Cate Blanchett, Coco Francini, and Dr. Stacy L. Smith Launch Initiative to Support Diverse Filmmakers

The Proof of Concept program, in collaboration with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and supported by Netflix, will provide funding, mentorship, and exposure to eight selected female, trans, and non-binary filmmakers.

Cate Blanchett, Coco Francini and Dr. Stacy L. Smith have launched an initiative called Proof of Concept, in collaboration with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, to support female, trans, and non-binary filmmakers.
The program will provide funding, mentorship, and exposure to eight selected filmmakers, each of whom will receive $50,000 to create a short film that can serve as a 'proof of concept' for a feature film or television series.
The initiative is supported by Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity and aims to address the lack of diversity in the film industry, as highlighted by a recent report from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
The report revealed that only 6% of directors across 1,600 top-grossing movies were women, and less than a third of all speaking characters were girls, women, trans, or non-binary individuals.
Blanchett, Francini and Smith hope that the initiative will not only support individual filmmakers but also send a message to the industry at large that change is necessary and possible.