From October 17-20, 2022, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield will travel to Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, to participate in engagements with exchange participants, the private sector, including the international film and entertainment industries, the tech sector, and institutions of higher education. The Assistant Secretary's trip underscores the United States' strategic engagement in people-to-people diplomacy, which goes beyond the confines of government to meet people where they are and create opportunities for mutual understanding.
In Los Angeles, the Assistant Secretary will focus on cultural diplomacy, with an emphasis on film and creative content. She will meet with independent film producers, international entertainment leaders, the Writers Guild, and Global Media Makers fellows to discuss diversifying the film industry, trends in the creative industry, and other cultural diplomacy priorities. Global Media Makers is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and Film Independent and was launched in 2016 to foster relationships and build mutual understanding between American and international film professionals.
In addition, she will participate in meetings with senior faculty and leadership from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Center for Public Diplomacy. USC's School of Cinematic Arts implements ECA's American Film Showcase program.
In San Francisco, Assistant Secretary Satterfield will deliver keynote remarks at the 10th anniversary celebration of TechWomen, the Department's premier exchange for women in science and technology, which will be held at the Juniper Aspiration Dome on Thursday, October 20.
