Activist filmmaker Jessica Sanders showcases an incredible group of 20 accomplished female directors from around the world with the premiere of her inspiring short film “Fox Directors” on Refinery 29. Created in collaboration with Fox’s Inaugural Global Directing Initiative, Sanders’ film is a visual story that challenges the traditional gender-biased concept of “what a director looks like.”

As an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker and commercial director, Sanders brought her unique first-person insight to illuminate the directors’ work and their motivations as artists. A vast and varied array of creative exploration is perfectly presented with vignettes from their films, along with illustrative face-to-face confessionals.

In light of the ongoing initiatives and conversations about the unequal hiring practices and lack of opportunities for female filmmakers in Hollywood, Sanders’ piece serves to engage, educate and support inclusive filmmaking with so many talented voices and films that the world needs to know about and see.

Raconteur focused a lens on this important issue with our fourth installment of The Side Project on October 6. We made the universe turn in our direction and pay attention for just a moment, with help from our TSP co-founders Therapy Studios and a group of incredible partners which included ARC, Ready Set, New Form, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and NeeD Financial Services.

Furthering her mission to change the gender bias, Jessica Sanders has partnered with Refinery29 to direct an original short film for their new programming slate ShatterBox Anthology. Previously Sanders’ comedic short film Bunion was included as part of Refinery29’s 2015 New York Fashion Week tentpole event, followed by an exclusive online premiere.

Directors featured in the film: 

• JENNIFER ARNOLD – The Diplomat, TableTop
• SHAZ BENNETT – Alaska Is a Drag, Top of the Circle
• BERT & BERTIE – Worm, Random Acts: Big Dance 2014
• GABRIELA COWPERTHWAITE – Blackfish, City Lax: An Urban Lacrosse Story
• MARTA CUNNINGHAM – Valentine Road
• CHERIEN DABIS – May in the Summer, Amreeka
• HANNAH FIDELL – A Teacher, We’re Glad You’re Here
• SYDNEY FREELAND – Drunktown’s Finest
• RACHEL LEE GOLDENBERG – Love at the Christmas Table, Escape from Polygamy
• STEPH GREEN – Run & Jump, New Boy
• MAGGIE KILEY – Dial a Prayer, Brightest Star
• KIMBERLY LEVIN – Runoff
• ISIDORA MARAS – I Am Not Lorena
• ANJA MARQUARDT – She’s Lost Control
• AMANDA MARSALIS – Echo Park
• CATALINA AGUILAR MASTRETTA – The Hours With You
• MEERA MENON – Farah Goes Bang
• VANESSA PARISE – The Wedding Chapel, Jack and Jill vs. the World
• JESSICA SANDERS – After Innocence, March of the Living, Bunion
• SUSAN YOUSSEF – Habibi Rasak Kharban