Generation Equality Forum – Paris

Did you know?

100% funds from film licensing fees go right into the impact efforts of the film. And, we publicly committed to it during the Generation Equality Forum in Paris!

To view a full list of organizations making commitments: https://generationequalityforum-paris2021.fr/en

You’ll need to create online credentials to view the content. Once you’re in, you can watch sessions too!

A Platform For Action
Similar to a typical international torch relay, we are traveling with the film to screen in a host of locations around the globe! In March 2021, Pioneers in Skirts held the soft launch of the Pioneers in Skirts Global Impact Movie Relay during the United Nations NGO-CSW65 event.

Today, organizations are using our relay watch party events to help re-ignite governments, civil society, businesses, and other stakeholders to FUND and ACT ON the elimination of discrimination against women & girls and achieve equality.

Becton, Dickinson and Company joins forces with the producers of Pioneers in Skirts

Becton, Dickinson and Company joins forces with the producers of Pioneers in Skirts

Throughout the month of March BD is hosting a series of virtual events to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD), including a panel discussion with BD leaders and the filmmakers behind the documentary feature “Pioneers in Skirts” on challenging gender inequality and fostering inclusivity.

BD regularly holds discussions related to inclusion and diversity to further build learning and growth together, and to drive better awareness on these critical issues. In addition to supporting associates, BD strives to advance gender equality in the community.

To help expand the global reach of “Pioneers in Skirts” and its message on gender parity, BD has sponsored the development of subtitles in Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Simplified Chinese. These subtitles will be added just in time for a March 18th screening of the documentary during the 2021 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) two-week session.

“Given the global nature of the United Nations session it’s vital that our film be accessible to a broader audience,” said Ashley Maria, Director, Producer and Co-writer of “Pioneers in Skirts.” “We want to thank BD for the sponsorship that made it possible and for their willingness to engage in the difficult conversations necessary to produce actionable change.”

BD made “Pioneers in Skirts” available for all associates to view and its Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) Associate Resource Group (ARG) hosted two follow-up panel discussions. One of BD’s nine ARGs, WIN provides BD associates with opportunities for networking, mentorship and professional development, as well as advocating for an inclusive culture that embraces a diversity of skills and ideas.

Ashley and “Pioneers in Skirts” Producer Lea-Ann W. Berst joined the discussions which were moderated by Ami Simunovich, EVP & Chief Regulatory Officer, and Joni Anderson, VP Regulatory Affairs, BD Interventional. Among the many topics discussed were the importance of conscious inclusion training, the role of sponsors and mentors in women’s career journeys, and male allyship. 

“BD fosters a culture where associates are encouraged to speak up because it builds trust and gets to better outcomes faster, both in the course of their day-to-day work and on difficult topics such as gender equality,” said Johnel Evans, Vice President, Inclusion & Diversity, BD. “I want to thank Ashley and Lea-Ann for sharing their powerful story and facilitating an important conversation about the barriers faced by women and how can all work together to break them down.”

For more on BD’s celebration of IWD, watch the above videos to learn how associates #ChooseToChallenge inequality and drive inclusiveness.

Originally shared in BD News.

‘Pioneers in Skirts’ at the Paris International Film Festival

Pioneers in Skirts in Paris

DGA award winner shares her personal story of ambition, setbacks, and success.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, January 5, 2021 — Ashley Maria, the director best known for her work in comedy and horror films, has announced the online screening of her film about the inequalities that are impacting and shaping her career.

Pioneers in Skirts is a multi-award-winning feature documentary about the issues that affect pioneering ambition and the ongoing effort to achieve gender parity in our culture. 

The film will screen at the Paris International Film Festival 4-12 February, 2021. Festival goers who want to see the film and participate in all of the film festival’s virtual cinema screenings, events, panels, and filmmaker Q&A’s can secure day passes here: www.goelevent.com/ParisInternationalFilmFestival/Pass/Sale.

“I’m very proud to see how Pioneers in Skirts is motivating viewers to re-evaluate the world around them and their place in it,” shared Ashley Maria. “The film’s Producer, Lea-Ann W. Berst, and I have participated in many post-screening impact discussions this last year surrounding topics featured in the film. Viewers share with us what they are confronted with on a daily basis, and they tell us they feel motivated to take steps toward change. They want to make a difference.”

Pioneers in Skirts follows three teen girls on a co-ed robotics team facing an upcoming state-wide competition, a new mom fearful her pregnancy news will fault her raise negotiations, and Ashley – our director – who finds herself doubting her aspirations, even though she had been dreaming of this career her entire life.

Focusing on various elements to help make this story relatable, Pioneers in Skirts dives into the Film Industry and the Girls Who Dream Big cultural narrative while also offering People with Experiences and Facts to share and Cultural Moment clips from popular television shows and films – all to build the audience’s empathy necessary for change. Television icons Joan Darling and Norman Lear as well as up-and-coming female film directors help set the scene of what is happening to women as they start their careers. 13-year-old teen girls and their fathers open up about what it is that causes a girl’s confidence to shatter, and industry leaders and topic experts share actionable steps that we all can take to resolve these issues.

Pioneers in Skirts intended to launch during the early months of 2020 – during a time when the world was attempting to understand how best to respond to a global pandemic.

“We were preparing for a major IMAX launch in April 2020 where the film would be sandwiched between the Mulan and Wonder Woman movie releases,” explained Producer Lea-Ann W. Berst. “It was to be an amazing achievement for a social impact documentary!”

Instead of realizing their movie launch dream scenario, the team behind Pioneers in Skirts responded to the changing landscape by bringing the film to the streaming market earlier than planned.

 

“In 2020 we kept our focus on the big impact the film can have on a global society — and laid the foundation for a 2021 plan of using the film, and the activation efforts surrounding national-focused screenings around the globe, to cast a broader scope of awareness for the need to address gender equality and human rights issues,” continued Berst, whose past experience of running a global Olympic torch relay will guide this effort.

The plan is to re-ignite governments, civil society, businesses, and other stakeholders to work to eliminate discrimination against women and girls and to achieve equality in all areas of life.

“With projections showing that women are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic,” said Maria. “We want our film to be used to help push for women to be at the heart of pandemic recovery efforts.”

For more information on the film, Pioneers in Skirts, and their Paris International Film Festival, visit the movie website. Click here to contact the Producers.

About Paris International Film Festival

With a strong focus on diversity in the filmmaking community, the upcoming 2021 edition of the Paris International Film Festival will present diversity-inclusive films of all genres, with 44 films and TV pilots, of which 27 are directed by female-identifying filmmakers (60%) and 15 are first-time directors’ (34%). The Paris International Film Festival will be held February 4-14, 2021. For more about the festival, please visit: https://www.parisintlfest.com.

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