Episode 5 - Simone Pereira-Hind and Anna Dawson

Louise sits down with Simone Pereira-Hind and Anna Dawson of Simone Pereira-Hind casting. Two of the nicest people in the business, it was an absolute pleasure to spend an hour with them. We talk about all things casting, gender parity in film and television, career journeys, auditioning and the progress being made in the industry in the wake of the #MeToo movement. And we spent a wee minute or two on a little telly show called #Outlander.

In the discussion Simone mentions an excellent organisation called Raising Films. Women continue to struggle for representation across the film industry globally. One social barrier particularly affects women, although it applies to everyone: Family vs. Film.

At Raising Films they believe conversations make change happen, and they want things to change. We are losing too much talent to the choice many filmmakers are forced to make, between being a parent and making films. We don’t believe this choice is necessary, but rather a product of social and economic conditions, and Raising Films want to start a conversation about how change can be made for filmmakers who want to have a family and continue their careers. You can find out more about the working they do at www.raisingfilms.com

Find out more about the projects Simone and Anna work on by visiting www.simonepereirahind.com and you can follow them both on Twitter @SimonePereiraHi and @Annanoswad

Persistent and Nasty is a script-reading, debate and art as activism initiative for the female-identified voice in stage and screen. Although the core principle behind Persistent and Nasty is about the female-identified voice, we are committed to an intersectional approach and aim to use the space we’ve created to provide a platform for the spectrum of marginalised voices in our culture.

Through a series of script readings and accompanying digital content, we are creating a platform for the unrepresented voices in the stage and screen industry; women, minorities, trans and LGBTQIA+.

Our goal is to create a project that is safe and supportive, but that is also an act of protest. Persistent and Nasty is about changing the cultural narrative through the stories we tell.

It is a co-presentation with live-arts production house Civil Disobedience.

Civil Disobedience was formed in 2016, with a mandate to offer an international platform for talented artists in cabaret, theatre, comedy, music, and storytelling. We have a special interest in gender-bending, queer, and politically engaged work. We are an Edinburgh-based production house with an international scope. We tailor service packages for solo artists and companies of all sizes.

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