Meet the Makers: Screenwriters on Female Representation

In this Meet the Makers session, we will meet with  Dutch screenwriters Susan Stam (screenwriter/assistant director) and Helen Dalessi (screenwriter/actress/assistant director). The session is organized in collaboration with the foundation Vrouwenin Beeld (English: Women in the Picture), which earlier this year commissioned a quantitative content analysis of the representation of female characters in Dutch fiction films and TV series from 2019 to 2023. In an interactive discussion, the screenwriters will reflect on their experiences regarding changes and limitations in the representation of women and their storylines in scripted Dutch film and TV series. What are current trends in representing female (and non-binary) characters in scripted audiovisual fiction? How are storylines for these characters changing? Which progressive shifts and backlashes in the representation of female characters and their stories have they observed over the course of their careers? Which strategies have they used to push for a more diverse and inclusive representation of women and non-binary people in past projects?

The discussion will be moderated by Sandra Becker and Willemien Sanders, who conducted the above mentioned quantitative content analysis of the representation of female characters in Dutch fiction film and TV series from 2019 to 2023 in collaboration with the foundation Vrouwen in Beeld and the Netwerk Scenarioschrijvers. Both of them are also members of the UU research initiative MI3: Media Industries, Infrastructures and Institutions.

If you wish to attend this event please RSVP via this form.  This event will not be at the usual location and instead take place at the Sweelinckzaal 0.05, Drift 21, Utrecht.

Susan Stam is a screenwriter for television with more than 20 years of experience. Until 2023, she worked as a head writer for the long running RTL soap Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden. She moreover wrote episodes for the BNN/VARA drama series Dertigers and was a creator and head writer for the Videoland miniseries Dokter Roman. Susan Stam received her training at The Netherlands Film Academy in Amsterdam and developed drama formats beyond the listed titles for a variety of Dutch production companies, such as Talpa, Fiction Valley, Fatt Productions, Millstreet Films, NL Film and Endemol Fiction.

Helen Dalessi has experience both as a screenwriter, actress and assistant director. She wrote episodes for the BNN/VARA series NOOD and has been working as a screenwriter for the RTL soap Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden (GTST) since 2022. She moreover played in commercials and short films, such as Dying Light (dir.: Jim de Klerk, 2018) and Cortisol (dir.: Jochem de Vet, 2019), and appeared in supporting roles in Flikken Maastricht (AvroTros), Day and Night (AvroTros) and the Videoland drama series Judas. Identifying as queer and having been diagnosed with autism and ADHD herself, Helen Dalessi pays particular attention in her work to the representation of progressive female characters, LGTBQIA+ characters and neurodiversity. As assistant director for the forthcoming children’s film Mees Kees: Op Eigen Benen (dir.: Pieter van Rijn, 2024), she helped assemble a diverse cast.

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Meet the Makers is a series by The Creative Humanities Academy, a platform that fosters collaboration and knowledge exchange between cultural and creative professionals and academic researchers and students. Here you will find the full Meet the Makers programme and archive.