In this Wednesday, March 4, 2015 file photo, Meryl Streep waves to photographers during the Japan premiere of "Into the Woods" in Tokyo. Historical drama โSuffragette,โ which stars Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep as votes-for-women campaigners, will open this yearโs London Film Festival. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)
LONDON (AP) --
Historical drama "Suffragette," starring Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep as votes-for-women campaigners, will open this year's London Film Festival.
Organizers say the film's European premiere will kick off the 59th annual festival Oct. 7.
Helena Bonham Carter also appears in the drama about the campaigners who risked life and liberty to fight for women's suffrage a century ago. It's directed by Sarah Gavron ("Brick Lane") and written by Abi Morgan ("The Iron Lady.")
It is the first commercial feature which has been allowed to film inside London's Houses of Parliament.
Festival director Clare Stewart said Wednesday "Suffragette" was "an urgent and compelling film — made by British women, about British women who changed the course of history."
The full program for the Oct 7-18 festival will be announced in September.
Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.
In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
"Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion โฆ could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More
