• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Login/ Register
  • Editorial Team
  • Get Involved

Exeposé Online

Making the headlines since 1987

Exeposé Online
  • Home
  • News
      • Local
      • COVID-19
      • University News
  • Comment
  • Features
      • National
      • Worldwide
      • Politics
      • Interviews
  • Science
      • News
      • Lite Science
      • Common Misconceptions
      • Environment
      • Health
      • Technology
  • Sport
  • Lifestyle
      • Fashion and Beauty
      • Features
      • Food
      • Wellbeing
      • Sustainability
  • Music
      • Interviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Single Reviews
  • Screen
      • Reviews
      • Features
      • Interviews
      • Festivals and Awards
  • Arts + Lit
      • Interviews
      • Features
      • Reviews
      • Creative Writing
  • Amplify
  • International
  • Multilingual
  • News
  • Comment
  • Features
  • Science
  • Sport
  • Lifestyle
  • Music
  • Screen
  • Arts + Lit
  • Amplify
  • International
  • Multilingual
Home / Screen

“Did this film direct itself?”: The forgotten women filmmakers

“These four men and Greta Gerwig created their own masterpieces this year” were Emma Stone’s words as she introduced this year’s nominations for the Best Director Oscar. The statement was met with cheers and applause from the audience as the Academy was called out for their poor form in gender representation.

Gerwig, the woman behind Lady Bird, is only the fifth woman ever in the Academy’s 90-year history to be nominated for Best Director. The only woman to ever win is Kathryn Bigelow in 2009, for The Hurt Locker, a moment that failed to signal a turning point for recognising women behind the camera. In fact, women are poorly represented in directorial roles generally, with only 7% of the directors of the top 250 films being women. Of the few women allowed to make movies, fewer still are backed by a studio willing to fund a major awards campaign.

“If marginalised voices are to be heard, studios need to fund the campaigns to get the industry to take notice”

The Academy failed to acknowledge Patty Jenkins this year as the director of Wonder Woman, despite being discussed as a contender. Other blockbusters such as Logan and Dunkirk were recognised – however, it was the summer phenomenon of Wonder Woman which was ignored, largely because Warner Bros. failed to launch a convincing awards season campaign that could combat the shadow that was the Justice League film, and influence opinion on what it would mean to nominate Jenkins for the instant superhero classic. If marginalised voices are to be heard, studios need to fund the campaigns to get the industry to take notice, hence why Universal pushing Get Out’s Jordan Peele and A24 doing the same with Lady Bird’s Greta Gerwig was so vital.

Kathryn Bigelow, at the 2009 Academy Awards

It’s tough though when, even if they have been given significant support, women are still not given the recognition that they deserve. There has been a total of 13 Best Picture nominations which have been directed by women – but only five of those women have been given the nod for the Best Director award as well. Continuously, even when they have made outstanding films, women have been shunned and ignored for their efforts. In 1992, when The Prince of Tides was nominated for Best Picture along with six other nominations, Barbra Streisand still wasn’t recognised for her role as director, leading to that year’s host Billy Crystal quipping “Seven nominations on the shelf, did this film direct itself?”

Emma Stone’s gender-dividing comment did fail to recognise the ethnically diverse nominations for this year’s directors though. Jordan Peele (Get Out) and Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) were both nominated, and both interrupted the pattern of the Academy which has repeatedly been called out on how the #OscarsSoWhite. Guillermo del Toro’s win was a remarkable victory as it signalled the fourth time a Mexican has won the accolade in the last five years (Alfonso Cuarón in 2014 and Alejandro González Iñárritu in 2015 and 2016). While gender disparity might not have been quelled as much as hoped, the status quo of the industry had nevertheless been disturbed and that is a step in the right direction towards empowering marginalised voices.

“the status quo of the industry had nevertheless been disturbed”

It’s clear then that women filmmakers are given opportunities rarely, however, the USC Annenberg’s Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative’s study into female directors in the industry , more accurately, and bluntly, said that “the director’s chair is white and male”. A Woman of Colour is still yet to be nominated for Best Director. While non-white men and white women have snuck in to be acknowledged on the odd occasion, the Academy still fails to be intersectional. There seems to be little opportunity and spotlight for WOC, so much so that the list of those who have been overlooked appears excruciatingly disheartening: what about Ava DuVernay and Selma’s Oscar Snubs? Dee Rees overlooked as being the one to break Netflix’s Oscar curse? What about Gurinder Chadha and Tanya Hamilton? The Oscars, and the industry, have increased diversity to tick their political correctness boxes. But their actions can’t help but be read as mere moves of tokenism to prevent backlash.

Greta Gerwig

With the dawn of the Time’s Up movement meaning that an abundance of powerful men have been exposed for sexual misconduct, it’s hopeful that the industry will see an actual effort towards embracing stories by and about women and work towards eradicating the sexism so inherent in the industry. However, the film and award sector are a massive money machine. Women filmmakers from all backgrounds need to be supported economically – whether that’s through campaigns funded by the studios, inclusion riders being a common clause of contracts, or the tickets that we as the audience buy. Although they shouldn’t have to prove it, women have shown that they can make cinematic masterpieces and, if we want more of them, then we need to pressure the industry to embrace equality more fully. Besides, these movies aren’t going to direct themselves.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Apr 11, 2018 By Charlotte Forrester Filed Under: Screen, Festivals and Awards, Screen Features, Columnist Tagged With: Oscars, Kathryn Bigelow, Get Out, greta gerwig, jordan peele, lady bird, oscarssowhite, Patty Jenkins

Avatar

About Charlotte Forrester

Charlotte Forrester (more commonly known as Fozz) is originally from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands and is currently studying English in her first year.

Primary Sidebar

exeposescreen

University of Exeter 🎓 Film, TV, Game section of University of Exeter's student newspaper Exeposé 🎬 🎮 📺 📰

Meet the Screen Team for 2020/21 🎬 Our team is Meet the Screen Team for 2020/21 🎬 Our team is made up of 2 Print Editors, Francesca and Olivia, and 2 Online Editors, Jim and Olivia. We are all looking forward to bringing you exciting screen content over the next academic year! 🥳 We are always looking for new writers so keep an eye out for content calls on Facebook or drop us a DM if you want to get involved! 📝
THIS WEEK ON SCREEN: In support of #blacklivesmat THIS WEEK ON SCREEN:

In support of #blacklivesmatter✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 , we’re dedicating this week to the work of Black filmmakers and to films that will educate us on racism. Black voices have value and deserve to be heard. 
Link in bio!!
We’ve got some awesome stuff for you this week o We’ve got some awesome stuff for you this week on screen online to cure some of that awful isolation boredom! 💪🏼👏🏼 Go check it out! (Link in bio)
The first batch of #lff2019 reviews are up on Scre The first batch of #lff2019 reviews are up on Screen! Online Screen Editor @heyimjay_cob finds much to enjoy in both #knivesout and #theirishman, two films debuting next month.

#filmfestival #festivalreview #filmreview #netflix #lionsgate

@knivesout @theirishmanfilm @netflixuk @lionsgate @riancjohnson
Online Screen Editor @heyimjay_cob talked to the a Online Screen Editor @heyimjay_cob talked to the award-winning writer/director @mrsambarlow (Her Story, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories) on his latest project Telling Lies, as well as the current state of interactive fiction. The full interview is now on Screen! #gaming #interview #TellingLies #herstory #sambarlow #interactivefiction #choicegames
🌟🎞🌟TIFF, Venice, Sundance, watch out! Exe 🌟🎞🌟TIFF, Venice, Sundance, watch out! Exeter has its own festival in town, for one day only!🌟🎞🌟 📽Tomorrow from 12:45 - 15:00 we will be presenting a handpicked selection of XTV films, as well as early shorts from well-known directors!📽 ⭕️Newman Red (inside Peter Chalk), tomorrow, Wednesday, 12:45, FREE!⭕️ 💫The festival is absolutely free and you can drop in and out whenever!💫
Online Editor @harryjcaton discusses the merits an Online Editor @harryjcaton discusses the merits and downfalls of movie epics in our latest feature article - give it a read, it's not as long as the movies mentioned in it, promise!

#movies #epics #moviemarathons #theirishman #martinscorsese #filmjournalism
Take a look at what Lauren Newman thinks of the la Take a look at what Lauren Newman thinks of the latest stream of Disney remakes, what is her Gospel Truth? It’s a fantastic read for sure! Find it in the Screen section of Exeposé Online!  #Disney #Exeposé
Katie Baker gave Someone Great 5 ⭐️ , we give Katie Baker gave Someone Great 5 ⭐️ , we give her review 5 ⭐️! Head on over to Exeposé Online to find out why Netflix’s new release is “so much more” than your typical Netflix movie.  #netflix #someonegreat #exeposé #exeposéscreen
Load More… Follow on Instagram
Tweets by Exeposé Screen

Contact Us: editors@exepose.com

Since 1987, Exeposé has given a voice to Exeter students. Over the years, the determination and political fervour exhibited by students through Exeposé have helped shape the University we study at today. We have received national recognition for our award-winning campaigns, investigations and surveys, and always strive to provide students with high-quality news, comment and features.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in articles and comments do not reflect the views of Exeposé Online or the University of Exeter Student's Guild.

        


© 2021
Website design: Harry Caton and Ellie Cook
Webdesign & development: Harry Caton