Mama Lion Producer Irina Meyer, ‘The Apprentice’ Exec Producer Lee Broda & More On How To Foster Gender Equality In Business & Entertainment: “It Continues To Be A Struggle – Cannes

A group of female film executives including Mama Lion Productions founder Irina Meyer, LB Productions founder Lee Broda, Oval 5 CEO Crystine Zhang and writer-actor-producer Charlotte Radford all touched down in Cannes to discuss the current state of gender equality in business and entertainment.  

Speaking at the She Roars: Pioneering Females Reshaping Entertainment, sponsored by Mama Lion Productions, Meyer said: “It continues to be a struggle and as I was progressing in my career for doing many different things, I thought it would be easier the more successful I would be and it would be impossible to ignore the results. But it doesn’t matter how high or how well you’re doing – it’s almost more difficult.” 

Meyer is the producer is behind the biographical documentary I Am Not A Princess that explores the challenges of modern womanhood through the life of Irina Meyer, a venture capitalist, mother and rebellious Russian-American who works to create space for women in the business.

Broda, who is an exec producer on Cannes Competition title The Apprentice with Sebastian Stan, said she had been seeing “more awareness and intention” in the industry. 

“I think what shifted for me was being more intentional to make sure when we finance and put money behind films, we work with more women.,” said Broda. “I remember when I just started out and Geena Davis started her non-profit and started the conversation around women, I looked around and looked at my slate and I hadn’t worked with a woman director at the time and I thought, how is that possible? I realized that I was part of the problem.”

Broda added that she still believes “financing and money behind women” is still behind. “I agree with Irina – around financing and money behind women, we are still behind,” said Broda. “I think it’s hard for men and women to put money behind women and it’s something psychological that is going to shift and I think is going to take a little bit longer.”

Check out the conversation above.

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