
Artistic Freedom, Events, Gender balance, News, Press release
FERA organises Berlinale conference “Breaking the 26% Glass Ceiling: Advancing Gender Parity for Women Filmmakers in Europe” in partnership with EFAD

The Federation of European Screen Directors (FERA), in partnership with the European Film Agencies (EFAD), is proud to announce an upcoming conference dedicated to addressing gender inequality in the European film sector.
The event, “Breaking the 26% Glass Ceiling: Advancing Gender Parity for Women Filmmakers in Europe,” will take place on Friday 14 February 2025, from 10:00 to 14:00 at the Felleshus Auditorium, Rauchstraße 1, 10787 Berlin, Germany.
With women representing only 26% of directors in European feature films — a figure that has not been surpassed for over a decade — this conference will explore actionable solutions to improve representation, close pay gaps, and secure equitable resources for women filmmakers.
The programme features keynotes, a presentation of the state of play by the European Audiovisual Observatory, a panel discussion with leading policymakers and industry representatives, as well as an exclusive conversation bridging generations of women filmmakers and commemorating the legacy of the 1973 International Women’s Film Seminar in Berlin, revisiting history to inspire the next generation.
Our distinguished guest speakers include Manuel Fioroni (European Audiovisual Observatory), Katleen Goosens (European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network), Kjersti Mo (Norwegian Film Institute/EFAD), Emma Rafowicz (Member of the European Parliament), Daphné Tepper (EURO-MEI), Enrico Vannucci (Eurimages), Sabine Verheyen (First Vice-President of the European Parliament) and Iris Zappe-Heller (Austrian Film Institute/EFAD).
Additionally, the Directors in Dialogue session will feature a thought-provoking on-stage conversation between renowned Norwegian filmmaker Vibeke Løkkeberg and her daughter, filmmaker Tonje Kristiansen, reflecting on 50 years of gender imbalance in cinema.
Registration is now open: attendance can by confirmed by filling this RSVP form.
Find the final programme and speakers’ biographies here.
Contact: office@filmdirectors.eu