Sundance Institute and WIF’s ReFrame launches ReFrame ReSource: An online hub for research, tools, and best practices to advance equity in the screen industries

Los Angeles, CA — A unique collaborative initiative of WIF and Sundance Institute, ReFrame provides research, support, and a practical framework to mitigate bias during the creative decision-making and hiring process. On Thursday, November 3, 2022, ReFrame will launch the ReFrame ReSource (reframeresource.com), a comprehensive update and expansion of ReFrame’s Culture Change Handbook, which was devised by ReFrame Ambassadors and adopted by ReFrame partner companies upon signing the ReFrame Pledge in 2018. ReFrame ReSource builds upon this research-based action plan to deliver culture change resources via an interactive, iterative website.

In 2021, ReFrame entered into a consultative process, surveying industry professionals to ascertain where support was needed to shift norms in their workplaces and contribute to wider culture change. “Many respondents identified that their employers were making commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion, but they lacked the tools, resources, or training to make the commitments realities,” said Andria Wilson Mirza, Director, ReFrame. “This gave us a clear call to action for the next phase of ReFrame’s work.”

With development partner Teal Media, who built the site pro bono, ReFrame devised a plan to build a centralized hub of advocacy resources, best practices and research that was not proprietary to any single company or studio – an open source and iterative online resource, celebrating the work of organizations and individuals committed to culture change and industry transformation. Said Mirza: “Industry advocacy professionals and non-profits have developed exceptional tools and frameworks, but our system often places these organizations in competition for funding, support and awareness. Our goal is to amplify the many diverse and dynamic efforts to make our industry better, safer, and more inclusive.”

Said Teal Media CEO, Jessica Teal: “ReFrame and Teal Media share the same values. Teal’s motto is ‘creative with a conscience’ — we know that representation matters. That is why it was a no-brainer to partner with ReFrame pro-bono. ReFrame ReSource can change the way business is done and opportunities are created.”

The site will launch with more than 100 individual resources and tools that align with key choice points in a film or television project’s life cycle as devised by ReFrame Ambassadors, intended to mitigate bias and provide access to information and support. It will be updated on a continuous basis as new research, tools and best practices are developed.

Said ReFrame Co-Founder & Academy Award Winning Producer Cathy Schulman: “When ReFrame launched our Culture Change Toolkit and Production Roadmap 5 years ago, it provided an entry point for individuals and companies eager to understand how their processes and practices were creating barriers to equity. In our fieldwork, we consistently heard feedback from producers and executives that they still lacked practical tools for making day-to-day operational changes that could disrupt the biased status quo. Building upon the success of the Roadmap in raising awareness of these issues, The ReFrame ReSource has been created as a navigational tool for changemakers. It’s about making support and practical tools readily available and easy-to-use so decision makers can move past excuses and justifications to activate sustainable systemic change.”

Visit the ReFrame ReSource at www.reframeresource.com. 

About ReFrame

Founded and led by Sundance Institute and Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF), ReFrame is an initiative that employs a unique strategy: a peer-to-peer approach, in which ReFrame Ambassadors engage with senior industry decision-makers at over 50 Partner Companies to implement ReFrame systemic change programs. The initiative’s goals are to provide research, support, and a practical framework that can be used by Partner companies to mitigate bias during the creative decision-making and hiring process, celebrate successes, and measure progress toward a more gender-representative industry on all levels. 

The ReFrame Council, which leads the strategic direction of the organization with ReFrame Director Andria Wilson Mirza, includes the initiative’s founding members, WIF CEO Kirsten Schaffer, former Sundance CEO Keri Putnam, and Oscar-winning producer, WIF President Emeritas and founder of Welle Entertainment Cathy Schulman, alongside Channing Dungey (Chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group), Franklin Leonard (Founder, The Black List), Rena Ronson (Head of UTA Independent Film Group), Joana Vicente (CEO, Sundance Institute and former CEO, TIFF) and Michelle Satter (Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs, Sundance Institute). 

ReFrame is made possible by support from The David and Lura Lovell Foundation; IMDbPro; Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity; Delta Air Lines; Teal Media; The Harnisch Foundation; and the Women at Sundance Leadership Council.

About Sundance Institute

As a champion and curator of independent stories, the Sundance Institute provides and preserves the space for artists across storytelling media to create and thrive. Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Institute’s signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. Sundance Collab, a digital community platform, brings a global cohort of working artists together to learn from each other and Sundance Advisors and connect in a creative space, developing and sharing works in progress. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences and artists to ignite new ideas, discover original voices, and build a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported and showcased such projects as Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), CODA, Flee, Passing, Clemency, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Zola, On the Record, Boys State, The Farewell, Honeyland, One Child Nation, The Souvenir, The Infiltrators, Sorry to Bother You, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Hereditary, Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, The Big Sick, Mudbound, Fruitvale Station, City So Real, Top of the Lake, Between the World & Me, Wild Goose Dreams and Fun Home.

About WIF

Founded in 1973 as Women In Film, Los Angeles, WIF advocates for and advances the careers of women working in the screen industries, to achieve parity and transform culture. We support women and people of marginalized genders in front of and behind the camera and across all levels of experience. We work to change culture through our distinguished pipeline programs; we advocate for gender parity through research, education, and media campaigns; and we build a community centered around these goals. Membership is open to all screen industry professionals, and more information can be found on our website: wif.org. Follow WIF on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.