Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI)

Overview

Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) is the global network connecting Women in Film and Television (WIFT) chapters and affiliates across six continents. The first WIF chapter was established in Los Angeles in 1973 by Tichi Wilkerson Kassel in response to systemic gender imbalance in the film industry. Over 50 years later, WIFTI now spans more than 80 chapters and affiliates worldwide, supporting international collaboration, advocacy, mentorship, and leadership opportunities for women at all stages of their careers in film, television, and the wider media sector.

WIFTI operates as a federation of independent national and regional chapters. Each chapter is autonomous, with its own governance, membership structure, and programming. WIFTI provides the connective tissue between these organizations, facilitating knowledge transfer, international partnerships, and collective advocacy that no single national organization could achieve alone. The network includes both established organizations like Women in Film Los Angeles (founded 1977) and WFTV United Kingdom (founded 1989) alongside newer chapters in emerging screen industry markets.

Leadership and Governance

Dr. Susan Liddy was re-elected President of WIFTI for a second three-year term commencing in September 2026. The announcement was made at the Irish Pavilion during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Dr. Liddy also serves as Chair of Women in Film and Television Ireland (WFT Ireland).

During her first term, WIFTI welcomed several new chapters and affiliates, including groups from Europe, Africa, and India. WIFT Poland joined the network in May 2025 during the Cannes Film Festival, further expanding WIFTI's European presence. Under her continued presidency, WIFTI plans to expand international partnerships, strengthen collaboration between chapters, and continue advocating for greater equality, opportunity, and inclusion across global screen industries.

2026 WIFTI Global Summit

The 2026 WIFTI Global Summit was held February 4 to 7 in Adare, County Limerick, Ireland, hosted by WFT Ireland in partnership with WIFTI. The summit welcomed 57 WIFT chapters and affiliates from around the world for four days of high-level panels, meaningful debate, networking opportunities, co-production explorations, and cultural experiences.

The summit brought together creatives in front of and behind the camera, funders, commissioners, producers, researchers, broadcasters, advocates, and senior executives. Key supporters included Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, TG4, Screen Guilds of Ireland, National Talent Academies, Film in Limerick, Enterprise Office, Screen Producers Ireland, and the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau. Patrick O'Donovan TD, Irish Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, acknowledged the summit's significance for Ireland's international reputation in film and television.

The summit served as a forum to strengthen cross-border collaboration, celebrate women's achievements in screen industries, and equip attendees with practical career-advancing skills. WIFTI and WFT Ireland committed to building on the ideas, connections, and shared energy that emerged in Adare through future events, new programs, advocacy, and ongoing international collaboration.

Global Chapter Network

WIFTI's 80+ chapters and affiliates span six continents. The network includes organizations across a wide range of screen industry development contexts:

The diversity of organizational maturity within the network creates opportunities for knowledge transfer. Established organizations share program models, advocacy strategies, and research frameworks with newer chapters building their capacity. WIFT Poland, which joined in May 2025 at Cannes, is the newest example of this expansion.

Global Screen Industry Gender Data

A 2026 UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report found that women directed just 10.1% of the top 109 theatrical films released in 2025, a sharp decline from 15.4% in 2024 and the lowest percentage since 2018. A separate USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study found that women directed only 8.1% of the 100 top-grossing films at the US box office in 2025, with just 9 women directors attached out of 111 total directors. The ReFrame analysis found that 2025's Top 100 films included only 11 women directors, a 45% drop since 2023.

These statistics underscore the continuing relevance of WIFTI's mission. Individual national chapters collect data on women's employment in their domestic industries, and WIFTI aggregates and compares this data to identify global patterns, benchmark progress, and identify where targeted advocacy has produced measurable change. For policy advocates, comparative evidence showing that countries with strong gender equity policies outperform those without provides the empirical foundation for policy arguments.

Professional Development and Programs

WIFTI facilitates professional development exchanges between member organizations, including international mentoring programs that connect emerging women professionals in one country with established practitioners in another. These international exchanges provide exposure to different production cultures, international professional networks, and perspectives on how the screen industry operates across cultural contexts.

The network's three pillars are Knowledge, Connection, and Visibility. Chapters run programs focused on professional development, advocacy, mentorship, and leadership opportunities. WIFTI's biennial summits serve as the primary venue for face-to-face collaboration, with the 2026 Adare summit following previous gatherings that have rotated among host countries.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Women Professionals

Your national WIFT chapter is part of an international network spanning 80+ organizations across six continents. WIFTI membership comes through your local chapter, not directly through WIFTI. Chapter membership provides access to local programming, mentorship, advocacy, and networking plus the international connections that WIFTI facilitates through summits, newsletters, and cross-chapter initiatives. Find your nearest chapter at wifti.net.

For Producers and Studios

WIFTI's comparative international data provides benchmarks for measuring genuine progress on gender equity, distinguishing between statistical improvement and structural change. The 2025 data showing women directors at a seven-year low (10.1% of theatrical films) demonstrates that progress is not linear and that sustained advocacy remains necessary. Productions seeking gender-balanced hiring can connect with qualified women directors through chapter databases and professional networks.

For International Co-Productions

WIFTI's global network spans countries that are active co-production partners. Chapters in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, and India can connect producers with women professionals across borders, facilitating international collaborations that bring diverse perspectives to co-production projects.

See Also

For the US women directors advocacy organization, see Alliance of Women Directors (AWD) in this directory. For gender equity research on screen content, see Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in this directory. For the 2026 WIFTI Summit details, visit the WIFTI Summit page.