Women in Film for International Women's Day Case study
Gold Winner – EVCOM Clarion Awards 2025 (Film: Diversity & Inclusion)
Finalist – NYF TV & Film Awards 2025 (Social Good)
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Rocking Horse Pictures
At Rocking Horse, we believe creativity thrives in a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. We’re committed to building an equitable team environment and using our platform to amplify underrepresented voices through bold, story-led content.
At Rocking Horse, we believe storytelling shapes the way we see the world, and ourselves. For International Women’s Day 2024, we created Women in Film, a self-initiated piece addressing gender inequality in the film industry, a space close to our hearts.
Despite progress, women remain underrepresented behind the camera, limiting the diversity of voices on screen. This film pays tribute to the female filmmakers who’ve changed cinema and challenges us to imagine what we miss when those voices are absent.
The Requirement
Building on our award winning 2023 IWD film - 'The Women Who Made Us' - we wanted to explore the broader structures behind inequality in film.
The goal was to create a piece that made the issue visible, honoured the talent that’s broken through, and encouraged our audience to be part of a more equitable future for filmmaking.
The Solution
We grounded the film in research from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and The Celluloid Ceiling, then wove that data into an emotive, design-led tribute to iconic female directors. Each title card echoed the visual language of a filmmaker, including Ava DuVernay, Sofia Coppola, Greta Gerwig, and Chloé Zhao and others, using typography, animation and carefully curated stock footage that matched their distinct cinematographic styles. The colour grade was crafted to complement each film's signature look.
A circular washing machine window, doubling as a camera lens, opens the piece with a metaphor of confinement and repetition. The film culminates in a moment of absence — a fade to black — asking: What are we missing out on? before offering a path forward.
The film closes with a curated list of film recommendations written, shot, directed by or featuring women filmmakers, collectively suggested by RHP staff, encouraging viewers to broaden their viewing choices.
Impact and Benefits
Released across LinkedIn and Instagram for International Women’s Day 2024, the campaign sparked strong engagement from our global corporate network. Viewers were invited to identify the filmmakers referenced, prompting interaction, conversation, and reflection on their own viewing choices.
The piece was designed to resonate emotionally and intellectually, blending homage and provocation. It was awarded Gold at the 2025 EVCOM Clarion Awards in the Diversity and Inclusion: Film category, and a Finalist award at the 2025 New York Festivals Film & TV Awards in Corporate Image: Social Good.
Ultimately, Women in Film is both a celebration and a call to action, a creative reminder that we all have a role to play in shaping a more inclusive industry.
Contact Us
If you’re looking for support with your branded video and motion content, we’d love to help. Get in touch to schedule a call: hello@rockinghorse.tv
hello@rockinghorse.tv
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