The future of women in the film industry.
Up and coming directors
With the feminist film industry on the rise, it is important that we not only look at well-known women in the industry, but also acknowledge and show support for up and coming directors and actresses. The newer generation of female talent is what will push feminism further forward in the film industry both behind and in front of the camera.
A relatively new female director is Patty Jenkins, whose most recognised work behind the camera comes in the form of 2017’s “Wonder Woman” and 2020’s “Wonder Woman 1984”. Both of these movies have been praised by various critics for the way women are presented in them, particularly the way they are shot. In the hands of male directors, the female characters will typically be shot in a seductive or even sexual way. We only need to look at the trailer for “Justice league” to see this as one of Wonder Woman’s first look is of her bum. Jenkins uses the way she shoots actresses to allow the audience to see the world through their eyes which really highlights the empowerment of the women in her films as we get to experience things with them rather than watch the experience happen to them.
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Organisations that help women enter film
Another director who will be directly in the spotlight is Cate Shortland who is set to direct the highly anticipated “Black widow”. She is best known for her work on 2004’s “Somersault” and her work on such a highly anticipated movie as “Black Widow” is really going to show the passion and drive behind this excitingly enthusiastic director. Shortland’s style is different to Jenkins in the way that she shoots a character but much like her, the focus of Shortland’s films lie in the experience rather than the look of a character.
The film industry is quite often referred to as forward and progressive, but when it comes down to it the type of talent that people look for is a type similar to those who’ve come before them. Unfortunately these are predominantly male talents. This has and does hinder a lot of women from entering the film industry.
Organisations such as Directors UK are key to breaking down these kinds of barriers. The Directors UK report “cut out of the picture” had called for “50% of publicly funded UK films to be directed by women”[1] by 2020. If this could be implemented it would certainly encourage more female talent in the industry. This kind of change has already been seen in some parts of the world as in 2011, the CEO of the Swedish film institute Anna Serner, announced that Sweden would strive for equal funding of film productions for men and women by the end of 2015. Despite expectations it only took two and a half years which is half the time they thought it would take to implement. But this isn’t the only problem to contend with. Main funding on its own isn’t enough to make a movie and women still find difficulty sourcing finances because “the financers don’t trust them”[2].For a more equal industry we need to have financers who trust directors regardless of their gender otherwise these organisations that actively seek equality will find it a lot harder to seek that goal. Festivals are also a fun and exciting way to promote women in film. Festivals that are trying to commit to more representation such as Sundance, Tribeca and SXSW are a fun way to celebrate new women in film and what they can do.
Future of equality in film
The future of equality in film looks bright, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect, in fact it’s far from it. While some industries like the Swedish film institute are making strides towards full equality in film, it doesn’t mean that every industry will change overnight. It will be a struggle in some countries for a while but it is possible to change given enough time. If these changes do prove possible in multiple countries, the next step could even be to make it mandatory that at least 50% of film production crews are female. This would certainly help the industry more accurately represent consumers which in these modern times, should strive for equality not just in film but in all aspects of life. The future of quality will also need more support systems for women who may not feel safe in the workplace, movements like MeToo encourage women to speak out but a lot of them don’t. It is for this reason that there should be some form of support as strong as MeToo within the workplace itself. The abolishment of gender based handicaps around the world will be a huge milestone for feminism as a whole.
Bibliography
1. Directors UK member. 2016. “Cut Out of the Picture: A study of gender inequality among directors within the UK film industry”. Directors UK. https://www.directors.uk.com/news/cut-out-of-the-picture
2. Byrnes,P. 2015.” How Sweden hit its 50:50 gender target for film production in record time
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