Supporting initiatives for change
Whether in film, animation, photography, plastic arts or music, Women In Motion is committed to supporting the arts and culture by putting women in the spotlight. The program organizes exhibitions, studies and publications in an effort to shift perspectives and advance the cause of gender equality.
Since its 2015 launch at the Cannes Film Festival, Women In Motion has been a platform dedicated to showcasing the work of women in film and animation. Women In Motion supports women who push the boundaries of their fields, whether through documentaries, retrospectives or mentorship programs.
Support for Alice Guy, l’inconnue du 7ème art documentary
Born in 1873, Alice Guy was the first female film director and producer. Following resounding success in France and the United States, her name disappeared from cinematic history and her work long remained untraceable. To honor her contributions, Arte has produced a documentary made with the support of Women In Motion.
Ida Lupino: a retrospective
A pioneer of American cinema and a rare female director in an intensely male-dominated field, Ida Lupino revolutionized the Hollywood studio system of the 1950s and was the second woman to be accepted into the Director’s Guild of America. To celebrate Lupino’s work, restored versions of four of her masterpieces will be shown in theaters from September 30, 2020.
Culottées, an animated series directed and produced by women
In 2020, to mark International Women’s Day, Kering supported the launch of Culottées (“Brazen”), an adaptation of Pénélope Bagieu’s graphic novel produced by Silex Films.
Exclusive screening of Thelma & Louise
Kering’s Women In Motion program celebrated the careers of Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis during an evening event commemorating the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the US. The event was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in January 2020. Many entertainment, fashion and cultural leaders attended the private screening of Ridley Scott’s landmark film to honor the careers of the Academy Award-winning actresses, who both received the Women In Motion Award in 2016.
Support for Varda by Agnès documentary
Following two live Talks organized with Agnès Varda in 2015 and 2018 and the celebration of her Oscar win at Kering’s HQ in 2017, the Group once again partnered with the filmmaker through its Women In Motion program. Kering contributed to the release of her documentary Varda by Agnès, which premiered at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.
Jane Fonda: a retrospective
In October 2018, Women In Motion and La Cinémathèque française teamed up to produce a retrospective of Jane Fonda, the first-ever recipient of the Women In Motion Award in 2015. The opening night featured a Women In Motion Talk during which Jane Fonda discussed her life’s work as an actress, producer, activist and philanthropist.
Restoration of One Sings, the Other Doesn't by Agnès Varda
In July 2018, Women In Motion contributed to the release of a newly restored version of One Sings, the Other Doesn't. One of the first films that attempted to have equal representation of men and women in its crew, One Sings, the Other Doesn't is a bold portrayal of Agnès Varda’s deeply-held feminist and pro-choice convictions on the silver screen.
L’Image et son Double conference
On March 29 and 30, 2018, more than 20 French women producers of all generations, as well as experts in culture, education, and research, attended a conference on “The role of French women film producers from the French New Wave to the present day” organized by L’Image et son Double (“The Image and its Double”). Women In Motionn contributed to this project, which was the first colloquium entirely dedicated to the history of French women in film production.
A tribute to Agnès Varda
In December 2017, Agnès Varda became the first female film director to receive an honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Kering organized an evening event to celebrate her artistic achievements, bringing together 130 prominent entertainment, fashion, and cultural figures.
Women at Sundance
At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Kering announced its collaboration with the Sundance Institute’s Women at Sundance Fellowship Program, which provides year-long mentorship to six female filmmakers. The initiative aspires to help talented female directors overcome any obstacles they may face in building a career in film.
Festival de Cannes
In 2014, Kering and the Festival de Cannes signed an initial five-year partnership. Parallel to this, the Group launched the Women In Motion program with the aim of shining a light on women’s contributions to filmmaking.
Since its inception at the Festival de Cannes in 2015, Women In Motion has extended its reach into other artistic fields in which women are underrepresented, a notable case being photography. Since 2016, Women In Motion has stepped up its initiatives to highlight the root causes of and issues intrinsic to the deep-rooted inequality that exists in the world of photography. The program seeks to re-contextualize the importance of women photographers in the history of the arts and to promote a greater visibility of their works in museums, galleries, written publication and the media.
Vivian Maier: A retrospective
Conceived by curator Anne Morin, this exhibition reveals all the complexity and variety of Vivian Maier’s work and esthetics. Now considered one of the great photographers of the 20th century, her work was discovered posthumously at the turn of this century. Initially showcased at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris, the exhibition received wide acclaim with more than 210,000 visitors. It has since moved to the Musei Reali in Turin, ushering in the first Women In Motion event in Italy. More recently, the exhibition opened in Seoul, at the Ground Seesaw Seongsu gallery.
Kyotographie Festival
Since 2021, Kering has supported the Kyotographie festival, the must-attend photography event showcasing young women photographers, emerging talent and a new vision of this art form. Partnering with the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP), Women In Motion supported the exhibition “Women Artists from the MEP Studio: New perspectives in film and photography from France.” In 2022, Women In Motion celebrated the festival’s 10th anniversary, supporting the “10/10 Celebrating Contemporary Japanese Women Photographers” exhibition.
Supporting the 2020 Elles X Paris Photo path
In 2020, Kering is partnering with the Paris Photo art fair to support the 2020 Elles X Paris Photo path organized by the French Ministry of Culture. To make up for the cancellation of the scheduled 2020 edition, which is traditionally held at Le Grand Palais, a digital version of the exhibition has been created. Featuring about 30 photographers, it provides an opportunity for them to share their views on their status as women artists, their commitments in terms of activism, and their sources of inspiration.
Supporting research for A World History of Photography
Launched in parallel with the Women In Motion Award as part of the partnership between Kering and Les Rencontres d’Arles, Women In Motion LAB’s first two years have been principally devoted to a project centered around women’s contributions to the world history of photography. This project, led by historians Luce Lebart and Marie Robert, seeks to raise awareness of the works of women photographers and their place in the art form’s history.
Presentation of first study conducted by the Observatoire des Filles de la Photo
Women In Motion has lent its support to Les Filles de la Photo, a professional association of women photographers, notably in the publication of their first study on women in the world of photography, which was unveiled in February 2020 at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
The Rencontres d’Arles
Since 2016, Kering has partnered with the Rencontres d’Arles; first through the Prix de la Photo Madame Figaro Arles before extending the Women In Motion program to the festival’s calendar. Together, they created the Women In Motion Award for photography, which aims to spotlight women photographers and the Women In Motion Lab, an initiative providing tangible support for any project showcasing women in photography.
As inequality is unfortunately prevalent across the board in the creative industry, Women In Motion has sought to expand its influence in other artistic fields, including plastic arts.
New residency at Saint Heron Ceramics
2022 marks the inaugural residency at Saint Heron Ceramics. This new mentorship program seeks to promote the creative innovation of Black and Brown women ceramists. The first residency will welcome the artists Kenya Cree, Tracie Hervy, Armina Howada Mussa, Anina Major, Dina Nur Satti, and Lalese Stamps.
Woman Made: Great Women Designers launch
Launching on October 13th, Kering and Phaidon are proud to present Woman Made: Great Women Designers. This comprehensive new book spotlights women of the past, present, and future, and their contributions to furniture, textile, product, and lighting design.
The first Anna Boghiguian exhibition in Paris
As part of its partnership with the Festival d’Automne in Paris in October 2019, Kering supported the first exhibition of the works of Anna Boghiguian, an Egyptian-Canadian artist of Armenian origin.
Great Women Artists launch
Kering partnered with creative arts publisher Phaidon, as well as Artspace, to launch a new book in the United States, Great Women Artists, accompanied by its French counterpart, 400 femmes artistes. The seminal work tells the stories of five centuries of female artists, championing some 400 works, a great diversity of artistic expression, and women’s invaluable contribution to the history of art.
Since 2021, Women In Motion has supported the field of music in an endeavor to stamp out invisible jobs in the business for women. The program has sparked continued discussions, inspiring ideas in an industry which is also affected by gender inequality.
Soeurs Jumelles festival
The first edition of the Sœurs Jumelles festival was held in Rochefort from June 23-25, 2021. It featured a Women In Motion Talk by singer, songwriter and performer, Yael Naim, discussing the question of feminism as well as the role played by women in music, and more generally, in culture.
In 2021, Women In Motion expanded into the field of dance in an effort to deepen its commitment and to further promote women’s contributions to the arts. The program is embarking on a new field of artistic expression to help to change mindsets and to re-examine women’s influence and the recognition they receive in dance and choreography.
Women In Motion at West Bund
Kering is partnering with the Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum Project to create Women In Motion at West Bund, a contemporary dance festival celebrating the work of women choreographers. The event highlights Chinese and French artists and their visions of the performing arts and features bold and complementary talents.
Find out more
Read about the program’s highlights since its creation in 2015 as well as the Women In Motion Award winners, the latest Talks and the Women In Motion podcast.
