While Hollywood continues to be a place of inequality for non-white male directors, the LA Film Festival is making a name for itself by being exactly the opposite. The Festival, which kicks off Wednesday night in Culver City, has made norm-busting strides in programming films and panels from a diverse array of voices. This year, 42 percent of the films are directed by women and 40 percent by filmmakers of color while panels plan to touch on everything from whitewashing to non-transgender actors playing transgender characters.
The numbers alone are significant even compared to that of the other major festivals. The Sundance Film Festival, for instance, generally hovers around 25 percent for female directors, although this year it rose to 34 percent.
"The festival is really representative of Film Independent as an organization which has dedicated its broader mission is to amplifying underrepresented voices," said festival director Jennifer More