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Geena Davis Institute

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Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
Formation2006; 18 years ago (2006)
FounderGeena Davis
TypeNon-profit
PurposeEqual representation of women in Hollywood films
Websiteseejane.org

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media is a non-profit research organization founded by actor and activist Geena Davis in 2007. It researches gender representation in media and advocates for equal representation of women.

History

After Thelma and Louise was released, the media predicted an influx of woman-centric films and more prominent roles for women. Seeing this trend repeat with other films that failed to change the status quo, Geena Davis was inspired to study why this happened.[1] Davis subsequently founded the eponymous Institute in 2006.[2] Madeline Di Nonno joined as CEO in 2009 after searching for a way to transition from the entertainment industry to a non-profit.[3]

Davis says the Institute targets the entertainment industry rather than the public. It seeks to increase diversity in casting and advocates for equal representation of women in media. For example, Davis cited research by the Institute that 17% of people in crowd scenes are women. Using her connections in the industry, Davis takes these statistics to media executives to educate them about the poor representation of women in media.[4] Children's entertainment is a focus.[5]

In 2010, the Institute, along with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation, established a $5000 award for diversity in children's animation created by college students.[6] In 2012, Google awarded a $1.2 million grant to the Institute through its Global Impact Awards to research gender representation in children's media.[7] In 2016, the Institute partnered with YouTube to encourage more female-created content on the streaming video site.[8] To give more opportunities to women and encourage diversity in general, Davis founded the Bentonville Film Festival with Trevor Drinkwater.[9]

References

  1. ^ Marechal, A. J. (2011-09-22). "Davis Institute tackles gender gaps in media". Variety. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  2. ^ Park, Andrea (2015-11-11). "Geena Davis speaks up on gender equality in Hollywood". CBS News. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  3. ^ Rudulph, Heather Wood (2015-08-10). "Get That Life: How I Became the CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  4. ^ Hunt, Stacey Wilson (2016-05-04). "Geena Davis on Fighting for Female Representation in Hollywood and the Golden Age of Roles for Women". Vulture.com. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  5. ^ O'Conor, Lottie (2015-03-19). "Geena Davis: 'I just assumed sexism wasn't present in what we show kids'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  6. ^ Levine, Stuart (2010-10-14). "Geena Davis Institute, TV Acad unveil kid's award". Variety. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  7. ^ Watercutter, Angela (2012-12-06). "Google Grants $1.2M to Help Analyze Female Roles in TV, Film". Wired.com. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  8. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (2016-03-02). "YouTube to Support Female Filmmakers Through Global Production Program". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  9. ^ Saval, Malina (2015-10-06). "Geena Davis Makes Women the Center of Attention With Her Institute". Variety. Retrieved 2016-05-12.


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