Een indringende strijdkreet en een onmisbare film over het glazen plafond!

De bekroonde Finse filmmaker en producer Mari Soppela (Family Files en Mother Land) was geschokt toen ze de 'Glass Ceiling'-index van het tijdschrift Economist ontdekte, met daarin de vooruitzichten voor vrouwen op gelijke kansen op de werkvloer in de geïndustrialiseerde wereld. Ze reisde in vijf jaar de wereld over om het merkwaardige en complexe 'glazen plafond' te onderzoeken. Ze volgt programmadirecteur Rebecca Burke, die in een juridische strijd belandt nadat ze erachter komt dat haar voormalige mannelijke collega's in vergelijkbare functies bijna twee keer zoveel verdienden als zij. Haar geschiedenis wordt verweven met Mari's ontmoetingen met andere vrouwen die hun eigen glazen plafond hebben doorbroken of nog proberen te doorbreken.

Second photo: Filming Charlayne Hunter-Gault / Mari Soppela and Leo Anemaet / LPMA Productions

Mari Soppela is an award-winning documentary film director and producer, known for Family Files (2002), Mother Land (2022) and It's Raining Women (2022). Before her film career Soppela was an internationally acclaimed media artist and cross-media designer. In 2006, she set up her production company LPMA Productions in Finland. Mari lives and works in Amsterdam. With her documentary 'It's Raining Women' Soppela takes us on a five year investigation into the complex realities of the glass ceiling. She exposes the uncomfortable truths of gender bias in the workplace. Simultaneously light-hearted and deadly serious, this vital, creative and surprising film shines a light on a much misunderstood phenomenon and acts as a rallying cry to women - and men - everywhere to continue the fight for gender equality. As Charlayne Hunter Gault reminds us, we must recognise and celebrate the struggles and achievements of these women and then pick up the baton and carry on their fight for gender equality.

In 1991, I moved to the Netherlands from Finland and became a mother in 1995. Combining a family with a career was self-evident to me as a Finnish woman, but I encountered some cultural and social differences in Holland. I realised that I carried with me certain misconceptions about a woman's role in society. Fast-forward twenty years and I made this film. In 2016, I stumbled upon The Economist Magazine's glass ceiling index and instantly knew I would have to make a film about the glass ceiling.

I am obviously keen on empowering women, the women in front of the camera and my female audience, but I am not making 'It's Raining Women' for women only. Cinema for me is emotion, regardless of gender or sex. I want the audience, male and female, to go through a personal development while watching the film. We need to first understand that glass ceiling before we can break through. The first step is awareness.

I learned such a great deal about the glass ceiling. I had no idea, now I do, and I am not shocked anymore. I hope the people who will see the film will be shocked and will take action and care of their rights, especially younger generations. I also learned a lot about international co-productions.