WFT Ireland meets… Italy
– by Kissy Dugan

This January, Women in Film and Television Ireland launched an online program to connect tIrish professionals  with the 50 existing WIFTI Chapters across the globe.  They call it Coffee Chat – Crossing Continents and elected Italy as the first virtual destination in the series.

To me, chatting with the Irish is like eating a meal with the Italians – always superlative. So I was delighted to represent our members. The lively discussion was moderated by Irish Chair Dr. Susan Liddy and covered a range of topics that included an overview of the Italian industry to an in depth discussion on the realities of working women inside it.

Questions from members came in rapid fire succession and with genuine curiosity:

• How does the Catholic church affect the patriarchy in our respective countries?
• Who are the female filmmakers we should be watching in Italy?
• How many DoP’s do you have in WIFTM Italia?
• Which Italian festivals should the Irish submit to?
• Are there female composers we can collaborate with?
• How can Irish filmmakers find co-production opportunities in Italy?
• Does Screen Ireland have strong relations with MiC?
• Do initiatives exist for industry professionals who are caretakers to children or the elderly?
• What are the challenges we face in regards to gender parity?
• What progress has Italy made?

My answers were carefully peppered with our members’ names and initiatives that WIFTMI has helped foster. I promised to connect one Director of Photography to some of her Italian counterparts and gladly took the contact of a Journalist in the UK who has interest in promoting Italian cinema. The back and forth we shared was organic, productive and pragmatic. We exchanged information, contacts and in some cases opinions. In short, we networked.

Networking is like dating. Sometimes it can lead to awkward encounters that fizzle from the start, other times it can create a spark that leads to a flame that leads to an amazing partnership. Networking is like a sport, the more you practice, the more proficient you become at it. Networking is necessary if we want to expand our opportunities and advance our careers.

While WIFTM Italia has slowed down in person events due to the pandemic, we are gearing up to create more online networking events! Inspired by our Irish sisters, we will ‘copy’ their initiative, and launch our own Crossing Continents chats. In addition, WIF Germany will hold an event held during the Berlinale on February 12 @ 5pm CET (qui metteremo link a nostro articolo a riguardo)

For any information or to suggest an online networking event with other countries, please email me at [email protected].