The Creative Diversity Network (CDN) is to extend its reporting of diversity in TV production to the film sector, almost a decade since its first Diamond TV report.
Over the next two years, CDN will work with Bafta Media Technology to develop a prototype of a system to collect diversity data for UK film production.
Since the lauch of Diamond in 2016, CDN has collected data from TV productions about the age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation of cast and crew.
It has published eight reports to date.
“Diamond was the world’s first diversity monitoring programme for the creative industries and has now become the benchmark tool for the UK’s main broadcasters to track their performance and adjust their strategies to ensure they are having the maximum impact,” said CDN chief executive Miranda Wayland.
“We are excited to be using our experience with Diamond to work with the BFI to develop a system that we hope will be equally impactful in the film production sector.”
The BFI National Lottery Innovation Challenge Fund has invested £200,000 in the project, which will involve a research and industry consultation phase.
The fund has also put £30,000 towards Evolving Equality, a project to review existing systems and criteria for collecting diversity data and consider how it can be used to build more inclusive workplaces.
The review is overseen by University of Glasgow spin-off company Design Otherwise and will be led by former CDN chief Deborah Williams.
BFI director of research and industry innovation Rishi Coupland said: “The film production industry has encountered a number of barriers to developing a coherent, industry-wide and systemic approach for collecting diversity data.
“The BFI's innovation funding will allow for essential R&D to make a lasting change in this area. We were impressed with the approaches of both CDN and Design Otherwise CIC towards building a more inclusive industry."
