Tribeca Cinemas

The Future of Female Filmmakers

Jane Campion on set Kathryn Bigelow after her 2010 Oscar win

Laura Linney after accepting an award at the Women in Film awards gala

When you think of directors, names like Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen Spielberg and Martin Scorsese probably come to mind. Female directors do not even make the cut in a typical list of household names. While filmmaking has made great strides in certain areas, it is no secret that the industry still marginalizes the prospect of female equality. Public knowledge alone is not enough to prove it, this deficit is more tangible than imaginary. Last year at the Sundance Film Festival only 23.9% of directors were women.[1] Even at the Tribeca Film Festival, known for seeking out and cultivating female talent, females directed approximately a quarter of the films, a statistic considered a success.[2] Only 4.4% of directors across the top 100 box office films were women.[3] In the last 85 years, females were nominated for best director four times. If women are making relative strides in the independent film community, why can’t they manage to get their Hollywood films off the ground?

The cycle that perpetuates these statistics is due in large part to the Academy. Economics rule the Oscars. Money attracts attention, and with male dominated funding structures it can be easy for females to get overlooked. Budget size also correlates to the amount of theaters a film is distributed to, affecting box office gross. Another notable barrier in female success is the demographics of the Academy. Comprised of 77% males, it is safe to say that the representation is unequal and homogenous.[4] It would be impossible to think that this structure yields a holistic review consisting of varying and diverse perspectives.

There are admirable women choosing to ignore or cope with the sexism in the industry; Sofia Coppola, Katheryn Bigelow, Jane Campion, Mira Nair, Sarah Polley, and now much hyped “Fill the Void” director Rama Burshtein. With critical acclaim and mounting auteur status they are paving the way for many more female directors in the next generation. One solution to the problem is for women in the industry to start nurturing the talents of the next generation through mentorship.[5] Females are graduating with film degrees just as frequently as men, but it can be a lonely situation once you get out into the field and you are one of three or four women on set. That is not to say that men aren’t just as capable of encouraging women in the field.

Linda Holmes’ recent NPR article served as a call to action for mainstream media, stating that a mere 10% of the films screening in DC were about a woman, starring a woman, and/or by a woman.[6] As viewers, we are equally responsible to support their films and initiatives, showing that women’s films can generate profit. The next time you are in search of movie times, consider looking beyond the blockbusters and check out the works of some unrecognized female talent.