DEI Committee - Virginia Film Festival

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Welcome DEI Committee Members! This page will serve as an informational hub for committee members to access resources, meeting agendas & minutes, and annual DEI goals and outcomes. We thank you for your time and commitment to helping us expand the ways our organization and programming offers a platform for and is inclusive of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices, artists of color, and diverse points of view.

Committee Members

Beverly Colwell Adams, Ex-Officio and VAFF Board member

Meetings & Minutes

Tuesday, May 11, 2021 | Full Committee Meeting
- Agenda (PDF)
- Minutes (PDF)
Wednesday, August 4, 2021 | Full Committee Meeting
- Agenda (PDF)
- Minutes (PDF)
Thursday, July 14, 2022 | Full Committee Meeting
- Agenda (PDF)
- Minutes (PDF)
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 | Full Committee Meeting
- Agenda (PDF)
- Minutes (PDF)
Tuesday, July 18, 2023 | Full Committee Meeting
- Minutes (PDF)

Resources

DEI Committee & Planning

General Festival Information

2021 DEI Goals

GOAL 1: Create an annual Festival Program with balanced representation of gender and race that depicts the diversity of the human experience.

FILMMAKERS
- Objective: > 50% BIPOC and women directors included in the Festival program
- Outcome: 51% of films were directed by BIPOC and women filmmakers
  - 31% of films were directed by women
  - 32% of films were directed by BIPOC
PARTICIPANTS
- Objective: > 51% women and BIPOC on-stage as presenters, moderators, and panelists
- Outcome: 56% of guests overall were women and/or BIPOC
  - 32% of guests were women
  - 38% of guests were BIPOC
INCLUSIVE SIDEBARS
- Objective: Expand diversity of themes of our sidebars to include new perspectives and topics.
- Outcome: 54% of feature length films were a part of our series of inclusive sidebars including: Black Excellence, Indigeneity in Mexico, Indigenous Americans, Jewish & Israeli, Korean Film, LGBTQIA+, Middle Eastern & South Asian, and Women in Film

GOAL 2: Strengthen ways we partner programmatically with individuals and organizations to increase BIPOC voices.

GUEST PROGRAMMERS
- Objective: Expand on our 2020 guest programming team to add 2-3 additional guest programmers, specifically women and/or BIPOC.
- Outcomes: VAFF officially added two BIPOC and women guest programmers to the 2021 Festival and paid all guest programmers a stipend for their work.
  - Dr. Adriana Greci Green, curator of Indigenous Arts of the Americas at The Fralin Museum of Art, programmed Indigenous Americans in Film Series.
  - Hyeyon Moon, School of Continuing and Professional Studies – Film Studies programmed Korean Film Series.
PARTNERSHIPS
- Objective: Continue to expand partnerships with local organizations and UVA programs to enable us to reach a broader and more diverse local audience.
- Outcome:
  - Institute of the Humanities and Global Culture and MESALC Department at UVA supported our Middle Eastern & South Asian film series.
  - UVA Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion supported End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock, How the Monuments Came Down, Mayor Pete, Mending Walls, Stay Prayed Up, Truth Tellers, and Try Harder!
  - UVA Korea Society & Korea Cultural Center, Washington, D.C. supported our Korean Film series.
  - VAFF partnered with The Miller Center to present 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room.
  - VAFF partnered with the Fralin Museum of Art to present Tekahionwake, Pauline.
  - VPM – Virginia’s Home for Public Media co-presented the documentaries How the Monuments Came Down and Mending Walls.
  - Morven Farms hosted five nights of outdoor drive-in movie screenings.

ADDITIONAL PRIORITIES:

To more accurately understand who our audience is, who we are not reaching, and what the perception of the Festival is, we will work with a consultant to help survey our audience and community.
Outreach to the Black Community with an annual household income range of $40,000-$120,000, and UVA BIPOC and underrepresented staff, students, and faculty.
We will highlight our affordable ticket prices in marketing and print materials to improve the perception of exclusivity.
Add a Land Acknowledgement to all Festival screenings.
Add ASL interpreters and open captions at our major events to improve accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing community, and improve accommodations request process.

REPORTS:

2020 DEI Goals and Outcomes