Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland Welcomes New Women in Film & Television Report on Harmful Behaviours within the Screen Industry which will further inform ‘Safe to Create’ Programmes
Posted: 1st October 2024
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland welcomed the opportunity to participate in the WFT panel on the launch of their report on harmful behaviours in the creative screen Industry. The report, titled Behind the Scenes: Exploring Harmful Behaviours in the Irish Screen Industries was commissioned by WFT Ireland, researched and produced by Dr Susan Liddy and Dr Fergal Rhatigan, and was funded by Screen Ireland as part of the Screen Stakeholders Fund. It is a follow up to the Irish Theatre Institute's ‘Speak Up: A Call for Change’ report in 2021, which resulted in the establishment of the Safe to Create programme by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. The report provides further insights into specific behaviours within the industry, which will inform the development of new tailored supports and training from Screen Ireland, in collaboration with the Safe to Create programme, for all of those working within the industry.
launch of the report was hosted by WFT Ireland at the Light House Cinema in Dublin on Monday, 30th September 2024, and comprised of a presentation of the research findings and a discussion panel comprised of representatives from industry stakeholders moderated by writer and broadcaster Aoife Barry. Panellists included Chair of WFT Ireland Dr Susan Liddy, CEO of Screen Guilds of Ireland Jess Drum, Head of Skills and Professional Development at Screen Ireland Colman Farrell, Head of ER/IR and Industry Partnerships at Screen Producers Ireland Ananta Kaur, and Director of the Irish Theatre Institute Niamh Donnelly.
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is strongly committed to supporting the creative screen industry through Safe to Create in providing a work environment free from bullying and harassment. There has been significant work undertaken in these areas across the industry in recent years, and this report is another step taken to ensure that harmful behaviours in the workplace will not be tolerated.
Safe to Create is a dignity at work programme for the Irish arts and creative sectors coordinated by the Irish Theatre Institute (ITI) in partnership with the Arts Council, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and Minding Creative Minds.
Screen Ireland in collaboration with Safe to Create launched a series of certified self-led online courses addressing Dignity at Work which are accessible via Screen Ireland's online learning platform. These courses are provided free of charge and are suitable for anyone working in the arts and creative sectors, whether in full-time, part-time, short-term, or freelance capacity.
The following is a list of mandated online self-led training programmes hosted on Screen Ireland Learning Management System:
- Being an Active Bystander in the Arts and Creative Sectors - 6519 completed
- Addressing Unconscious Bias in the Workplace - 6,333 completed
- Tackling Bullying & Harassment at Work - 5,532 completed
- Safe to Create also offers in-person training, online resources and toolkits, and an anonymous information gathering tool, Inform to Transform, for arts and creative sector workers to submit information about incidents of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment that they have experienced or witnessed.
Other Screen Ireland and Safe to Create Courses completed this year include:
- Fostering Anti-Racism from Script to Screen
- Microaggressions Awareness
- Casting for Diversity Excellence
- Aligning with Flow Creative Development Retreat
- Best Practice: Sensitive Content in the Writers Room x 2
- Best Practice: Writing Intimate Scenes x 2
- Certificate in Continuing Professional Development in Neurodiversity for the Screen Industry
- Certificate in Continuing Professional Development in Wellbeing Coordination in the Arts & Creative Sectors
- Intersectionality in Filmmaking
- Enhancing Ethnic Minority Engagement in the Screen Industries
- An Introduction to Staged Intimacy, inviting professional actors to learn basic tools for navigating Consent, Boundaries and Sensitivities within Staged Intimacy and any moments physically and emotionally vulnerable in acting.
- In-person Active Bystander workshops in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Belfast and Meath, including dedicated sessions for leaders/board members and tech/crew.
- In-depth Effective Conflict Management training workshops, delivered by Mary Lou O’Kennedy of OAK Conflict Dynamics, in Dubin, Cork, Killarney and Galway.
- A suite of governance training opportunities, in partnership with Boardmatch, including Governance Training for Managers, Board Culture Training, Board Chair Training and Governance Training for Artists & Freelance Arts Workers, facilitated by Gráinne Madden.
For more information and to learn more about Safe to Create, please visit safetocreate.ie