TRAILBLAZERS CAREERS
LEVELLING THE FIELD FFC began as an ordinary club – a once-a-week social outlet where women would watch a female-directed film and discuss it. “The club grew organically, as people started to bring their friends and the discussions became so much deeper than just talking about film. They became about how we see the world and what we need in our industry,” describes van der Smissen. “On the one hand, there’s a lot of misogyny and it’s skewed against women. You can say, ‘Oh, it’s not fair, it’s so sad,’ and you’re absolutely right, but that’s not helping you,” she argues. “What can you do to not just be a victim?” Research suggests that women constantly underestimate themselves in comparison to their male counterparts. This hurts female filmmakers, who frequently hesitate to apply for funding or deem themselves technologically inept. FFC is working to eliminate this learnt helplessness by offering regular workshops on all sorts of skills. “Tonight I’m doing a session on setting boundaries,” van der Smissen shares as an example. “In other months we’ve had ones about how you present yourself, procrastinating, self-sabotaging, negotiating and more – soft skills which aren’t taught at film school but are so essential for levelling up.” She continues: “How do pre-sales and distribution work? What might you need to negotiate? How do you make
a pitch deck? How do you set up a crowdfunding campaign?” FFC covers all these topics and more, including courses on scriptwriting and the latest production technology. “It’s growing so rapidly, and women – we’re behind. The club partners with industry frontrunners to make sure you understand the technology and have access to it so it’s not this unknown.” Besides the more blatant sexism, female creatives are often ‘burnt out or unhappy’, according to van der Smissen, “even when they have success and win the awards. We don’t want that at all. We want successful, yet sustainable careers for women in film,” she explains. Having social support is invaluable, but it doesn’t come for free. “We challenge our members to ask each other out for coffee dates; just ten minutes online to chat with each other. It can be scary to randomly message someone else, but if you do it, so much beauty can come out of that,” van der Smissen suggests. FFC offers other networking opportunities too, including Q&A sessions with established filmmakers and an app akin to ‘LinkedIn for creators’. The website also hosts a free networking space where anyone can join, and FFC occasionally runs open events. “If people are keen to get involved, they can do so at absolutely no cost,” shares van der Smissen. Official members pay a small annual fee that varies depending on career experience.
PUTTING ITS PEOPLE FIRST Since its inception, FFC has welcomed a myriad of new members and invited their ‘role models’ to speak, humanising successful women instead of being intimidated by them. “Filmmakers come into the club and share knowledge that’s normally behind closed doors. They don’t gatekeep and they’re happy to give us those valuable pieces of information that we otherwise wouldn’t have had,” describes van der Smissen. “There are so many female filmmakers worldwide telling amazing stories, getting funding and winning awards.” FFC brings them to the fore, exposing its members to new voices and perspectives. The real joy for van der Smissen is meeting members in person. “We’re a bunch of women that come together, always masterminding, and seeing our members for the first time in real life feels magical. You’ve seen them win and lose, their hardship and resilience; I find it emotional,” she admits. “We’ve been lucky – maybe it’s just what we attract – and always had such supportive women.” It’s these same members who will define the future of FFC. “It’s a challenging time,” notes van der Smissen. “There’s lots of people who feel that ‘there’s no money, the odds are against me, I want to give up’. Our vision is always determined by our members; I want them to know there’s a place for them.” In the coming months, FFC will accept a new cohort of members and ‘double down on getting them from one stage to the next’. It’s also launching the Female Filmmakers in Tech & Art GAP Fund in conjunction with UNLEYEK and 19.Studio. “You don’t have to do it alone,” says van der Smissen, and it’s true. “You can come and claim your place alongside other women – because your story matters and needs to be told.”
SHOOTING FOR THE STARS The Female Film Club team, including founders Lieberman (left) and van der Smissen (centre right), are hard at work putting on events for members
Learn more at femalefilmclub.com
63
definitionmags
Powered by FlippingBook