Share Her Journey: TIFF is standing with Women in Film for September 8th rally

The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival has announced a rally to support Women in Film on September 8th, two days into this year’s festival. Not simply a march to support women filmmakers but to continue to help bring the culture of sexual assault, gender disparity and sexism to the collective conscious in an effort to eradicate it.

This is the second year of the Share Her Journey campaign, a $3 million, five-year campaign championing women in front of and behind the camera. Earlier this summer, the Cannes Film Festival held its own Women’s March, led by jury president Cate Blanchett, to highlight the lack of female representation at the festival and as part of the festival’s commitment to 50/50 parity by 2020.

“TIFF is proud to support a future film industry that represents the most diverse perspectives and range of voices on screen,” said Maxine Bailey, Vice President of Advancement at TIFF. “The Toronto International Film Festival is planning a variety of key events that will examine ways to advance more women and under-represented creators in the industry. We invite everyone to join us for a very special Share Her Journey Moment, planned for September 8. Stay tuned – the movement has only just begun!”

Official announcement from TIFF:

[box type=”shadow” align=”” class=”” width=””]Sometimes, things seem to happen all at once. In the past year, the #MeToo movement, #TimesUp, and several high-profile criminal prosecutions have exposed a harsh reality about the film industry. It’s a reality that women have known about for generations, but it’s finally getting the attention it deserves.

To put it bluntly, there is a dark side to the film industry — a culture where sexual assault, gender disparity, and sexism run rampant. It’s a culture we cannot and will not accept.

TIFF stands with women throughout the film industry, and together, we’re not afraid to demand change. Share Her Journey is TIFF’s five-year commitment to fight for gender equality and justice for women, both in front of and behind the camera. And we’re launching our second year with some big plans.

In September, the eyes of the global film industry look to Toronto. This is our opportunity to stand side-by-side and speak out against the systemic inequality that has plagued our industry for far too long.

We’re organizing a Share Her Journey Rally on Saturday, September 8 on Festival Street, in downtown Toronto. RSVP in person or online to join the rally. We’re going to share a lot more details about the rally as it approaches, but there will be some amazing women speaking and sharing their personal stories about fighting for equality in the film industry.

TIFF is in a unique position to effect real change, but we can’t do it unless we come together.

Please RSVP to join us on September 8 and make your voice heard: shareherjourney.org/rally[/box]