Round Table - HORROR GIRLS. Distributors are not afraid: putting female talent into the market

The first fiction film in the history of cinema was fantastical: Le Manoir du Diable (The Haunted Castle or The Devil's Castle), directed by the Frenchman Georges Méliès in 1896. Three minutes of extraordinary special effects for the time laid the foundation for European fantasy. That same year, a Frenchwoman, Alice Guy-Blaché, also made her first film, La Fée aux Choux (The Cabbage Fairy), in which, for one minute, a sprightly fairy made plump babies appear from cabbages. A male director and a female director thus both made their debut in European, and by extension, global, fantasy filmmaking under equal conditions. From this promising start, the statistics would break down, giving way to the famous gender gap, the glass ceiling, and all the concepts coined to identify the minority and underrepresented situation of women in European fantastic cinema.

Despite this, each year more female creators are claiming their rightful place in the international market. These second sessions dedicated to European fantasy genre cinema and female creation highlight how the talent of female creators is valued at every stage of the cinematic product value chain.

Distributors are not afraid: Putting Female Talent into the Market
Is a genre film directed by a woman still a rare find in the international market? What marketing value is assigned within the industry to this distinctive feature? This panel evaluates the growing importance and visibility of female talent in the film industry from the perspective of distributors and producers. We will be joined by three prominent distributors, Priscilla Smith, Manon Barat, and Antonia Nava, who will share their experiences and insights on how to promote and market women-led projects in a competitive market.

Moderator: Roxana Ramos.

This talk includes simultaneous translation from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish