DUBAI: On International Women’s Day, Netflix is investing in the next generation of storytellers by pledging $5 million globally toward programs that help identify, train and provide work placements for female talent around the world. The investment is part of Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, which was announced last week. The fund will see the company investing $20 million a year for the next five years in building more inclusive pipelines behind the camera. It is aimed at increasing the equality of women on and off-screen. Through partnerships with local third parties and custom programs, Netflix will support a range of initiatives, from workshops to train aspiring female writers and producers on how best to pitch their creative vision, to shadowing opportunities on productions that enable women to gain first-hand experience. “As an Indian woman growing up in the US, I didn’t see anyone on screen that looked like me until Parminder Nagra joined "ER" in 2003. But when I started reading scripts as a young TV executive, I didn’t let that precedent get in my way,” Bela Bajaria, head of global TV, Netflix, wrote in a blog post. “Years later I would finally make that dream a reality with Mindy Kaling in “The Mindy Project,” and in doing so I suspect millions of Indian girls got to see someone like themselves on screen for the first time.” The streaming giant is pioneering women through productions such as Korean comedian Park Na-rae’s stand-up special “Glamour Warning,” which is the first Korean female stand-up special, and Marvel’s “Silver & Black,” directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood; making her the first black woman to direct a superhero movie. Netflix’s initiative will expand to the Arab world, too. This year, it will launch the first Arabic Original “Al Rawabi School For Girls,” led by Tima Shomali with a full female cast and crew. Later in the year, Netflix will launch “Finding Ola,” which will see Egyptian Tunisian actress Hend Sabry take the role of executive producer for the first time in her career. Currently, the platform features several Arab female talents from the entertainment industry through shows and movies including “Nappily Ever After” and “Whispers,” directed by Haifa Al-Mansour and Hana Al-Omair from Saudi Arabia; “The Kite” and “Solitaire,” directed by Randa Chahal Sabag and Sophie Boutros from Lebanon; and “Wajib,” directed by Anne Marie Jacir from Palestine. “Experience has taught me that great stories are universal: they can come from anywhere, be created by anyone, and be loved by everyone — what matters is that they are told authentically,” Bajaria said. “Now we need to ensure that traditionally disadvantaged voices — in this case, women — get the same chances to be heard in our industry as men have been for generations.”