THE WOMEN CHANGING FILM FROM WITHIN
When International Women’s Day arrives in early March each year, it’s not far from the major awards ceremonies of BAFTA and The Academy, and so it’s perfectly placed as a litmus test to see how the film industry is improving representation of women both in front and behind the camera.
Written & interviewed by Mark Brennan
This year BAFTA nominated Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King) in the Best Director category, but BAFTA Executive Director Emma Baehr points out that overall there were 11 female directors nominated. “Whether that’s in animated film, film not in the English language, the debut categories etcetera, we are seeing female directors nominated across those categories.”
As for The Academy, there were no female Best Director nominees for 2023. Despite the back-to-back wins of Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) at the last two Oscars, this has felt like a step backward after two very belated, necessary steps forward. So while the major bodies of the film industry continue to inch toward gender parity, other organisations in both production and exhibition are taking it upon themselves to do the work for them.
One example is Illuminatrix, a group set up for female Directors of Photography, co-founded by Vanessa Whyte. “We created Illuminatrix with two purposes in mind. Firstly, to provide a support network of female DPs who can learn and lean on each other as they share their professional experiences and knowledge. Secondly, as an outward facing organisation to bring visibility to the work of our members and provide a valuable resource to the industry showcasing their cinematography via our website and through events and partnering with other organisations.”
“There is still significant unconscious bias within film and TV productions, as well as in casting and even scripts. This can be hard to tackle because it tends to be the younger generations who are willing to learn and open to change, but if we want real change in the industry we need to change the minds of the people at the top.
“Another huge issue facing women is the impact of motherhood, taking time out for maternity leave and then re-entering the industry. All industry parents of any gender are adversely affected by the long hours and unreasonable demands expected of crew when it comes to shooting hours, plus prep and overtime (whether paid or expected to be unpaid) and there is a huge mental health crisis across the board, highlighted by the Looking Glass Survey 2022, which I personally feel would be partly alleviated by more family friendly hours.”
Martyna Knitter, the director of photography on feature film Rose: A Love Story and television series’ The Snow Spider and Silverpoint, is a member of the group. “Being a member of Illuminatrix has made a difference to my career, but also to my wellbeing. The supporting community of like-minded women, who often deal with similar issues to me, is an unbelievably helpful resource and a place where I can be myself. Paradoxically, groups like our collective exist not to divide artists by gender, but to help champion everyone, by levelling the playing field.”
In exhibition too, there are a number of festivals set up specifically to champion the work of women in film, including the Woman X Film Festival in Darlington. Founded by producer Caris Rianne of Rianne Pictures, a production company which itself has had a mission to support, uplift and develop women in film since 2013, the festival is now in its 4th year and has fast become a staple on the circuit.
“We were looking at the programmes at many festivals in the UK and kept seeing low figures when it came to showing female directors, and many of our peers expressed that they didn't even want to submit to certain festivals because they knew women were hardly accepted, or that it was an all male programming team. The festival celebrates women in the top three roles (director/writer/producer) so it's not just celebrating women only made films, but also male directors who are actively collaborating with women who aren't just in their hair and makeup department.”
We need to create accessible spaces where people feel comfortable and inspired to continue working in an industry that is filled with rejection, low on opportunities and drowning in nepotism and unfair chances. Many festivals can change some of their processes and culture to make women feel more welcomed at their festival, it's a small industry and people talk, there's many festivals that I know many women directors avoid even submitting to nowadays because of poor experiences.”
As Illuminatrix’s Vanessa Whyte says, it’s the younger generation that seem most open and ready for change. So, while we wait for them to be in positions of influence at the top, it’s all the more important that organisations such as these keep doing the work at every other level, from the bottom up, in the hope that day arrives sooner.
Female-identifying filmmaker focus