About WFTV
Women in Film & TV (UK) is the leading membership organisation for women working in creative media in the UK and as proud members of Women in Film & Television International we are part of a global network of over 12,000 women. Members of our organisation come from a broad range of professions spanning the entire film and television industry.
We host a variety of online and in-person events throughout the year, present a prestigious awards ceremony every December and run a four nations mid-career mentoring programme for women. We also run a leadership initiative and a screenwriters' lab, collaborate with industry bodies and promote women’s interests.
KATIe bailiff
CEO
Claudia merhej
Head of Awards, Events and Partnerships
SCARLET BREARLEY
Senior Awards and
Events Producer
MONTANA WOODRUFF
London Events and Awards Producer
NINA BHALLA
Marketing and Communications Manager
rachel williams
Project Manager
LAURA VENNING
Membership and Office Administrator
MEET THE TEAM
SARAH WRIGHT
Director of Mentoring
Helen Bullough
Mentoring Producer,
North of England
Sarah McCaffrey
Mentoring Producer,
Northern Ireland
KAReN KELLY
Mentoring Producer, Scotland
Hannah Corneck
Mentoring Producer, Wales
MENTORING TEAM
Isabel Begg
Senior Business exec in Film, TV, Music and Radio
Mel RodrigueS
CEO and Founder of Gritty Talent
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EMILY
TINGEY
Chartered Accountant
KARMJIT KAUR
Founder, The Lowdown Mentoring
Emily Feller
Chief Creative Officer, Warp Films
Josephine BrasseY
Creative Director, International Development STV Studios
JACQUI FARNHAM
Journalist, Filmmaker and Writer
CHERYLEE HOUSTON
Actor
ALISON MILLAR
Director,
Erica Starling Productions
JANE PRESTON
Director, Producer and Journalist
GURINDER CHADHA OBE
Director
PATRONS
ELIZABETH KARLSEN
Producer
SANDI TOKSVIG OBE
Writer and Broadcaster
DAWN AIREY
DAME JOAN
BAKEWELL
BARBARA
BROCCOLI CBE
ANDREW
DAVIES
MICHAEL
GRADE CBE
HONORARY MEMBERS
SIR STEPHEN
FREARS
BARONESS JAY OF PADDINGTON PC
BARONESS HELENA KENNEDY QC, FRSA
DAME HELEN MIRREN
THE HISTORY OF WFTV
In 1989, a group of women came together for the first WFTV (UK) meeting. A mix of executives, creatives and performers, they included Lynda La Plante, Norma Heyman, Jenne Casarotto, Dawn French, Joan Collins and Janet Street-Porter. These were all women who enjoyed career success but knew that the male-dominated industry needed to fundamentally change if women were to be truly equal. They resolved to take positive action and follow in the footsteps of organisations in Los Angeles and New York City established in the ’70s to support women working in the film and TV industries. They did this by creating a network of members and organising workshops, events, and mentoring to help them progress in their careers.
In 1990, the first Women in Film awards ceremony was held to recognise the achievements of some of the most successful women the industry could boast. Thirty years on, the WFTV Awards is the largest annual celebration of women working in film, TV and digital media in the UK – tickets to the prestigious event sell out in minutes.
Today, WFTV (UK) continues to expand and build upon the vital work of that original group of women. Over the years we have seen improvements within the industry but there’s still a long way to go. We hope that you will become a part of our organisation’s history and help us to make the creative-media industries’ future fairer for all.
Above: Some of the original Board of Directors for WFTV UK, 1990.
L-R: (Back row) Maj-Britt Kirchner, Jenne Cassarotto, Brenda Reid, Ginger Corbett. (Middle row) Norma Heyman, Lynda Myles, Lindsey Posner, Nicley Davies. (Bottom row) Zelda Barron, Sophie Balhetchet, Amanda Goodrich.