On May 15, the Eastern Directors Council’s Focus on Women Committee hosted Leveling the Playing Field: A Gamechanger Films and Tangerine Entertainment Financing Seminar in the Guild's New York boardroom. The evening featured an informative discussion with representatives from these companies that are dedicated exclusively to financing and producing projects by female directors and cultivating a community for their work.

Gamechanger Films seeks to shift the gender disparity in the film marketplace by tapping into the enormous but undervalued talent pool of women filmmakers and providing the financing necessary to bring their work to audiences worldwide. Tangerine Entertainment is a film production company focusing on commercially viable, critically acclaimed stories for all audiences, with an emphasis on female filmmakers and strong roles for women.

Gamechanger Films’ Co-Founder Wendy Ettinger and Director of Operations Derek Nguyen and Tangerine Entertainment’s Co-Founder Anne Hubbell, discussed the nature of their work and their ultimate goals in a conversation moderated by Director Maggie Greenwald (The Last Keepers)

Following a welcome and introductions from Focus on Women Committee Co-Chair Laura Belsey, the panel discussed subjects such as: how their companies work, their views on the state of independent film production and distribution, films they've funded so far and how they got involved, and ideas on how women directors can break into the studio world.

The Eastern Directors Council’s Focus on Women Committee is chaired by Directors Laura Belsey and Rosemary Rodriguez. The members are Directors Tricia Brock, Jan Eliasberg, Rachel Grady, Maggie Greenwald, Annette Haywood-Carter, Nicole Kassell, Linda Laundra, Martha Mitchell, Mira Nair, Sarah Pirozek, Lara Shapiro, and Rose Troche.

The Committee would like to remind members that while their events are designed with a special focus on women directors, all DGA members are welcome to attend.