Behind the Scenes: Exploring harmful behaviours in the Irish screen industries Report Launched
Women in Film & Television Ireland (WFT Ireland) has announced the launch of its commissioned report, “Behind the Scenes: Exploring harmful behaviours in the Irish screen industries”, written and researched by Dr Susan Liddy and Dr Fergal Rhatigan. Funded by the Screen Ireland Stakeholder Fund, this research throws light on the experiences of some professionals within the Irish screen industries, highlighting the ongoing challenges and the urgency for change.
The report was officially launched on Monday, September 30th, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Light House Cinema, Market Square, Smithfield, Dublin 7 with a short presentation by Dr Susan Liddy and Dr Fergal Rhatigan. This was followed by a panel discussion with Jessica Drum (CEO Screen Guilds of Ireland), Colman Farrell (Head of Skills and Professional Development, Screen Ireland), Ananta Kaur (Head of ER/IR and Industry Partnerships in Screen Producers Ireland), Dr. Susan Liddy (WFTI and report co-author) and Niamh O’ Donnell (Director Irish Theatre Institute). A Q&A session followed focusing on how to collectively foster a safer, more supportive work environment. The event was moderated by arts journalist, Aoife Barry. Panelists discussed the report’s findings and how the industry can continue to collaborate on creating a safer, more inclusive environment for all professionals. It was agreed that while much has been achieved around equality over the last number of years, bullying and harassment in screen industry workplaces needs to be tackled with an increased sense of urgency. In discussing the importance of the report, co-author Dr. Susan Liddy, Chair of Women in Film and Television Ireland and President of Women in Film and Television International, commented:
“This is the first report to focus exclusively on dignity at work in the Irish screen industries and makes an important contribution to existing work by the Irish Theatre Institute and the Safe to Create partnership. Nearly three quarters (72%) of the 253 respondents who participated in our survey had either experienced or witnessed some form of inappropriate or harmful behaviour: a clear signal that while much has been achieved, there is more to do. My colleague, Dr Fergal Rhatigan, and I understand that changing the culture is a lengthy and evolving process, but we believe we can all work together with greater urgency to achieve our collective goals for the benefit of workers in the Irish industries. Our recommendations point to a way forward for the screen industries.”
The report takes a qualitative as well as a quantitative approach, capturing the anonymized voices of respondents to vividly convey their experiences across a range of industry roles and workplaces. The launch on Monday 30 September attracted industry organizations, third level institutions, screen executives, producers and individual filmmakers. Attendees included Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Méan (Media Commission), the National Women’s Council of Ireland, SIPTU, Writers Guild of Ireland, Raising Films Ireland, Screen Producers Ireland, Screen Guilds of Ireland, TUS Dublin and Trinity College. Panelists agreed that while much has been achieved around equality over the last number of years, this issue needs to be tackled with an increased sense of urgency and collaboration is the best way forward.
Image left to right: Niamh O’Donnell (Irish Theatre Institute), Dr Susan Liddy (Report Coauthor). Coleman Farrell (Screen Ireland). Jess Drum (Screen Guilds Ireland). Ananta Kaur (Screen Producers Ireland)