Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1474192
A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 I 1 9 DGA Committee Meeting Events Roundup See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. On June 15, the Latino Committee meeting featured a conversation with Director Jeff Valdez, who spoke about his agenda of not having stereotypical caricatures of Latinos on screen and the challenges of rebooting his beloved television series, The Brothers Garcia, during a dialog moderated by Director A. P. Gonzalez. During the conversation, Valdez revealed how the casting process for the series led to a realization. " When [casting director] Blanca [Valdez] started bringing me guest stars and other roles, after a while I said, 'I don't want to see the resumes,' because when I was seeing their resumes they were like gang member number 3, gang member number 90, I said, 'I'm pre conceiving their ability before they even read so I just want to see them read.' And that's what we ultimately did, and it was it was a joyful process." Image: Directors Jeff Valdez and A. P. Gonzalez (moderator). A Conversation with Director Jeff Valdez A Latino Committee Event On June 27, the Eastern Diversity Steering Committee meeting featured the online panel discussion, Juneteenth: What It Means and How it is Represented On Screen. In a conversation moderated by Director Rob Hardy (Power Book II: Ghost), Directors Anton Cropper and Dawn Wilkinson (discussed the greater meaning behind the new American holiday and how it should be portrayed in film and television. Hardy set the stage by giving his own personal definition of the meaning of the holiday. Speaking about how the day was a setting in her film Block Party Wilkinson said, "We felt that with this context of it being an event the community has been celebrating for such a long time, we're showing the joy in that community and the importance of community." Cropper addressed the added pressure of helming the "Juneteenth" episode of Black-ish saying, "I believe that you go all in and leave it all on the screen and that's our job and our goal, but there was, for me, a different sense of responsibility." Image: (L-R) Directors Rob Hardy (moderator), Dawn Wilkinson and Anton Cropper. Juneteenth: What It Means & How it is Represented On Screen — An EDSC Event On June 29, the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) & Women's Steering Committee (WSC) held a special joint virtual meeting that featured a discussion on the recent SCOTUS ruling overturning a woman's fundamental right to reproductive freedom. Following a welcome by DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter, who shared the Guild's official statement condemning the decision, a discussion took place with Directors Rachel Lee Goldenberg (Unpregnant), Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes (The Janes) and Dawn Porter (Trapped), along with community leaders Emma Hernández (We Testify), Rafa Kidvai, J.D. (If/When/How), and Caren Spruch (Planned Parenthood). The Director panelists shared their experiences working on their respective projects and urged fellow filmmakers to continue telling stories of abortion. They emphasized the importance of responsible research, suggested to talk directly with folks on the ground, and reminded the audience to know the risks. The community leader panelists urged content creators to expand the type of stories they tell around abortion and reproductive justice, as well as stories from those who are often marginalized such as transgender and non-binary persons; Black, indigenous and other people of color; and those who are poor. They reminded the audience that the issue of abortion does not exist in silo and should be connected to other systemic forms of oppression. After the panel, attendees shared general reactions, discussed what else is at stake, and brainstormed ideas of how to fight back. SCOTUS Ruling — A Special Focus on Women Committee & Women's Steering Committee Joint Meeting Discussion For more information email fowc@dga.org or wsc@dga.org. — See the DGA's official statement on the SCOTUS decision on page 3. Image: DGA members and community leaders come together for the special joint virtual meeting held by the Focus on Women Committee and Women's Steering Committee.