Eight years ago, director, producer and editor Daphne Schmon attempted to secure financing for her first narrative feature, Eye, at the Cannes Market, when she realized that: she didn't know where to start.

“We had a meeting with an executive who asked for a financial plan and we just realized that there was little knowledge about the business.” type Have coffee in London. Reflecting on her time at Wesley’s film school, Schmon said: “It’s interesting that gender equality occurs between film school and Hollywood.

This breakthrough moment led to the creation of breakthrough shots, a nonprofit initiative that advocates for gender equality in films by providing critical support during the financing phase. Schmon co-founded her co-writer of The Eye with BTTL and Emily Carlton, as well as the film’s star Elpida Stathatou. In 2018, they hosted their first event to connect emerging film producers with trusted investors, and Schmon was shocked to see them receiving RSVPs from studios like Lionsgate and Sony.

“There’s a lot of hunger for an activity like this,” Shimon said. “We realized it was a real bottleneck in the industry, this financing stage. Many top investors don’t want to put it there on billboards. Meanwhile, they’re getting hundreds of cold emails and they don’t have time to do veterinary medicine, so it’s a really needed side of the connector.”

This year, the Cannes presence that broke the camera is stronger than ever, Friday’s annual cocktail party was titled by a conversation between Kristen Stewart, whose directorial debut, The Chrology of Water of Water, was unsure, premiered by Sonic Youth Rocker rocker Kim Gordon. Then, on Sunday, the group will hold an exclusive investor showcase in this year’s cohort, selected by a jury, including Diane Kruger, a five projects made up of non-male filmmakers.

Those in the queue - Emily Thomas, Olivia Peace, Erin Sayder and Rita Baghdadi, Damiana Acuña and Isabelle Mecattaf, have received €10,000 ($11,000) in action grants to help their films move in the right direction. "The 10,000 euro seems to be a change in pocket money next to the overall budget for the feature film, but it will all be different when the film is in late development, and it is the only cash money available," Schmon noted.

And, the first penetration lens can also provide $2,000 in recognition for the festival’s certification to offset travel expenses.

"We're not only talking or group discussions, but we're all creating change through action," Schmon said. "I think any filmmaker knows that attending these festivals can feel out of reach, which in itself can be a barrier. And, I have to say, it's so unique in the industry, just going to multiple different labs - if you go in, you usually charge a fee and then you pay for a trip."

Breakthrough lenses currently have a place at the Big Five film festival, and recently launched the winner of their first action grant, Nadia Fall, at Sundance, where she premiered her film "The Bride". Schmon hopes Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals become the "cornerstone" of BTTL programming, noting that they have opened offices in Greece to qualify for European funding and are holding discussions to expand to Mexico. Although there is no central government funding agency like the UK or France in the United States, BTTL will also be a priority for “involving and providing grants to independent film producers in the United States, especially women and marginalized directors.”

But, she admits, the real change still has to come from top down, and those with checkbooks. "We need action over eloquence," Shimon said. "There is a lot of talk, a lot of goodwill, but when you look at these numbers, there is no better benefit. Of the top 100 U.S. box office movies in 2024, only 13.5% are directed by women, and the more shocking statistic is that in the '97 Academy Awards, there were only three women best directors and only one best woman has a best age.

But changes also need to come from within. Shi Meng said there is still "subconscious bias" among many executives in the industry, even among women. "I'm definitely in the room with the senior executives, and they thought I was the assistant, and they pointed the whole conversation to the DOP I worked with," she said. "And I had to continue, 'I'm the director.' But this happened to me a lot of times and I myself sometimes make assumptions.

In addition to amplifying female directors, Transparent Lens also advocates non-binary and trans filmmakers, with three of the five filmmakers identified as queer in the same year. "Especially the cultural dialogue now, it's a lot of jeopardy, and it's more important than ever," Schmon said of the representative. "Our film industry must reflect our culture and society because film has the ability to completely change people's perspectives."