Elevating the voices of women in film

Introducing the 2020 Women at Sundance | Adobe Fellows bringinguntold stories to life

Film has the power to inspire and shape our culture, but not everyone’s story is being told or represented. From the highest grossing films in the last decade, only 4.3% of directors were female, and that needs to change.

Adobe’s mission has always been to elevate the stories of all creators. We are committed to bringing greater opportunities for all voices, especially the underrepresented. That’s why we’re proud of our long-standing partnership with Sundance Institute — Adobe is the first ever-brand to create a women-focused fellowship with Sundance Institute. Today, we’re thrilled to announce the fellows of the inaugural Women at Sundance | Adobe Fellowship.

The new fellowship is designed to meaningfully support women-identifying artists creating bold, new work across diverse disciplines. These 11 fellows were selected by Adobe from Sundance Institute’s community of supported artists across program disciplines, and they have a broad body of work that brings untold stories of often marginalised communities to film.

//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/key/onxJxElPv8U9d5

**The Inaugural Cohort of Women at Sundance | Adobe Fellowship **from Adobe

“Creativity has the power to unite us, help us cope, inspire us and drive positive change in the world. But, creativity needs to be more accessible to, and celebrated by, every one of us—regardless of race, ethnicity, ability, gender or sexual orientation,” said Ann Lewnes, EVP and CMO, Adobe. “At Adobe, we believe it is our responsibility to give diverse voices a platform to share their stories, especially in this unprecedented moment, and we are proud to partner with the Sundance Institute to create greater opportunity for female filmmakers.”

The fellowship includes a $5,000 cash grant, participation in a Sundance Institute Lab or Program, and year-round mentorship from the Sundance Institute and Adobe executives.

This fellowship represents continued momentum in both Adobe’s commitment to bringing a diverse set of perspectives to the screen, as well as our work overall in elevating, empowering and providing opportunities for women in creativity. Steps such as these, along with our efforts in elevating and amplifying more diverse voices, will help forge the path for a more inclusive future truly enabling creativity for all.

At Adobe, we believe that everyone deserves respect and equal treatment, and we also stand with the Black community against hate, intolerance and racism. We will continue to support, elevate, and amplify diverse voices through our community of employees, creatives, customers and partners. We believe Adobe has a responsibility to drive change and ensure that every individual feels a sense of belonging and inclusion. We must stand up and speak out against racial inequality and injustice. Read more about the actions we’re taking to make lasting change inside and outside of our company.

We also know many people are still impacted by the current COVID-19 crisis and our thoughts are with you. The entire Adobe team wants to thank you, our customers, and all creators around the world for the work you do to keep us inspired during this difficult time.