Carla 2020 is set to take place – via the digital platform Eventive – from Friday, 21 August to Sunday, 23 August. The virtual conference hosted by Women in Film and Television International and Carl International Film Festival, is focussed on stimulating and elevating new visions for diversity and inclusion in the global Film & Television industry.
According to Helene Granqvist, Carla 2020 Conference Director & President of WIFT International; and Regina Mosch, Programme Co-Director, the three-day Carla 2020 programme will “unpack power structures, give space to unheard voices and celebrate activism in its various forms.”
During the fully digital conference the international film ecosystem will come together in online discussions, roundtables and networking sessions to listen, share and stimulate conversation around new tools and workable strategies to promote diversity and inclusion in the global Film & TV industry. In addition, the Carla 2020 conference will present keynote speeches, focus sessions and research reports, and enable guests to participate in workshops and speed networking.
Carla 2020 programme speakers include Tabitha Jackson, Director, Sundance Film Festival; Amma Asante, Director; Mo Abudu, Founder and CEO, EbonyLife Media; Malini Chib, Writer & Activist, India Adapt Rights Group; Yvette Nicole Brown, Actress & Host; Ylva Habel, Researcher, Uppsala University, and many more.
On 23 August at 09h00 CET, Ladima Foundation Co-Founder, Lara Utian-Preston, will speak as part of a roundtable discussion titled ‘What Happened With 50/50 by 2020?’ Hosted by Johanna Koljonen, other speakers for the session include Annie Doona, Chair, Screen Ireland; Anna Serner, CEO, The Swedish Film Institute; Dr Susan Liddy, MIC, University of Limerick; Zanele Mthembu, Sisters Working in Film & Television; Maria Jansson, Professor, Örebro University; and Jonas Holmberg, Artistic Director, Gothenburg Film Festival.
Other conference sessions on the programme for Carla 2020 include, ‘Why Intersectionality is Not a Luxury’; ‘Disability Rights On Screen and Off’; ‘Beyond the Cultural Value of Abuse’; ‘How Queer Voices Can Change the Narrative’; ‘Trauma & Why Stories Keep Us Alive’; ‘When Will Colonialism be Gone With the Wind?’; ‘Risk, Financing & Diversity’; ‘Can Systems Change The World?’; and ‘Moving From Unconscious Bias to Conscious Inclusion’ – to name a few.
The Carla 2020 programme moderators are Wendy Mitchell, Melissa Silverstein, Themba Bhebhe, Victoria Thomas and Johanna Koljonen.
“The mission of Carla 2020 is to generate a deeper understanding of the power and impact of our industry on cultural progress. Reaching beyond the work of film festivals and industry events, Carla 2020 will focus on systemic change and personal growth of all players in the industry,” said Granqvist and Mosch.