
Back to All News
Women in Film and Netflix Join Forces to Support Mid-Career and Early Career Women Directors and Cinematographers
Social Impact
26 July 2022
United States
ReFrame Rise, the talent development program from Women In Film Los Angeles (WIF) and Sundance Institute's ReFrame Project, is returning for its second cohort and expanding to include both directors and cinematographers in 2022 Women in Film is also announcing the new WIF Emerging Directors and Cinematographers Fellowship in 2023Both programs supported by Netflix's Fund for Creative Equity July 26, 2022 - For Immediate Release
Los Angeles, CA - Women in Film is expanding its offerings to help elevate women directors and cinematographers at multiple stages of their careers through a newly expanded ReFrame Rise accelerator, and a new WIF Directors and Cinematographers Fellowship. These programs are made possible by support from the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, an initiative to build new opportunities for underrepresented communities within entertainment.
ReFrame Rise is a comprehensive and customized two-year program designed by ReFrame, a Women in Film and Sundance Institute collaboration, to accelerate high-level, sustainable advancement for mid-career talent. Building off the success of the inaugural ReFrame Rise class, the program is now expanding to support Cinematographers as well as Directors. Today, ReFrame is announcing the new ReFrame Rise class which includes 7 mid-career directors (Ally Pankiw, Angel Kristi Williams, Ekwa Msangi, Mounia Akl, Nijla Mu'min, Terrie Samundra, and Yoko Okumura) and 4 cinematographers (Ava Benjamin Shorr, Barbie Leung, Laura Merians Gonsalves, and Mariscela Mendez), who will each be matched with a mentorship team of industry professionals and a career coach.
Each year, ReFrame reviews the top 100 feature films and top 200 TV series as part of its ReFrame Stamp Program, releasing annual reports on gender equity in hiring. Through this research, it became clear that there was a significant gap in representation of women cinematographers.
The numbers of women cinematographers hired on our industry's largest projects remains stagnant - only 7 films in the Top 100 releases last year were lensed by women, said Andria Wilson Mirza, ReFrame's Director. Through applying our career acceleration model - which has proven to be successful for directors - to this talented group of DPs as well, we aim to demonstrate our commitment to developing both above and below-the-line talent, and the urgent need for a cross-industry investment in these roles in which women remain underrepresented.
"We are very excited to support this supremely talented cohort of Directors and Cinematographers as a partnership between Women in Film and the Sundance Institutes Women at Sundance Program. We have learned first hand the value of the sponsorship opportunity for women artists and look forward to supporting this next group as they level up and find sustainability in their careers," said Michelle Satter, Sundance Institute Founding Senior Director, Artist Program, ReFrame Leadership Council.
With support from Netflix, Women In Film will also launch a new WIF Directors and Cinematographers Fellowship in 2023. This initiative will provide participants with a year of mentorship from entertainment leaders, collaboration with the Rise class through advice and shadowing on their projects, and access to industry experts and special events. More information and dates for this program will be announced in the fall.
Said WIF Director of Programs, Maikiko James: This program will build critical relationships between people across different stages of their careers. As we intentionally deepen the community of women and gender non-conforming creatives we see opportunities grow, so we must nurture these connections.
As ReFrame's research shows, there continues to be great need to elevate more women as cinematographers and directors in film and television. We are thrilled to support Women in Film's innovative approach to elevating women in these positions through different stages of their careers, said Niija Kuykendall, Netflix VP, Film and WIF board member.
The inaugural class of ReFrame Rise,which ran from 2019 to early 2022, supported acclaimed directors Desiree Akhavan (Hacks, HBO), Haifaa al-Mansour (Tales of the Walking Dead, AMC), Patricia Cardoso (Shelter, Amazon), Hanelle Culpepper (Anansi Boys, Amazon), Sydney Freeland (Echo, Marvel Studios), Zetna Fuentes (This is Us, NBC),Tina Mabry (Pose, FX) and Meera Menon (Ms. Marvel, Marvel Studios).
INTRODUCING: The 2022-24 ReFrame Rise Class
From L to R: Ally Pankiw, Angel Kristi Williams, Ava Benjamin Shorr, Barbie Leung, Ekwa Msangi, Laura Merians Gon alves, Mariscela M ndez, Mounia Akl, Nijla Mu'min, Terrie Samundra, Yoko Okumura
DIRECTORS:
Ally Pankiw
Writer/director Ally Pankiw's accomplishments in TV include directing and executive producing the first season of the Netflix comedy series, FEEL GOOD (which stars Mae Martin and Lisa Kudrow), and blocks of episodes on Hulu's SHRILL and THE GREAT. Ally recently completed her first feature film, a dark dramedy which she wrote and directed, called I USED TO BE FUNNY. It stars Rachel Sennott (SHIVA BABY, BODIES BODIES BODIES) and Jason Jones (THE DAILY SHOW, THE DETOUR). Previously, Ally served as a writer on SCHITT'S CREEK, and she is now developing an original comedy series with its star and creator, Dan Levy, for Hulu and 20th Century Fox Animation. The duo are also co-writing a feature for Universal Pictures. She has directed commercials for brands like Amazon, adidas, Pepsi, Chanel and Nylon, and music videos for artists like Phoebe Bridgers, MUNA, Janelle Monae, and Lil Jon.
Angel Kristi Williams
Angel Kristi Williamsis an award winning fil
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
10/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
10/07/2026
FUJIFILM North America Corporation has announced the FUJINON GF19-35mmT3.5 PZ OIS WR, a cinema power zoom lens for the GFX System with native G Mount. The lens ...
10/07/2026
Dalet has announced a new Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex, expanding AI capabilities, workflow automation, and integration with Dalia, Dalet'...
10/07/2026
Blackmagic Design has released Fairlight Live, a free software-based broadcast audio mixer for Mac and Windows, available for download now. Simultaneously, the ...
10/07/2026
FloSports and the USA South Athletic Conference have announced an exclusive medi...
10/07/2026
Daktronics has manufactured and installed an LED video display at Field of Dream...
10/07/2026
Registration is now open for NAB Show New York 2026, taking place October 21-22 ...
10/07/2026
Sphere Entertainment Co. and the Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix have an...
10/07/2026
CBS Sports and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have announced a media rights partnership covering the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 and the AFC U23 Asi...
10/07/2026
Sony Electronics has announced the RX10 V, the fifth generation of its RX10 all-in-one camera series. The camera will be available in August 2026 at a suggested...
10/07/2026
Chyron has announced PRIME 5.4, an update to its unified graphics, playout, and ...
10/07/2026
The nine-time Emmy Award-winning video engineer was a pioneer of NASCAR in-car cameras and a longtime fixture in FOX Sports' video-control operation...
10/07/2026
FuboTV Inc. has announced the appointment of Alisa Bowen as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 10. Bowen succeeds David Gandler, who co-founded the company...
10/07/2026
Every entry on Nielsen's Top 25 Live Sports Events Telecasts for the week of...
10/07/2026
The Braves opted to keep production in-house rather than hand it off to MLB...
10/07/2026
Drones, jibs, robos are part of the expanded camera complement for the Professional Bull Riders series
PBR Teams' 2026 season, with a 10-team field competi...
10/07/2026
(L-R) Michael Arndt, Paul Dano, Toni Collette, Valerie Faris, Abigail Breslin, Jonathan Dayton, and Greg Kinnear attend the Park City Legacy program screening o...
10/07/2026
Discounted rates available through 27 August 2026
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) have announced that Early Bird registration is now open for the AES Sh...
10/07/2026
New in-ear monitors to launch in August 2026
Sony have announced the upcoming launch of a new pair of in-ear monitors that promise to deliver a secure, stab...
10/07/2026
Why CRAS Upgraded to Symphony I/O MK II When an audio school runs studios all day, every day, gear doesn't just need to sound good , it needs to survive rea...
10/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/07/2026
Hey Man, Cheech & Chong's Last Movie Rolls With SNS EVO
Melanie Ciotti July 10, 2026
0 Comments
Richard Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong have long b...
10/07/2026
Alex Zarfati's Fail Safe Shot with Blackmagic PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton July 10, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's full frame sensor supports anamorphic s...
10/07/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
10/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/07/2026
New RT documentary explores Irish-led efforts to build bridges in divided Cyprus
More than a Game: From D1 to Pyla airs Monday 13 July
More Than a Game: Fro...
09/07/2026
With 50+ cameras, three trucks, 60+ EVS channels, RFID hole-card workflows, and ...
09/07/2026
A recent graduate from Westchester, NY, this experienced technician has already started her first gig in the industry, as a REMI A2 Comms Specialist at ESPN
In...
09/07/2026
Live sports production is a fast-paced industry with no signs of slowing down. W...
09/07/2026
From a rooftop studio in Manhattan, multiple Germany-based companies share respo...
09/07/2026
Overtime has announced a content partnership with FOX One to produce Race to Glo...
09/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced that Ross Production Services (RPS) has standardized on ...
09/07/2026
The NFL has announced that NetApp will return as Presenting Partner of the NFL Madrid Game, featuring the Atlanta Falcons against the Cincinnati Bengals at the ...
09/07/2026
The R&A and Cisco have announced a multi-year partnership making Cisco the Official Network Supplier of The R&A and its Championships. Cisco will deploy AI-read...
09/07/2026
Fox Television Stations, Extreme Reach (XR), and LTN have announced the completi...
09/07/2026
Kiswe has announced a partnership with Wynn Records to launch the Wynn Records Network streaming platform, debuting Saturday, July 11 with a Salita Promotions b...
09/07/2026
NEP Europe has announced a new multi-year agreement with Wimbledon Broadcast Ser...
09/07/2026
Thropic Games, a company offering casual mobile games tied to fan fundraising for sports programs, has announced a pre-seed funding round led by The Famous Grou...
09/07/2026
Game Creek Video has reached an agreement with Grass Valley to purchase 10 K-Frame production switchers as part of a two-year fleet expansion. Two systems have ...
09/07/2026
Gravity Media is delivering a three-hub remote production workflow for ITV's...
09/07/2026
A new report from Quickplay and Caretta Research, The Broadcaster Revolution Wi...
09/07/2026
DAZN, the world's leading sports entertainment platform, has announced a long-term strategic partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to serve as t...