In the EP in Brussels, MEPs and national MPs join forces for a conference on "Empowering women and girls in media and ICTs: key for the future". Statements by Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ (EPP, CZ), Agnieszka KOZŁOWSKA-RAJEWICZ (EPP, PL), Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ (S&D,LT), Chair of FEMM Committee, Antonio TAJANI, EP President, and Sarah GAVRON, film director of “Les suffragettes”.

Brussels

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

conference

statement

ŠOJDROVÁ, Michaela (EPP, CZ)

International Women's Day (T)

KOZŁOWSKA, Agnieszka (EPP, PL)

BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Vilija (S&D, LT)

Women's Day 2018 - Empowering Women and Girls in media and ICT; Key for the future: statements by Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ (S&D,LT), Sarah GAVRON, film director of “Les suffragettes” and Pilar JURADO, singer, founder of MadwomenFest festival

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian), Vilija BLINKEVI&#268;I&#362;T&#278; (S&amp;D, LT), EP Vice-President, Dear guests, dear speakers, dear participants, it is a great pleasure for me to open this meeting of the inter parliamentary committee which today is dedicated to commemorating the Internation Women Day. The topic for this year meeting is empowering women and girls in media and ICT, key for the future.

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian), Vilija BLINKEVI&#268;I&#362;T&#278; (S&amp;D, LT), EP Vice-President, In addition, we adopted a report on gender equality in me media sector drafted by Michaela &Scaron;OJDROV&Aacute; (EPP, CZ),  who will be taking part in the first panel. We also drafted a motion for resolution as well as oral questions addressed to the Commission on empowering women and girls through the digital sector. It was prepared by MEP Agnieszka KOZŁOWSKA-RAJEWICZ (EPP, PL), who will be moderating the second panel. A delegation of nine FEMM members chaired by myself will be travelling to New York in less than two weeks to take part in the 62th session on the United Nations Commission on the status of women.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, It is key to achieve gender equality, it is a part of the technological revolution and it is absolutely necessary for growth and jobs. Without the recognition of women we cannot have a robust Europe, we can not promote our values.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sarah GAVRON,  film director of &#8220;Les suffragettes&#8221;, This is the year of women not to being silenced. It is a watershed year. On the face of it, not much has changed in my area of the media, the film business. When I left film school around 90 percent of movies were made by men. 20 years later, in 2018, around 90 percent of movies are still made by men. But we are on the cusp of something and we have to grab this moment. It is important as other have said to empower women in film, television and media because those media not only put up a mirror to our culture but they influence it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sarah GAVRON, film director of &#8220;Les suffragettes&#8221;, The first full length film I have dreamt about making was Suffragettes. Here is the t-shit, I made it in the end. Their story seem to lend itself to the screen and it has never been told. Theirs was one of the most important social and political movement of the 20th-century and it bristle with character and incident. It also resonated with World events but the World was not ready to tell it. I would talk to male film executives and they will sye, women and politics? How on Earth are we going to sell a film about that? I responded, how about if I put it in police chases, explosions. They look a little bit more interested. But it took another ten years before there were real interest.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Pilar JURADO,  singer, founder of MadwomenFest festival , <p>We do not want MadwomenFest to be just one and only taking place in Spain. This movement of artists, that in just one edition has shaken it all, being appraised by the Spanish PM, with awards from United Nations, which has endorsed it as a 2030 Sustainable Development Goal. I would also like it to be part of Europe, with Arts being at the heart of one of our biggest power grab. Empowering women and men means empowering Arts in this wonderful Europe.</p>  <p> </p>