Sundance might be a film festival but Saturday’s “Serious Ladies” panel featured four of the most revered stars of TV — Orange Is The New Black creator Jenji Kohan, Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project), Lena Dunham (Girls) and SNL alum Kristin Wiig.
Along with critic Emily Nussbaum, they discussed the opportunities available for women in television that aren’t yet available in film. “TV’s great for women right now,” Kohan said. “There’s a lot more opportunity, it seems. It’s a great landscape. It seems like films are falling behind.”
Dunham agreed, adding “It became clear to me very quickly that the kinds of stories I wanted to tell were not made by the studios.”
All four women also hope their success helps pave the way for other women in Hollywood and often work with women writers.
“You shouldn’t have to just limit yourself to one gender,” Kohan said. “You want to work with whoever is the best at what they’re doing.”
Watch the full panel discussion below: