WIFTI event: Intimacy Coordinators and Safe Contact Officers

In the lead up to Power to Transform! global forum for women film organizations at the Berlinale Film Festival on Feb 17th 2023 in cooperation with WIFTI, there will be online masterclasses: 

January 24:  Intimacy Coordinators and Safe Contact Officers - creating professional and safer working conditions on set.  5pm CET/11AM EST

Register here

Intimacy Coordinators and Safe Contact Officers - creating professional and safer working conditions on set, expertise from South Africa and USA.

The German actor's guild (Bundesverband Schauspiel e.V. (BFFS)) has conducted a survey among actors and actresses about their experiences whilst staging intimacy, nudity and sexualized violence. The survey shows that acting in this vulnerable area often involves a risk of transgressing boundaries. Aiming at minimizing or avoiding this risk, professional accompaniment, advice and support are needed on the set.

In this masterclass two approaches that help create safer working conditions on set will be introduced:

Laura Rikard is the founder of Theatrical Intimacy Coordinating (TIE) and Intimacy Coordinator with many years of experience in training and working as an Intimacy Coordinator. She will shed light on the genesis and the working methods of Intimacy Coordinating that are well established in the US."We believe that staging theatrical intimacy should be Ethical, Efficient, and Effective" - TIE

Zanele Mthembu, board chair from Sisters working in Film and Television (SWIFT) will introduce the Safety Contact Officer (SCO) programme that implements The Good Code of Practice on handling sexual harassment and brings expertise in legal, psychosocial, trauma and containment, incident investigation and reporting, mediation, intimacy coordination and on-set etiquette to the industry.