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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

Olivia Branch

Andrea Copeland

Marc Paulo Guzman

Gary Nimax

Jung-Bum Shin

 

Emeritus, Daniel Fairley, II

Meetings & Minutes

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

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

  • FILMMAKERS
    • Objective: > 40% BIPOC and women directors included in the Festival program
    • Outcome: 60% of films were directed by BIPOC and women filmmakers
      • 31% of films directed by women
      • 45% of films were directed by BIPOC
  • PARTICIPANTS
    • Objective: > 50% women and BIPOC on-stage as presenters, moderators, and panelists
    • Outcomes: 54% of guests overall were women and/or BIPOC
      • 34% of guests were women
      • 34% of guests were BIPOC
  • INCLUSIVE SIDEBARS
    • Objective: > 50% of the feature length films in the Festival program to represent diverse themes
    • Outcomes: 51% of feature length films were a part of our series of inclusive sidebars

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