Netflix and UN Women have teamed up to launch Because She Watched, a collection of series, documentaries and films curated by female creators working behind the scenes and in front of the camera.
The curators include Sophia Loren, Janet Mock, Salma Hayek, Yalitza Aparicio, Millie Bobby Brown, Mindy Kaling, Laurie Nunn, Lana Condor, Petra Costa and Ava DuVernay.
The collection, which will be available to stream all year, launched ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday.
“This collaboration is about taking on the challenge of telling women’s stories and showing women in all their diversity. It’s about making visible the invisible, and proving that only by fully representing and including women on screen, behind the camera and in our narratives overall, society will truly flourish,” said Anita Bhatia, UN Women deputy executive director.
The collection honors the International Women’s Day’s 2020 theme “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights” and includes films and televisions shows that inspire the women behind some of Netflix’s best-known projects.
“Having a world where everyone is truly represented is about true democracy. And truly seeing ourselves allows us to envision endless possibilities for ourselves and each other,” said Laverne Cox. “Orange Is the New Black is the first project where I felt genuinely empowered as a woman thanks to the woman at the helm of the show, Jenji Kohan and the many women directors, writers, producers and crewmembers, as well as the stories that centered diverse women in an unprecedented way. This show created a space and platform for me as a black openly trans woman that created space for other openly trans women of all races to be truly seen in the depth of our humanity.”
The collection can be accessed at Netflix.com/BecauseSheWatched or by searching “Because She Watched” on the streamer. Every title in the collection is labeled so that members can easily see which curator picked each title. In addition, members can choose from a selection of “Because She Watched” profile icons to celebrate their favorite female characters who are featured in the collection.
“TV and film have the power to reflect and shape popular culture, which is why we believe it’s so important that more people see their lives reflected in storytelling,” said USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative founder Stacy L. Smith. “Our research has shown that inclusion behind the camera leads to greater inclusion on screen. We’re encouraged that last year, 20 percent of the directors of Netflix original films were women and we are excited to celebrate these female creators on International Women’s Day. There’s still more to do to reach equality, but by recognizing female talent from around the world, we hope more women will feel encouraged to tell their stories, pushing that number even higher.”
UN Women and Netflix’s partnership is in support of the Generation Equality campaign, which falls on the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The campaign is recognized as a visionary agenda for women’s rights, while UN Women and Netflix hope to put women front and center to achieve gender equality.
See the full collection and its curators below:
- Alejandra Azcárate (Colombia) – Vis a Vis
- Alice Wu (United States) – Frances Ha
- Andrea Barata Ribeiro (Brazil) – Sex Education
- Anna Winger (Germany) – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Ava DuVernay (United States) – A Wrinkle in Time
- Barbara Lopez (Mexico) – Scandal
- Beren Saat (Turkey) – Bird Box
- Bruna Mascarenhas (Brazil) – Quien Te Cantará
- Cecilia Suárez (Mexico) – Marriage Story
- Chris Nee (United States) – Orange Is the New Black
- Christian Serratos (United States) – The Goop Lab
- Cindy Bishop (Thailand) – Anne With an E
- Elena Fortes (Mexico) – Atlantique
- Esther Acebo (Spain) – Chef’s Table: Bo Songvisava
- Fadily Camara (France) – How to Get Away With Murder
- Fanny Herrero (France) – Je Parle Toute Seule
- Fatimah Abu Bakar (Malaysia) – Babies
- Francesca Comencini (Italy) – What Happened, Miss Simone?
- Giovanna Ewbank (Brazil) – The Most Beautiful Thing
- Hanna Ardéhn (Sweden) – Silence of the Lambs
- Hazar Erguclu (Turkey) – House of Cards
- Hend Sabry (Egypt) – Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold
- Ida Elise Broch (Norway) – RuPaul’s Drag Rac
- Janet Mock (United States) – Paris Is Burning
- Joyce Cheng (Hong Kong) – Queer Eye
- Juliana Vicente (Brazil) – When They See Us
- Kemi Adetiba (Nigeria) – King of Boys
- Kiara Advani (India) – Lust Stories
- Lali Espósito (Argentina) – Notting Hill
- Lana Condor (United States) – Grace and Frankie
- Lauren Morelli (United States) – Julie & Julia
- Laurie Nunn (England) – The Keepers
- Laverne Cox (United States) – A Call to Courage
- Liz Garbus (United States) – She’s Gotta Have It
- Logan Browning (United States) – Someone Great
- Lynn Fainchtein (Mexico) – 2001: Space Odyssey
- Marcela Benjumea (Colombia) – Dead to Me
- Mercedes Morán (Argentina) – Aquarius
- Mika Ninagawa (Japan) -In the Realm of the Senses
- Millie Bobby Brown (United Kingdom) – Miss Americana
- Mina El Hammani (Spain) – ¿Qué Co#o Está Pasando?
- Mindy Kaling (United States) – Chewing Gum
- Mira Lesmana (Indonesia) – ROMA
- Mithila Palkar (India) – Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette
- Nahnatchka Khan (United States) – Young Adult
- Ngô Thanh Vân (Vietnam) – Wonder Woman
- Nosipho Dumisa (South Africa) – Gravity
- Pathy Dejesus (Brazil) – Raising Dion
- Paulina Garcia (Chile) – Deux Jours, Une Nuit
- Petra Costa (Brazil) – Feminists: What Were They Thinking?
- Salma Hayek (Mexico) – Unbelievable
- Sandi Tan (Singapore) -Russian Doll
- Shefali Shah (India) – Delhi Crime
- Sophia Loren (Italy) – The Crown
- Yalitza Aparicio (Mexico) – Knock Down the House
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
