European webinar on gender equality statistics and strategies in audiovisual production
Online event, Tuesday 9 December 2025, 10:00 to 11:30 CET
An event organised by European Film Agency Directors (EFAD), UNI Europa – Media, Entertainment & Arts (EURO-MEI), the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA Network), the International Federation of Actors (FIA), the Federation of European Screen Directors (FERA), the Lab Femmes de Cinema, the European Audiovisual Observatory, and Cineuropa.
For the sixth consecutive year, a group of sector organisations and research bodies are inviting you to an online session that will put the spotlight on gender equality trends in the European audiovisual sector. The aim of the webinar is to keep the topic of gender equality firmly on the audiovisual industry agenda; as well as monitor and debate existing statistical data and identified trends.
How far are we from a gender balanced audiovisual sector ? Are we going in the right direction and at the right pace? What remaining obstacles shall we address in priority? What works and what doesn’t in the support of women’s careers and artistic contributions to our field?
The event will be opened by Emma Rafowicz, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education and Member of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.
During the webinar the latest reports of the European Audiovisual Observatory and the Lab Femmes de Cinéma will be presented; offering respectively an overview of available statistical data on the presence of women in audiovisual productions and an analysis of how through public funding governments are trying to correct the imbalance.
A debate will follow, with perspectives from the academic world, the industry and film funding agencies.
Simultaneous interpretation in English, French and Spanish
The session will be recorded and then made available for replay on Cineuropa.
PROGRAMME OF THE WEBINAR
Welcome and introduction to the webinar
Alexia Muiños Ruiz, Director, EWA network
Opening words by MEP Emma Rafowicz
Vice-Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education
Member of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
Female professionals in European Film, TV and SVOD Production
The more recent statistics from the European Audiovisual Observatory
Gilles Fontaine, Head of the Department for Market Information
2025 edition of the study on measures and policies to promote parity in cinema in Europe
Fabienne Silvestre and Elena Laquatra
Director and General Coordinator of the Lab Femmes de Cinéma
Q&A
Observing the trends – an academic perspective (tbc)
Panel discussion, moderated by Sevara Irgacheva, Secretary General, EFAD
- Iris Zappe-Heller, Deputy Director of the Austrian Film Institute
Chair of EFAD Gender & Inclusion Working Group - Lucia Garcia Garzón, Head of Unit, Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), Spain
- Agnès Toullieux, Deputy Secretary General, National Centre of Cinematography and Animated Pictures (CNC), France
Closing words by Bill Anderson, Chairman of the Federation of European Screen Directors