Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Receives SOFEE
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) Women’s Committee is pleased to announce that “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” (Netflix) will receive the Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment. Called the “SOFEE,” the Seal recognizes outstanding new films and television series that illuminate the female experience and perspective through authentically told female-driven stories.
From executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, “Queen Charlotte” is a historical fantasy that continues the Bridgerton series into its third season while flashing back to tell how the queen (Golda Rosheuvel) met and married King George III (James Fleet/Corey Mylchreest) and managed the throne as a 17-year-old (India Amarteifio). The prequel imagines a thorny but hopeful world in which the palace declares the coronation of Charlotte “The Great Experiment” that may heal a racial divide. The series explores multiple issues through the female lens including racial adversity, mature love, leadership, female friendship, and resilience, as it depicts a beautiful example of unconditional love and commitment.
“Queen Charlotte” received a perfect score in the numerical formula that is used to determine if new titles, nominated by CCA Women’s Committee members, are eligible for a SOFEE. Qualifying projects will have a prominent female character arc, give female characters at least equal screen time to male characters, have female leaders behind the scenes, and pass elements highlighted in the Bechdel test. To be considered, new film and television releases must possess an artistic and storytelling value and exceptionality, and score at least 7 out of a possible 10 points in the SOFEE rubric, which can be found at CriticsChoice.com.
The Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment is issued by the CCA Women’s Committee. Members include Tara McNamara (Chair), Hillary Atkin, Semira Ben-Amor, Christina Birro, Lauren Bradshaw, Jamie Broadnax, TJ Callahan, Catalina Combs, Toni Gonzales, Teri Hart, Susan Kamyab, Destiny Jackson, Louisa Moore, Gayl Murphy, Mary Murphy, Patricia Puentes, Amanda Salas, Rachel Smith, Sammi Turano, and Lynn Venhaus, Lauren Veneziani, as well as CCA board member Paulette Cohn.
