Blogpost by Anna Skenderoglou The Ladder is Feminine – one step at a time
The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) Film Pitch Deck 2025 brings together not just projects, but people. What at first glance looks like a beautifully laid-out brochure is full of personal stories, shifts in perspective and courageous steps along a steep ladder.
Who holds the ladder steady when voices want to climb to the top?
In the cultural sector – whether on stage, in the cinema or at funding institutions – women still find it difficult to be recognised as authors, directors or decision-makers. Those who also belong to a minority not only have to fight against glass ceilings, but often also against invisible walls: institutional barriers, stereotypical expectations, a lack of networks and more.
But sometimes it is precisely these painful challenges that later give rise to something new. Not because suffering is healing, but because it sharpens perspectives that one would never have chosen voluntarily.
A look at female Roma filmmakers who are fighting for their voice in the industry.
