L to R: Maria Sole Tognazzi (Director of Unspoken), Chiara Tilesi (Producer + Founder of We Do It Together), Andrea Iervolino (Producer + Founder of ILBE), Sofia Carson, Eva Longoria, Lucas Akoskin (Producer), Diane Warren (Writer of the theme song “Applause”), Lucia Puenzo (Director of Lagonegro), and Leena Yadav (Director of “Sharing A Ride”). Photo: Daniele Venturelli
Dearest Board Members & Supporters,
At the end of June, some of our ‘Tell It Like A Woman’ cast and crew traveled to Taormina, Italy where the feature film premiered at the Taormina Film Festival, one of the most long-running film festivals in Italy. We had the opportunity to share the mission of We Do It Together: Empowerment of women through movies and media by hiring more women behind and in front of the camera, as well as changing the stereotypes and narratives from being an object to a subject. ‘Tell It Like A Woman’ received the “TFF Excellence Award.” Samuel Goldwyn Films will release ‘Tell it Like a Woman’ in theaters this winter, coinciding with an awards campaign.
Catherine Hardwicke, Sofia Carson, Diane Warren, and Eva Longoria hold their TFF Excellence Awards + Leena Yadav, Lucia Puenzo, Maria Sole Tognazzi, and Eva Longoria at the Taormina Film Festival.
‘Tell It Like A Woman’ - a film by women - about women - for everyone – is comprised of seven segments, making a feature-length film. The segments are directed by female directors from different parts of the world including Italy, India, Japan, USA, and range in different genres, from drama to comedy, through docudrama and animation. Segments include: “Unspoken” - directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi and starring Margherita Buy; “Lagonegro” - directed by Lucia Puenzo and starring Eva Longoria; "Elbows Deep" - directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Cara Delevingne, Marcia Gay Harden and Jasmine Luv; "Sharing A Ride" - directed by Leena Yadav and starring Jacqueline Fernandez and Anjali Lama; “A Week In My Life” – directed by Mipo O and starring Anne Watanabe; “Pepcy & Kim” – directed by Taraji P. Henson and starring Jennifer Hudson and Pauletta Washington; and “Aria” – the animation directed by Silvia Carobbio and Lucia Bulgheroni.
UNSPOKEN
Directed by: Maria Sole Tognazzi | Starring: Margherita Buy Genre: Drama | Country: Italy
LAGONEGRO
Directed by: Lucia Puenzo | Starring: Eva Longoria and Leonor Varela Genre: Drama | Country: Italy
ELBOWS DEEP
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke | Starring: Academy Award-Winner Marcia Gay Harden, Cara Delevingne, and Jasmine Luv Genre: Drama | Country: USA
SHARING A RIDE
Directed by: Leena Yadav | Starring: Jacqueline Fernandez and Anjali Lama Genre: Drama | Country: India
PEPCY & KIM
Directed by: Taraji P. Henson | Starring: Academy Award-Winner Jennifer Hudson and Pauletta Washington Genre: Drama| Country: USA
A WEEK IN MY LIFE
Directed by: Mipo O | Starring: Anne Watanabe Genre: Drama | Country: Japan
ARIA
Directed by: Silvia Carobbio and Lucia Bulgheroni Genre: Animation | Country: Italy
All segments come together in an intertwining feature film produced by Iervolino and Lady Bacardi Entertainment - the global film & television production company founded by producer Andrea Iervolino and co-owned by Monika Bacardi. The project is the result of the collaboration with ‘We Do It Together' 501(c)3 nonprofit film production company that advocates for gender equality. I would like to again thank my producing partners Lucas Akoskin, Monika Bacardi, and Andrea Iervolino. Also, special thanks to Danielle Maloni of ILBE for her tireless work on this film. Diane Warren, the 13-time Academy Award® nominee and Academy Award® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, wrote the 'Tell It Like A Woman' theme song “Applause,” which is performed by Sofia Carson and released as a single through Disney Music Group label Hollywood Records. An accompanying music video, starring Sofia Carson, was directed by Catherine Hardwicke.
'Applause' - Sofia Carson & Diane Warren live performance at the Taormina Film Festival, June 2022
Warren’s song for “Tell it Like a Woman” is the defining sound of the film and is intended to serve as a hymn for female empowerment, and a statement piece for the larger global women’s movement. As such, the filmmakers will be embarking on an Oscar® campaign for the song.
THE FUTURE We will continue to push forward our message that we must change the way women are represented in media from object to subject, and hire more women behind and in front of the camera. As filmmakers, both men and women, we all are responsible for the DNA of our culture. The strength of our society lies in its diversity and we believe that the time has arrived for all of us to make a choice and go beyond the paradigm of the past and embrace the future. Please reach out to us if you would like to be more involved in our cause. We would like to thank each of you for your great support as we continue to spread our message that gender parity is the rule, not the exception! And follow us on Instagram @WDITogether, and Facebook @WeDoItTogetherFilms, and please repost - WE NEED YOUR HELP to create this movement of gender equality in movies and media. Warm wishes, Chiara Tilesi,
Founder