Netflix is celebrating International Women’s Day by teaming with UN Women for a new collection of stories ‘Because She Watched’ narrated by Lana Condor.
According to E! News, ‘Because She Watched’ is a special collection of series, documentaries and films and was curated by 55 women in entertainment, including Millie Bobby Brown, Lana Condor, Janet Mock, Salma Hayek and Sophia Loren.
International Women’s Day might be on Sunday, but today is as good a day as any to be your best, most unapologetic self.
Narrated by Lana Condor pic.twitter.com/5azDrBcRjs
— Netflix US (@netflix) March 4, 2020
“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,” Anita Bhatia, deputy executive director of UN Women, said in a statement.
“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,” Laverne Cox said in a statement.
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“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 crew members as well as the stories that centred 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,” Laverne added.
Dr Stacy L. Smith, founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative said: “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.”
“Our research has shown that inclusion behind the camera leads to greater inclusion on screen. We’re encouraged that last year, 20 per cent 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,” Smith added.
The collection, which will be available all year at Netflix.com/BecauseSheWatched.
(With ANI inputs)