Queen Latifah is our Wonder Woman of the Week with project to help women create films
Queen Latifah wants to see more women in film behind the cameras, and she’s created a new project to give “the queens an opportunity.”
Queen Latifah is known for expanding the world’s perception of her abilities. From talk show host to singer to actress, this talented superstar is now taking on the challenge of bringing gender equality to the film industry. And that makes her our Wonder Woman of the Week!
Latifah launches the Queen Collective
Queen Latifah told Yahoo Entertainment that her new project, the Queen Collective, is designed to make sure that “the queens have an opportunity.” The actress is partnering with Procter & Gamble to achieve the following goals:
- seek two unknown female directors
- provide the women chosen with all the resources required to create movies
- distribute the women’s cinematic creations
As for why put the emphasis on female directors? Queen Latifah feels that the entertainment industry lacks gender equality when it comes to women who direct movies.
She told Yahoo Entertainment:
"There are just not enough female directors. This is a small part of what we’d like to do to help change the disparity that we see out there in terms of all the dollars that are given to male directors, all the support that’s given to male directors, and everything we see, yet we’re at least half of who’s watching these movies and buying these products."
Queen Latifah’s partnership with Proctor & Gamble will “make sure women have an opportunity… that the queens have an opportunity.” And this isn’t the first time that Latifah has sought a way to support other women.
We Do It Together names Queen Latifah among its founders. This production company is a nonprofit supported by celebrities that puts the focus on empowering women to succeed in television and film.
Even before Queen Latifah knew the definition of feminism, she sought ways to give other women a chance.
"Before I really knew what a feminist was, I was already helping to promote the feminist cause. I was just a 15-year-old rapper. I had no idea that the fact that I wanted to be looked at with respect and treated as such — and that I wrote about that in my rhymes and made records about it that people heard — was really pushing that forward, affecting other young girls and women who felt the same way, and giving other women a voice who felt that they were a little voiceless in hip-hop at that time."
Queen Latifah has consistently received recognition from females for being a woman who is “speaking their language.” Now, with her new Queen Collective, she’s going beyond shining the spotlight on the challenges of achieving equality to taking a step to raise up female directors. We can’t wait to view and cheer for the films that will surely result from this exciting project!