Women in Film Directing

We just made it through another award season with all the glitz and glam that everyone loves so much. Celebrating all that is great about the movie industry. Critiquing all the fashion from head to toe and analyzing the scripts and camera angles of those films nominated. However, with all that celebration there seems to be a gap between genders in terms of film directing. In 2009, Kathryn Bigelow won an Academy Award for directing The Hurt Locker, which went on to win the Best Picture award as well. This year, Bigelow directed the much anticipated film, Zero Dark Thirty. With all the success and accolades the movie received, Bigelow was not nominated for any director awards for her work on Zero Dark Thirty. Is there a gender gap in the film industry?

            In an article published in The New York Times, out of the 250 films that debuted in the domestic box office, 9 percent were directed by women. That number was up four percent compared to 2011. It was also at its highest number since 2000, when 11 percent of films were directed by women. Even at its highest number of 11 percent, it is still astronomically low. The divide between men and women in the film industry is vast and it needs to be fixed.

            According to the same article there is a divide in gender with actors. In films that were directed by men, 29 percent of the actors were women. In films directed by women, 48 percent of characters were women. The divide in gender seems to be balanced when a women is at the helm of everything. It is very surprising to think that there is a gender gap within a gender gap. With the divide in gender portrayals it could have dangerous affects to how people treat gender. B. Ruby Rich, a professor at the University of California and a film critic said, “It unconsciously reinforces the invisibility of women.” Even though women have made strides there is still a lot of work to go. Martha Lauzen, professor at San Diego State University said, “The numbers for women filmmakers have been remarkably stable and reflect that this is an entrenched industry.”

            However, there does seem to be some triumphs in equality of gender in the film industry. At the Sundance Film Festival, there are 16 films competing in the drama category. Out of the 16 movies, 8 of them were directed by women. We are making great strides in film directors but it is only at the independent film level. Lauzen said she credits the Sundance Film Festival for “making an effort in approaching the selection process with an eye to diversity.” Films need to have a balance and represent society as a whole. A misrepresentation of gender could have an unconscious dangerous effect for people. It does sound extreme, but if attitudes continue it could only get worst.