Women In Film & Television International: In the Beginning

Women In Film and Television International was born in the early eighties, in the back office of “The Hollywood Reporter”. Tichi Wilkerson, then-owner and editor-in-chief of the famed trade magazine and the founder of Women in Film (WIF) Los Angeles, had invited several European filmmakers to discuss the possibility of creating an international branch of WIF. The seven women in the room represented Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark and Israel. These seven later became WIFTI’s first board and I its first president.

The founding of WIFTI was in a way an outcome of the international students’ movement, its members having a sense of connectedness and offering support to each other.

A number of talented European writers, directors and producers had come to Hollywood wanting to work; to them, WIFTI became a source of information, guidance and mentoring.

Believing strongly in promoting international dialogue, WIFTI was ahead of its time: the Hollywood film studios adapted to change in the global film market only when they realized that their international revenues were surpassing the American box office.

Today WIFTI’s global reach includes 40 chapters and over 13,000 members. Not too bad, considering it all began in a back office.

Annett Wolf

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