• Between March 5 and March 9, 2008, twenty WIFTI member chapters, in cities as globally diverse as Copenhagen, Pittsburgh and Auckland, presented the third WIFTI Short Film Showcase to celebrate the accomplishments of women filmakers while bringing attention to International Women's Day. The WIFTI Short Film Showcase was a successful global event. Over the course of the four days, a slate of nine outstanding short films, all directed by women and made in countries from Peru to France, was shown simultaneously throughout the world at venues chosen by the participating chapters.    read more
• Odense International Film Festival. There was a WIFTI reception at the Odense International Film Festival in Odense, Denmark  on August 21, 2008. WIFTI presented them with a small grant to help make the reception possible.
• WIFM - Pittsburgh Opal Awards. WIFM - Pittsburgh presented its Second Opal Awards honoring local women in film and television was held on September 8, 2008 in Pittsburgh at the beautiful One Oxford Center Plaza. This years honorees were Melissa Martin, Director of the PSA for Women and Girls Foundation, Anita Harnish, Director of the PSA for Cribs for Kids and Donna Belajac, Casting Director.  read more
• Bay Area Women in Film and Television. In the last few months, BAWIFT (Bay Area Women in Film and Television) which is celebrating its 5th anniversary year, has served as a co-presenter for many beloved and famed San Francisco, California Bay Area film festivals including: The San Francisco International Film Festival, Frameline and The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.  This past July  gave BAWIFT a first-time opportunity to serve as a Co-Presenter for The San Francisco Silent Film Festival. BAWIFT was honored to co-present THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED - the earliest surviving feature-length animated film, and the first ever made by a woman (Lotte Reiniger).  Simone Nelson, BAWIFT Board President served as a Special Guest at the screening and introduced the film along with film critic Leonard Maltin.
  
  

The Birth of WIFT GHANA by Juliana Asante.

Hello everyone, this is your newest baby calling. WIFT GHANA has finally been born. WIFT GHANA is a month old and gearing to take on the task ahead. We are presently a very small group, but are positioning ourselves to play a much needed vital role in the industry. Even more so because of the lack of organized bodies in the industry in Ghana. On our immediate agenda, is the building of a website and organizing a workshop focusing on the image of women in the profession. We are still in the process of finalizing timelines and fine tuning memberships. 

An emerging chapter is a new chapter which receives advice and encouragement from the Board. After a year grace period, the chapter can become a full member chapter by paying $2US/member as WIFTI dues each year.  Full member chapters are entitled to all WIFTI benefits including the International Member Directory and  participation  in global events.

• Telefilm Feature Film Fund Production Recipients (April 2008)
  10 films were funded 
  Female producers represented 31%, directors 27%, writers 19%
• Feature films with female directors received a total of $4.4 million, those with male directors $11.8 million
• Feature films with female writers received a total of $3 million, those with male writers $13.2 million.
• Corus Script Development Funding Recipients (March 2008)
  48 screenplays were funded 
  Of 55 selected writers, 17 were female (31%).
• Telefilm English Language Feature Film Development Recipients (October 2007)
  93 screenplays were funded. Of 112 selected writers, 25 were female (22%)
• Genie Awards 2008 Nominees and Winners
  Of the 62 nominations in key positions (producer, director, writer), 20 were female (32%). Of the 17 winners, 9 were female (52%). Gemini Awards 2007 Nominees and Winners. Of the 124 nominations in key positions, 32 were female (25.8%).   Of the 20 winners in these positions, 4 were female (20%).
• 2007 TIFF - Canada's Top Ten List
  Of the 20 films that made TIFF's Top Ten list, only one (5%) was directed by a woman - and this was a short film.  

For further breakdowns and analyses of these figures please visit http://www.pleaseadjustyourset.com