Closing the Distribution Gap Panel & Breakfast
Join us for an industry panel discussion and breakfast networking event bringing together leaders in the field of gender justice and film distribution, to address the theatrical distribution gap for women filmmakers.
Friday 7 March 2025, 10AM - 12PM @ Regent Street Cinema
This event will be live captioned.
About The Event
Inspired by International Women’s Day’s theme of ‘Accelerate Action’ and convened by Reclaim The Frame, formerly known as Birds’ Eye View – this conversation celebrates the work being done to close the distribution gap for women in film, and addresses what we can do to accelerate it.
Founded twenty years ago, Birds’ Eye View has evolved to become a year-round and UK wide (and beyond) campaign, making a positive intervention in the number, and impact, of films picked up for theatrical release written/directed by filmmakers of all marginalised genders.
With women disproportionately commissioned with lower budgets (accounting for only 16% of directors working on the top 250 films in 2024), the knock-on effect of smaller productions impacts on marketing spend, release scale, and ultimately box office. According to Reclaim The Frame’s own data, based on the current rate of change, parity in UK distribution won’t be reached until 2049 - only two years earlier than the current predicted pay gap across all UK labour markets.
Bringing together leaders in the field of gender justice and film distribution, this panel will discuss the progress being made, and the challenges that remain. If the distribution model isn’t working for women, what could a new model look like – and ultimately, how can 2049 come sooner?
Speakers:
Cate Kane, Global Co-Head of Acquisitions at MUBI
Eve Gabereau, Director of Distribution at Vue Lumiere & Founder-Chair of Modern Films
Fiona Lamptey, Producer - Juno Studios (Co-Founder), Fruit Tree Media (Founder), Former Head of UK Film, Netflix
Melanie Hoyes, Director of Inclusion at BFI, Europe Council Lead at Geena Davis Institute and Board Member at European Women’s Audiovisual Network
Moderated by: Kate Gerova, Co-founder at Mustard Studios, Distribution-Exhibition Consultant, and former Creative Director of Birds’ Eye View
Introduced by: Melanie Iredale, Director of Reclaim The Frame.
Access: This conversation will be live captioned
Closing the Distribution Gap signals the opening of a weekender of screening events, Reclaim, Reframe, Rejoice, 07 – 09. March, marking the 20th anniversary of the inaugural Birds’ Eye View Film Festival from which Reclaim The Frame evolved.
Sponsored by the Film Distributors’ Association and supported by University of Westminster QHT Live Performance Project and by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.