Movies | May 22, 2009 | 8 comments

Wanted: Female Filmmakers

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/may/20/profile-women-film-directors

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"In Cannes last week, Jane Campion was on fighting form, urging women to take up arms against the "old boys' network" of the film industry. The 55-year-old New Zealand director, who won the Palme D'Or for The Piano in 1993, was at the festival for the premiere of her new film, Bright Star. "I would love to see more women directors because they represent half of the population and gave birth to the whole world," she said. "Without them the rest [of the world] are not getting to know the whole story." Becoming a film-maker means developing a thick skin, she added. "My suspicion is that women aren't used to that. They must put on their coats of armour and get going."

According to the arts charity Birds Eye View - which supports women directors internationally and launched the UK's first major women's film festival in 2005 - only 6% of film directors are female. In Cannes last weekend, Birds Eye View founder, Rachel Millward, hosted a forum for female film-makers, where documentary maker Anne Aghion noted it would not have been possible to combine her career "and the accompanying 16-hour days" with any kind of family life.

Female talent is breaking through none the less. Cannes is abuzz over Sam Taylor-Wood's forthcoming Nowhere Boy, a film about the early life of John Lennon. And of the 20 films in competition for the Palme D'Or, there are two other films by women directors alongside Bright Star: Map of the Sounds of Tokyo by Isabel Coixet and Fish Tank by Andrea Arnold. So who are the rare female directors currently making their mark - the pioneers to inspire the next generation? Here are six of the very best: Andrea Arnold, Nadine Labaki, Gurinder Chadha, Kelly Reichardt, Kasi Lemmons, and Jennifer Lynch."
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8 comments // Wanted: Female Filmmakers

  • omshaantih
  • csmonut
  • csmonut
    • 0
      csmonut  

    • Hey...I'm working on it.
      I write short stories and I decided to take one of them a step further. I now have the script and the actors and am doing location scouting.
      We should be filming next month.
      Of course it helps that my other half is a good cameraman and editor. :))

    • 2 years ago
  • Found_Avenue
    • 0
      Found_Avenue  

    • Sofia Coppola is a great filmmaker. Lost In Translation was a phenomenal film, using deep visuals to tell the story when words were deemed unnecessary or superfluous. Lick The Star, Virgin Suicides, and Marie Antoinette were also visual feasts, but I think Lost In Translation is truly one of the best movies ever made, especially from an indie director's standpoint. Don't forget about Sofia!

      Also, Julie Taymor has done some interesting stuff on stage and screen...

    • 2 years ago
  • trelk
    • 0
      trelk  

    • i really enjoyed both films kelly reichardt made...especially wendy and lucy! and i think there are quite a few up and coming female directors. the problem is: there are not that many good directors period.

      one to keep an eye out for is laurel nakadate, a video artist based in brooklyn. her first feature "stay the same never change" premiered at sundance this year. also she has made some short films that i have been dying to see ever since i saw her short interview on youtube. i will paste the link below. if you are not signed up with youtube you can not view the video. if that is the case you can watch it at vbs.tv if you type in her name. if you are male this video may offend you...it may even offend you if you are female.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?index=1&playnext_from=PL&feature=PlayList&a...

    • 2 years ago
  • kitteneater
    • 0
      kitteneater  

    • Whaddya know? This just so happens to be one of my aspirations!! Molly Anderson- don't you forget that name! I'm gonna be big one day!!!

    • 2 years ago
  • Denica_Cassandra
    • 0
      Denica_Cassandra  

    • i wanted to be a dp but i ended up having to take care of a family member instead. women have less money then men, less time, usually are taking care of Someone, aren't encouraged in this field etc. :(
      oprah has an all-female crew last time i saw her filming and i thought it was great that there was at least one person who was trying to even the scales just a little.

    • 2 years ago
  • vistapoint
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