Belinde Ruth Stieve
Creator of NEROPA (Neutral Roles ParityTM). Author of the “2022 Series Study: Who Wrote German TV Series from 2017 to 2021?”. Author and concept developer of the ffd PQF guide and information portal “Family-Friendly Filming 2024”.
Actress for film, television and stage. Voice artist. Author.
Born and raised in Hamburg / North Germany. Left-handed.
Ever since my days at drama school, I’ve been aware that in plays – and not just classical ones – there are usually far more male roles than female ones. The same applies to film and television scripts. By the age of 40, offers for film and television roles had dropped significantly. Why is that? I began analysing casting lists for film productions systematically. And indeed, the gender imbalance in roles that already existed becomes even greater from the age of 40 onwards. Since then, I have been analysing and commenting on film and television productions, festival line-ups, funding decisions, nomination lists and screenplays, and more. I pay particular attention to the differing levels of participation and the situations of women and men in front of and behind the camera, as well as to the social representation of marginalised groups. Figures are important for demonstrating (in)visibility, serving as a basis and impetus for action.
Milestones (selection):
In 2013, I launched my German-English blog “SchspIN – An Actress’s Thoughts”, focusing on gender and media policy issues. Here is where I publish a large proportion of my analyses and reflections. In 2016, I invented the NEROPA (TM) method – Neutral Role Parity – to reduce gender imbalance in groups, e.g. in screenplays, novels, panels and games, and thus specifically counteract the discrimination and exclusion of women. In 2022, I published the “2022 Series Study: Who Wrote German TV Series from 2017 to 2021?” commissioned by authors Kristin Derfler and Annette Hess. In 2024, I developed the website ffd PQF – Guide and Information Portal for Family-Friendly Filming – on behalf of Pro Quote Film. In 2026, I launched the campaign ‘What If She Lives?’, which now forms part of my range of keynotes and workshops.
Services (selection):
In addition to commissioned work such as analyses and profound studies I am regularly invited as a keynote speaker and panelist, Also I offer consultancy services and run solution-focused workshops for clients from the corporate sector and the film industry.