MODERATION: BETTY SCHIEL

»The only thing that separates women of colour from everyone else is opportunity … You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.«
– Viola Davis, the first African American woman to win the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series

»The Berlin (and also the German) cultural scene does not reflect the diversity of society at present. This is particularly disappointing, as taxpayers’ money goes towards making it possible to promote culture on the vast scale that we have. Declining audience numbers can also be explained by the fact that a large part of the potential, increasingly diversified visitors do not see themselves and the reality of their lives represented. In order to change this situation, a debate is urgently needed on the structural exclusions that serve to maintain this situation.«
– Sandrine Mikossé-Aikins

With Pro Quote Film, women film-makers in Germany have established a lobby that is being heard and whose concerns are underpinned by qualitative evaluations. Unfortunately, however, women are not the only group significantly under-represented – both in front of and behind the camera. Considering the number of people with a migrant background, people of colour, LGBTs, people with disabilities, and the socially disadvantaged, the level of representation is even lower.
We must forge alliances, show solidarity and appreciate the value of diversity. What strategies are being developed to combat exclusion and power structures in the film, culture and music business?
Representatives of the Zukunftsakademie  NRW and the Berlin Projektbüro Diversity.Arts.Culture are highlighting the situation in the German cultural scene. Rapper Sookee successfully uses her queer-feminist approach to make a strong statement against sexism, homophobia and racism in German hip-hop.
The British Film Institute’s approach of bringing more diversity to the film industry serves as a starting point for the debate: the BFI’s Diversity Standards define guidelines for all areas of film funding (visibility on screen, management positions and teams, as well as access to the film industry) which, according to the BFI, not only improve the quality of films but also increase their economic potential by reaching new audience groups. Melanie Hoyes explains this strategy and presents research results on the representation of black women actresses in British film. What does the data reveal about the lack of representation of certain groups in the industry, and how can the situation be improved?

In cooperation with ZAK NRW