welcome more established female cinematographers to the Fox Lot in Los Angeles this fall to help advance their careers to the next level.
Of the more than 700 applicants for CIIW, the 20 women selected spent Aug. 3-6 at AFI participating in workshops, discussions and screenings of the work of pioneering female cinematographers, all with the goal of encouraging them to continue down the path to becoming Directors of Photography. Both AFI faculty and veteran cinematographers still active in the industry taught sessions during the four-day course. The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) also supported CIIW through their ASC Vision Committee, which is dedicated to the advancement of underrepresented cinematographers and their crews, regardless of race, gender or age.
AFI Cinematography Introductory Intensive for Women (CIIW) participant Rayana Chumthong
The Fox DP Lab will focus on championing the careers of female cinematographers who have already gotten their start in the business. The program will be open to recent graduates of the AFI Conservatory, one of the most prestigious filmmaking MFA programs in the world. Those selected graduates will have the opportunity to meet with Fox executives responsible for recommending and approving cinematographers for film and TV projects, receive career guidance from cinematographers who have worked on Fox properties and have an insider’s experience seeing Fox studio films and TV series being shot.
Learn more about 21CF’s efforts to support and develop the next generation of storytellers, including its work to showcase those voices from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film and television industry.
