Vimeo is backing a program aimed at elevating women in the film industry. The initiative, called "Share the Screen," promises to invest in at least five female-driven projects in 2016.

"We’re putting our money where our mouth is," Sam Toles, Vimeo’s head of programming, told Variety. "It’s apparent to us that there is a huge disparity in the number of women content creators. All the data shows that this business skews heavily male."

A report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film shows that only nine percent of the top 250 domestic films in 2015 were directed by women—a number that is only two percent higher than it was in 2014, and basically the same as it was in the late '90s.

The projects backed by Vimeo will benefit from the company's marketing and global distribution, along with a feature on Vimeo on Demand. Share the Screen launches on February 18 with an original short film, Darby Forever, by Saturday Night Live's Aidy Bryant.


Though the gap is still vast, Vimeo isn't the only company looking to highlight female talent. It was reported in December that Lucasfilm is actively looking for women to direct and write future Star Wars films—a stark change from its male-dominated past.