Glamour empowering women filmmakers via rookie celebs

I knew Gwyneth Paltrow had directed a short film but didn't know (or more likely remember) that it was for Glamour Magazine. Anne Thompson blogged about this today, linking to her more thorough Variety article. It's an interesting initiative, all the most interesting because it seems to be working to expand Glamour's audience while it's giving women directors practical hands on experience. This time readers were invited to submit essays. The selected winners provide the material for the celeb rookie directors. Women directors will also be invited to apply for a filmmaking grant. It's not the first time a corporation has attempted to tie in with the glamour (pun not intended but it works...) of filmmaking for it's own ends, but this seems to strike a strong balance on both sides.