Ettinger '78 Changing Film Industry
25 November 2013 Ettinger 78 Changing Film Industry
Gamechanger Films, the company Wendy Ettinger 78 co-launched last month, was recently featured in Fast Company magazine. An award-winning director, producer and casting director, Ettinger established Gamechanger, the first for-profit film fund dedicated exclusively to financing narrative features directed by women.
In the article, How One Group Of Producers Is Looking To Solve Hollywoods Female Problem, writer Dan Solomo notes: Of the 250 highest grossing films of the past four years, only 7% of them were directed by women. If Hollywood is going to solve its female problem, its going to take a game-changer.
Female directors arent given the opportunity to direct movies, but if you fund movies directed by women, they will be, Solomo says.
The take is like with any job. A woman doctor is not necessarily just going to treat women patients. The focus here is just on women directors. Thats the mission, and thats the full mission, Ettinger says.
Ettinger has been an integral part of numerous production teams for films, including the Academy Award nominated classic, The War Room. In addition, she also has produced more than a dozen films that have premiered at Sundance, South by Southwest and The Tribeca Film Festival.
Currently, Ettinger serves as New York program director at Chicken & Egg Pictures, a hybrid film fund and non-profit production company she co-founded in 2005 with two other women who share her belief that women storytellers can help build and sustain local and global movements for justice, equity and health.
Through Chicken & Egg Pictures, Ettinger supports women filmmakers making films about social change and has given voice to a wide variety of issues. Chicken & Egg has supported the Academy Award winning film Saving Face, as well as Academy Award nominated The Barber of Birmingham, Kings Point, and Sun Come Up.
During her career, Ettinger has worked with numerous directors in film and theater including Ang Lee, Ken Loach, Hal Hartley, Nora Ephron and James Lapine. She also produced Eye of God and Hotel Gramercy Park.
Earlier this fall, Ettinger was awarded the William Smith Alumnae Associations highest honor, the Alumna Achievement Award. In the photo above she is seated (right) with Alumnae Director Kathy Regan.
At William Smith, Ettinger majored in English, studied abroad in London and played field hockey.
The full article is available online.