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 6 continents. The first WIF chapter was established in Los Angeles in 1973 by Tichi Wilkerson Kassel. Over 50 years later, WIFTI now spans more than 80 chapters and affiliates worldwide. The 2026 WIFTI Global Summit welcomed 57 chapters and affiliates to Adare, County Limerick, Ireland.

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 established organizations like Women in Film Los Angeles (founded 1977) and WFTV United Kingdom (founded 1989) alongside newer chapters in emerging screen industry markets.

WIFT Poland joined the network in May 2025 at Cannes. WIFT India launched at the same festival. The newest affiliate, Collectif 5050, also joined during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

History

Tichi Wilkerson Kassel established the first WIF chapter in Los Angeles in 1973 in response to systemic gender imbalance in the film industry. Women in Film Los Angeles was formally founded in 1977. WFTV United Kingdom followed in 1989. The international federation grew as chapters formed across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America.

WIFTI has held biennial summits that rotate among host countries. The 2023 summit took place in Helsinki, hosted by WIFT Finland. The 2026 summit was held February 4-7 in Adare, Ireland, hosted by WFT Ireland. Dr. Susan Liddy was re-elected President of WIFTI for a second 3-year term commencing September 2026, announced at the Irish Pavilion during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. During her first term, WIFTI welcomed new chapters from Europe, Africa, and India.

Notable Members and Leadership

President: Dr. Susan Liddy, re-elected for a second 3-year term in May 2026. Dr. Liddy also serves as Chair of Women in Film and Television Ireland (WFT Ireland).

Global Chapter Network: 80+ chapters and affiliates across 6 continents:

WIFT Jamaica announced a new Board of Directors for 2026-2028. The diversity of organizational maturity within the network creates opportunities for knowledge transfer between established and newer chapters.

Membership Requirements

WIFTI membership comes through local chapters, not directly through WIFTI. There are no direct WIFTI membership fees or dues. Each chapter sets its own membership fees, dues, and eligibility criteria independently.

Chapters typically require professional involvement in film, television, or media. Some chapters offer student or associate membership categories. The specific initiation fee, annual dues, and prerequisite work history vary by chapter. Contact your nearest chapter directly for current membership requirements and fee structures.

How Initiation / Eligibility Actually Works in Practice

Find your nearest chapter at wifti.net. Apply directly to the local chapter. Each chapter has its own application process, fees, and requirements. Membership in a local chapter automatically connects you to the WIFTI international network.

There is no separate WIFTI application or approval process. The federation does not screen or approve individual members. Chapters handle all membership decisions independently. If your country or region does not have a WIFT chapter, WIFTI can provide guidance on establishing one.

Benefits Breakdown

• Local programming: Professional development, mentorship, advocacy, and networking through your chapter
• International connections: WIFTI facilitates cross-chapter initiatives, newsletters, and knowledge transfer
• Biennial global summits: Face-to-face collaboration with women professionals from 57+ chapters and affiliates
• International mentoring: Programs connecting emerging professionals in one country with established practitioners in another
• Comparative data: WIFTI aggregates gender equity data across chapters to identify global patterns and benchmark progress
• Advocacy platform: Collective advocacy that no single national organization could achieve alone
• Three pillars: Knowledge, Connection, and Visibility guide all WIFTI programming

Contracts and Tiers

WIFTI does not operate contracts or membership tiers at the international level. Each chapter manages its own membership structure independently. Some chapters may offer tiered membership categories (student, associate, professional) with different fee levels and benefits, but this varies by chapter. WIFTI's role is coordination and facilitation between chapters, not direct membership management.

2026 WIFTI Global Summit

The 2026 WIFTI Global Summit was held February 4-7 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 4 days of panels, networking, and cultural exchange.

Key supporters included Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland, TG4, Screen Guilds of Ireland, National Talent Academies, Film in Limerick, 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.

Speakers included representatives from the British Film Institute, Canada Media Fund, and Nordisk Film & TV Fond. The summit brought together creatives, funders, commissioners, producers, researchers, broadcasters, advocates, and senior executives.

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 demonstrate the continuing relevance of WIFTI's mission. Individual national chapters collect data on women's employment in their domestic industries. WIFTI aggregates and compares this data to identify global patterns, benchmark progress, and identify where targeted advocacy has produced measurable change.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Your national WIFT chapter is part of an international network spanning 80+ organizations across 6 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 progress on gender equity. The 2025 data showing women directors at a 7-year low (10.1% of theatrical films) demonstrates that progress is not linear. Productions seeking gender-balanced hiring can connect with qualified women directors through chapter databases and professional networks. For international co-productions, chapters in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, and India can connect producers with women professionals across borders.

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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.