Move Over Spielberg: 'Girls in the Director's Chair Presented by STAYFREE(R)' and Women in Film Empower Young Girls to Reach for the Stars

Move Over Spielberg: 'Girls in the Director's Chair Presented by STAYFREE(R)' and Women in Film Empower Young Girls to Reach for the Stars

Entertainment Industry Panel Featuring Actress Jessica Alba and Academy Award(R) Winning Producer of 'Crash' Cathy Shulman, Among Others, Discuss Women's Achievements and Under Representation of Women in Behind-the-Camera Roles

Teen Created Public Service Announcement Debuts Supporting Young Women in Their Filmmaking Aspirations

LOS ANGELES, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- With role models like Jessica Alba or Reese Witherspoon, many young women confidently pursue acting careers, but it's a different story behind the camera. Girls in the Director's Chair presented by STAYFREE(R) (GIDC), in association with Women in Film (WIF), hosts a panel of female entertainment thought leaders at the Regent Beverly Wilshire to discuss their own achievements and the future role of women in the entertainment industry. Panelists include Jessica Alba, actress; Cathy Shulman, Academy Award(R) winning producer; Nicole Holofcener, writer and producer; Ellen Falcon Gittelsohn, television director; Lian Lunson, director and Penelope Spheeris, writer, director and producer.

Girls in the Director's Chair and Women in Film also debuts a joint public service announcement and two-minute film short, created by an all-star team of young GIDC female filmmakers. In line with GIDC's mission to empower young women in their filmmaking aspirations, the PSA focuses on a young girl's dream to become an established director in Hollywood and encourages other teens to explore their own creativity and artistic potential through Fresh Films, a national platform for teen filmmaking.

"We are thrilled to be a part of this event with STAYFREE(R) and Girls In the Director's Chair," said Cici Holloway, president, Women in Film. "It is important to reach out to girls while they are still in high school, to help them realize their potential and goals. Knowing that an organization like WIF is cheering you on helps a young woman believe in herself. We hope that by starting this early outreach, it will help turn the numbers around on behind the scenes employment of women in Hollywood."

Women comprise just 16 percent of all executive producers, directors, writers, cinematographers and editors of the top 250 domestic grossing films(a). And according to a recent survey of teen girls, between the ages of 15-19, conducted by STAYFREE(R), without the right vehicles or opportunities, young women are less inclined to pursue a career in the creative arts(b). The survey found that areas of most interest to girls today lie in front of the camera rather than behind the scenes and they think it's easier for young men to break into and hold jobs "behind the camera" than it is for young women to do so.

"We want young women to know the sky is the limit for them in whatever they choose to do," said Flavio Cosenza, product director, STAYFREE(R). "By supporting young women in the Fresh Films program, STAYFREE(R) hopes to help them build the confidence they need to stay free to be their best everyday and pursue their dreams without compromise."

GIDC was created in partnership with Fresh Films, the only national teen filmmaking program where teens are selected from thousands of entries to cast, direct, shoot and edit a film. The GIDC program includes a grant program and online and offline content allowing girls an opportunity to meet, discuss and pursue their passion in creative arts. The ten young filmmakers who created the PSA are mentors for the 2006 Fresh Films program and each received a $2,500 film grant.

GIDC All-Star Team

Laura Rodriguez, 17, Miami, FL Lisa Vu, 19, Los Angeles, CA
Taylor Tope, 15, Dallas, TX Katie Shehan, 16, Nashville, TN
Monica Allen 17 Chicago, IL Lauren Dydyn, 20, Denver, CO
Taylor Luke, 16, Baltimore, MD Layla Sotelo 15, New York , NY
Becky LeVeck, 19, Seattle, WA Nicole Donadio, 20, Caldwell, NJ

Call for Filmmaker Entries for Fresh Films

Fresh Films is accepting entries from thousands of teens for the filmmaking portion of the program. Then, over seven days during summer break, ten "film crews" of finalists will each cast, direct, shoot and edit a film using professional camera equipment and Apple First Cut Pro. The resulting ten films will go head-to-head online at http://www.fresh-films.com/, where hundreds of thousands of people will view and vote for their favorite film. The top film will then be featured at a premiere-style event in September where the crew of the top-place film will be crowned the 2006 Freshest Teen Filmmaker. For further information, visit http://www.fresh-films.com/

About Women in Film

Founded in 1973 in Los Angeles, Women In Film (http://www.wif.org/) is the leading non-profit organization dedicated to women in the global entertainment industry. Its purpose is to empower, promote, nurture and mentor women in the industry through a network of valuable contacts, events, programs, workshops, finishing funds and scholarships. In the U.S., there are chapters in Arizona, California (3), Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas (2), Washington and Washington, D.C. The international network, Women In Film and Television International (http://www.wifti.org/), of which WIF-Los Angeles is a founding member, boasts 35 chapters on six continents. Member chapters range from developing nations to countries with established industries, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, to name a few.

(a) The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind the Scenes Employment of Women in the
Top 250 Films of 2004, by Martha M. Lauzen, Ph.D., School of
Communication, San Diego State University

(b) The STAYFREE(R) GIDC survey was fielded by Braun Research on March
9-13, 2006 to 501 teenage girls ages 15-19. The results are
representative of, and projectable to, the U.S. teenage girl (ages
15-19) population. The margin of error is +/- 4%.

Source: STAYFREE(R)

CONTACT: Lisa Christie, +1-646-935-4004, lisa.christie@ketchum.com

Web site: http://www.fresh-films.com/
http://www.wif.org/
http://www.wifti.org/

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