Diageo’s scotch whisky division is creating a “red carpet” in honour of women in the film idustry ahead of the Oscars.

Women in filmmaking are at the center of Johnnie Walker’s Women’s History Month ad. The piece, which is presented as a “red carpet,” debuts during The Oscars, a ceremony that has often overlooked the contributions made by women to the field.

Johnnie walker collaborates with Anomaly to create Fabric of film 

A 30-second video dubbed “Fabric of film” was created in collaboration with Anomaly to draw attention to the undervalued and unrecognized contributions made by women in the film industry. The ad highlights the fact that it took almost a hundred years for a woman, Kathryn Bigelow, to be recorgonized for directing and win an Academy Award.

To address this injustice, the brand has established its own “red carpet” to recognize several women who have paved the way in the film industry. Among them is Julie Dash, a Black woman who broke down barriers of race and gender with her Sundance Award-winning film Daughters of the Dust.   Lily Amirpour, is also recognized for her self-described “Iranian vampire spaghetti western,” A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.

Opportunities to upcoming generations of women filmmakers

According to Sophie Kelly, senior vice-president of Diageo’s Whiskeys Portfolio in North America, the campaign celebrates pioneers in film in order to offer upcoming generations of women filmmakers opportunities. To ensure that tales are told by women, there’s a need to ensure that there is a major absence of female representation in the film and television sectors.

Johnnie Walker also teamed up with streaming provider Mubi to give yonger customers unrestricted, cost-free 1-month subscriptions in an effort to increase the visibility of women-made films.

Fabric of film to reach 250 million people

Johnnie Walker hopes to reach a quarter million people through out-of-home, digital, and social media advertising in and around Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. The ad will be distributed nationally on all Johnnie Walker-owned social and digital platforms, as well as Vanity Fair, Spotlight Cinema Networks, and Hearst brands.

The brand sponsored and supplied cocktails during the Women in Film event held on March 10, the Vanity Fair Oscar’s Party on March 12, and will continue during the Whitney event later in the month.