Students attended the second annual Women in Entertainment Summit at the Cinerama Dome on Nov. 10. The summit included panels led by women in the entertainment industry and focused on topics ranging from the need for female-led storytelling to how gender and sexuality shape societal identities.

“We’re living in a time where there’s an increased awareness about the lack of representation of women both on the screen or roles that show a diverse range of characters, and also behind the scenes or behind the camera as directors in all roles in the film industry,” upper school Visual Arts Department Head Cheri Gaulke said. “For our students who are studying film or are interested in going in the industry, I think it’s a valuable opportunity for them to be exposed to producers, directors, writers and production designers.”

Speakers included ShondaLand Partner Betsy Beers, Google Entertainment Industry Educator in Chief Julie Ann Crommett and Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour.

The event was created to instill ideas of women empowerment and take a stand against societal norms, according to the Women in Entertainment website.

Attendee Annie Wendorf ’19 said the summit was a great experience.

“The entire day was so informative,” Wendorf said. “It was such a good platform to open up the conversation of how women are portrayed in the media and the necessary steps to dominating the notoriously male field of the entertainment industry.”