The film festival aims to increase the availability of films created by women and films that portray women’s stories and experiences. A review of film programming shows that men directed more than 80 percent of all films screened in cinemas last year — and the same applies to major streaming platforms such as Netflix. This means we still have a long way to go before achieving a gender-equal film landscape.

That is why we are pleased that Viktoria Saxby and Christina Knight have organized a seminar for the Stockholm Feminist Film Festival, where we hold decision-makers within Swedish film, drama, and television accountable. The goal is for the Swedish film and TV industry to allow more female directors to make films with larger production budgets.

While the distribution of film funding between women and men is relatively balanced in terms of numbers, the allocation of funding amounts remains highly unequal. There is also a need for distributors and cinema owners to dare to invest in films made by women.

There is so much high-quality film and so many important stories that never reach a broad audience. With more gender-equal media production, both women and men would have greater opportunities to see the world from a wider range of perspectives.