About WFTV

Women in Film & TV (UK) is the leading membership organisation for women working in creative media in the UK and as proud members of Women in Film & Television International we are part of a global network of over 12,000 women. Members of our organisation come from a broad range of professions spanning the entire film and television industry.

We host a variety of online and in-person events throughout the year, present a prestigious awards ceremony every December and run a four nations mid-career mentoring programme for women. We also run a leadership initiative and a screenwriters' lab, collaborate with industry bodies and promote women’s interests.

KATIe bailiff

CEO

Claudia merhej

Head of Awards, Events and Partnerships

SCARLET BREARLEY

Senior Awards and

Events Producer

MONTANA WOODRUFF

London Events and Awards Producer

NINA BHALLA

Marketing and Communications Manager

rachel williams

Project Manager

LAURA VENNING

Membership and Office Administrator

MEET THE TEAM

SARAH WRIGHT

Director of Mentoring

Helen Bullough

Mentoring Producer,

Northern England

Sarah McCaffrey

Mentoring Producer,

Northern Ireland

KAReN KELLY

Mentoring Producer, Scotland

Hannah Corneck

Mentoring Producer, Wales

MENTORING TEAM

Isabel Begg

Senior Business exec in Film, TV, Music and Radio

Mel RodrigueS

CEO and Founder of Gritty Talent

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EMILY
TINGEY

Chartered Accountant

KARMJIT KAUR

Founder, The Lowdown Mentoring

Emily Feller

Chief Creative Officer, Warp Films

Josephine BrasseY

Creative Director, International Development STV Studios

JACQUI FARNHAM

Journalist, Filmmaker and Writer

CHERYLEE HOUSTON

Actor

ALISON MILLAR

Director,

Erica Starling Productions

JANE PRESTON

Director, Producer and Journalist

GURINDER CHADHA OBE

Director

PATRONS

ELIZABETH KARLSEN

Producer

SANDI TOKSVIG OBE

Writer and Broadcaster

DAWN AIREY

DAME JOAN
BAKEWELL

BARBARA
BROCCOLI CBE

ANDREW
DAVIES

MICHAEL
GRADE CBE

HONORARY MEMBERS

SIR STEPHEN
FREARS

BARONESS JAY OF PADDINGTON PC

BARONESS HELENA KENNEDY QC, FRSA

DAME HELEN MIRREN

THE HISTORY OF WFTV

In 1989, a group of women came together for the first WFTV (UK) meeting. A mix of executives, creatives and performers, they included Lynda La Plante, Norma Heyman, Jenne Casarotto, Dawn French, Joan Collins and Janet Street-Porter. These were all women who enjoyed career success but knew that the male-dominated industry needed to fundamentally change if women were to be truly equal. They resolved to take positive action and follow in the footsteps of organisations in Los Angeles and New York City established in the ’70s to support women working in the film and TV industries. They did this by creating a network of members and organising workshops, events, and mentoring to help them progress in their careers.

In 1990, the first Women in Film awards ceremony was held to recognise the achievements of some of the most successful women the industry could boast. Thirty years on, the WFTV Awards is the largest annual celebration of women working in film, TV and digital media in the UK – tickets to the prestigious event sell out in minutes.

Today, WFTV (UK) continues to expand and build upon the vital work of that original group of women. Over the years we have seen improvements within the industry but there’s still a long way to go. We hope that you will become a part of our organisation’s history and help us to make the creative-media industries’ future fairer for all.

Above: Some of the original Board of Directors for WFTV UK, 1990.

L-R: (Back row) Maj-Britt Kirchner, Jenne Cassarotto, Brenda Reid, Ginger Corbett. (Middle row) Norma Heyman, Lynda Myles, Lindsey Posner, Nicley Davies. (Bottom row) Zelda Barron, Sophie Balhetchet, Amanda Goodrich.