Brussels, Belgium – A new generation of female filmmakers is gaining prominence in Flanders‘ television production industry, though progress toward full gender parity remains uneven, industry insiders report.While more women are entering film and animation programs and taking on leadership roles, systemic challenges persist, according to recent interviews.
Directors like Van Deuren and De Boeck are already influencing aspiring filmmakers, and a rise in female enrollment in fiction filmmaking programs has been observed. “Around three years ago, we started seeing more women directors, and you have more women graduating in fiction filmmaking than before,” stated Hilde Declercq.
The shift extends to animation,with Britt Raes,adapting her Berlin-selected short “Luce and the Rock” into an animated series for VRT‘s Ketnet,noting a “noticeable shift” in the number of women studying the craft. She highlighted Emma De Swaef, co-director of Netflix’s “The House,” as an inspiring example of Flemish talent achieving international recognition. “A series like that is quite a big thing to have on your resume, and it’s unbelievable for someone young to see that someone from Flanders can reach that,” Raes said.
the upcoming comedy series “BOHO,” produced for Streamz, exemplifies this progress, boasting an all-female team of heads of department. Director Olympia Allaert described the experiance as “amazing,” emphasizing the importance of female perspectives for a series centered on the lives of three 30-something women in Antwerp. “especially for a series like this, it was vital to have an understanding of what the characters feel and go through,” she added.
Though, veteran producer helen Perquy of Jonnydepony cautioned that recent gains might potentially be fragile. “Decisionmakers are choosing safety,whatever that means. I feel they have become more conservative and, unfortunatly, women still aren’t seen as the safe option. It sounds cynical, but the white man is back,” she observed, adding that she has felt a setback in the industry in the last five years.
Raes and Declercq echoed this sentiment, acknowledging that while access to the industry is improving, women still face hurdles. “It’s not that the doors are closed for me, but I might have to knock when a man just has to walk through,” Raes explained. “I’m OK knocking on those doors, but not everyone has the energy or the conditions to knock and knock and knock.”
Karla Puttemans, the new CEO at VAF, affirmed the institution’s commitment to gender parity but acknowledged the ongoing instability. “The gender balance remains unstable and uncertain, so we remain vigilant and continue to encourage and stimulate the sector on this important issue.”