The Reelworld Screen Institute has released a guideline aimed at addressing inequities faced by Black, Indigenous, and women of colour in the Canadian film and television industry, and creating more authentic representation on screen.

The #HerFrameMatters Protocol Guideline was created by the Reelworld Foundation with the support of Reelworld Screen Institute and was unveiled at the Banff World Media Festival on Monday (June 10). The Reelworld Foundation received funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada in 2021 for the project.

The guideline is intended to provide direction for production companies, broadcasters and streaming platforms to address long-established systems and structures within the industry. It looks at issues identified through research and reviews all stages of the development and production process, setting out recommendations for producers and line producers, casting directors, talent agents, acting coaches as well as hair and make-up departments to create a safe and inclusive set.

It also includes key questions that writers, producers and directors should consider at the start of their projects to ensure Black, Indigenous, and women of colour are treated equitably.

The report said that in the experience of many creatives and performers, industry efforts were “tokenistic, performative in nature, and inherently harmful.”

“Since the inception of film and television there have been and continue to be negative
stereotypes of racially diverse women on our screens. These images have had real-life consequences of increased violence and oppression of diverse women everywhere. It is time we do a deep dive and start creating authentic and well-defined depictions of women of colour,” Tonya Williams, founder and executive director of Reelworld Foundation and Reelworld Screen Institute, said in a statement.

For writing and development teams, the guideline recommends avoiding themes that push trauma, violence, and servitude narratives in stories featuring Black, Indigenous, and women of colour characters, as well as white saviour and orientalism narratives.

The guideline also calls for a unified source for data on the makeup of the industry and audiences and the past successes of projects to serve as guide for decision makers.

“Our research shows that production companies and distributors want to receive pitches from underrepresented creatives. However, Canadian broadcasters and distributors are also incredibly risk-averse and are working in the shadow of U.S. screen industries, which implicitly drives the kinds of projects that are approved,” the protocol states.

Recommendations for producers include an acknowledgment of their biases, engaging with consultants, challenging department heads to be more inclusive and making sure they have the budget and resources to implement these actions.

The guideline also said that one of the key drivers of the structural change in the industry needs to be a greater and more active presence of Black, Indigenous, and women of colour at higher-level decision-making positions.

Creatives and performers interviewed for the research reported having to adjust their language and behaviour to become more relatable to industry leaders and to secure opportunities.

The document said this “can ultimately impact the ability of women creatives to produce authentic and nuanced depictions because they are translating them into a “white lens” that can’t understand or believe those experiences.”

Detailed insights and data from Reelworld’s research in developing the Protocol Guideline will be released in a study, which is set to be published soon.

Participants in the research included executives, producers, directors, writers, performers, crew members, and audience polls.

Image courtesy of Reelworld Screen Institute