By Cindy Chu
Photo by Erica Lewis on Unsplash
“How are you going to eat?” my mom asked me in Taiwanese. If you’re a woman of color or first or second-generation American, I’m sure your parents have asked you that same question. As a child of working-class Taiwanese/Chinese immigrants and a first-generation American from Queens, NY, filmmaking is the last career my parents define as being “successful”. When I told my mother I wanted to be an actress, she was scared for me. We didn’t know anyone in the industry, and every movie and television show she watched was a sea of white people with barely any Asian American faces.
Fast forward years later, I’m now a screenwriter/filmmaker. Despite starting my career without any industry connections, I joined the following organizations that help underrepresented filmmakers build connections and find collaborators. Through these communities, I found collaborators for my award-winning projects. In an industry that relies heavily on “who you know” and has a long history of racism, it’s imperative for BIPOC creatives to strengthen their network by joining organizations and communities that value fair access.
NYC WOMEN FILMMAKERS - I can’t say enough how much this organization has saved my ass! From tax advice to hiring crew, it’s helped me find the resources I needed. It’s also where I met Piper Werle of Fourwind Films to write this. There are monthly events that cater to different topics of the industry like editing for film/TV, legal advice from a law clinic, and more. Women, trans women, and non-binary identifying creators who are based in NYC or travel to the city frequently for work can join the Facebook group.
WOMEN OF COLOR UNITE - Their #StartWith8Hollywood mentorship program matches industry mentors with WOC, and it’s a signup process without application fees or numerous essays. If you’ve ever applied to creative fellowships, contests, etc. this sounds like a miracle! They have a Facebook group for both allies and WOC, and a private network for only WOC to share opportunities and network.
GHETTO FILM SCHOOL - Despite its name, it’s not a literal school. They educate, develop, and celebrate the next generation of great American storytellers, and support early career professionals from ages 14-34. I’ve even collaborated with a talented colorist through the organization. You can sign up for their newsletter and join their Facebook group to hear about job opportunities and events.
Last, but not least, HUE YOU KNOW...FOR BIPOC IN MEDIA - It’s a space to ask entertainment-related questions, seek advice, and view or make posts for employment seeking and opportunities. Their members are artists, lawyers, CEO’s, and anyone who works in media. They cover a wide spectrum of careers from Public Relations to Film/TV (scripted or unscripted) and more. BIPOC media folks can join their Facebook group.
As much as the entertainment industry is somewhat improving, like with the Oscars adding a diversity requirement for eligibility, the opportunities for women of color are still not enough. For Asian Americans, the old Hollywood system still finds ways to keep us separate. Take the 2021 Golden Globe nomination for Minari, a Korean-American story that is written, directed, produced, and stars Americans, yet is still considered in the Foreign Language Film category.
The USC Annenberg Inclusive Initiative (2020) notes, “ Looking across all racial/ethnic groups measured, the number of films that erased girls/women from all speaking or named roles across the 100 top films of 2019 was as follows: Hispanic/Latinas (71 movies), Black (33 movies), American Indian/Alaskan Native (97 movies), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (99 movies), Asian (55 movies), Middle Eastern/North African (92 movies), Multiracial/Multiethnic (45 movies). In contrast, White girls and women were only erased from 7 movies." This is largely due to the origins and long history of Hollywood being dominated by white men. This is changing as more women of color, and BIPOC in general, are taking decision-making positions as executives, directors, showrunners, producers, and more.
While it can feel daunting starting out in the industry, know that you’re not alone. This is only a partial list of organizations to join, you can also look for specific groups related to your ethnicity or career path. The community you create today are the ones you’ll be rising up with in the future. I hope this blog helps you find your community.
Additional Resources:
AIM (Advocates for Inclusion in Media): https://www.aimcoalition.org/
Asian Creative Network: https://asiancreativenetwork.org/
AZNs in Entertainment: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1467650406588819/
The Black Women Film Network: http://www.blackwomenfilm.org//
Black TV & Film Collective: https://www.blacktvfilmcollective.org
The Divas With Disabilities Project: https://www.divaswithdisabilities.org/learn-about-dwd.html
Free the Work: https://freethework.com/
In the Cut: https://inthecutla.org/
Inclusive Film Crews - Diversify the Voices on Your Crew: https://www.facebook.com/groups/inclusivecrews/
UNPOPCULTR Creators Network: https://www.facebook.com/groups/unpopcultr/
Follow Cindy Chu on Instagram @itscindychu, and on Twitter @cindychuwrites.
If there are other questions you want to be answered in a blog post, let us know at info@fourwindfilms.com or visit our website at www.fourwindfilms.com. Also, we work with a large, diverse community of crew and artists working in most aspects of the filmmaking process and are always happy to help make connections. And we are always building our community! Send us your work for review or feedback.