SAG-AFTRA

Fall 2011

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SAGCelebrat WORKING TO CREATE A MORE DIVERSE ONSCREEN WORLD religion, disability and every manner of unique trait. It is only when we turn on the TV or go to a movie that we see a world that's completely different. It's a world where people are most likely to be white, male and straight. Screen Actors Guild believes that E the world depicted in entertainment should reflect the world in which we live — and thus provide work opportunities to the wide variety of people who inhabit the real world. The Guild works year round to promote diversity in casting, including offering financial rewards in the form of a Diversity-in-Casting incentive for sufficiently diverse Low Budget and Modified Low Budget feature films. What follows is a snapshot of recent events dedicated to promoting a more accurate representation of the American Scene. AMERICAN STORIES At the Hollywood Black Film Festival very day, most of us are surrounded by people of differing race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, on October 29, SAG National Executive Director David White joined the Power Brokers panel of industry executives to explore ways to increase black presence in film and TV, and to offer advice to up-and- coming actors and filmmakers. "The industry as a whole has still not figured out how to have television networks reflect the American Scene," White said. The number of non-white actors onscreen is still way out of line with the demographic reality. But the changes the country is experiencing — a growing number of people who consider themselves multiracial and have multiracial families, and the growth of certain minority groups to majority status in some states — should mean that more diversity is inevitable. Vicangelo Bulluck, executive director of the Hollywood bureau of the NAACP and another Power Brokers panelist, said that in 10 or 15 years, any show with an all- white or all-black cast will seem so out of place as to be a relic from another age. He issued a challenge to the audience: "As a storyteller, tell American stories." Why is this important? Because it's not just about a checklist of the color of the esD SAG National Executive Director David White speaks at the Hollywood Black Film Festival on October 29 as part of the Power Brokers panel. Also pictured are Tracey Edmonds, president and chief operating officer of Our Stories Films, and Vicangelo Bulluck, executive director of the Hollywood Bureau of the NAACP. Here's a look at some diversity events from the past few months that SAG has sponsored or in which it has participated. 2011 Media Access Awards SAG Dare to be Diverse screening of Restless City at AFI FEST presented by Audi Tri-Union Diversity "Ivy" Awards honoring SAG honoree Bill Cosby 42 SCREEN ACTOR - Fall 2011 SAG.org Diamond in the Raw Foundation Stuntwomen's Awards

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