Girls On Film
An article in Salon by Michelle Goldberg examines why there are so few female directors working in Hollywood when women have made significant progress towards equality in so many other fields.
Goldberg reveals first that only two women have ever received a nomination for the Oscar for best directing, and second, that this shouldn’s surprise you since only 4% of Hollywood directors are women anyway.
Easy numbers, but it’s still a difficult problem to unravel. Are film schools discouraging their female students? Or is it the studio system run by men? Perhaps women get the short shrift from largely male financiers. And let’s not forget the foreign market that demands heavy action, and diet dialogue — films that broadly appeal less to women. Or is it all of the above.
Careful not to make undue generalizations or to point unnecessary fingers, Goldberg deftly explores these issues and more. And after that you might check out Lovely and Amazing, a film directed by a woman that carries a lot more oomph than typical chick-flick shlock. (Although I must admit I enjoyed Bridget Jones’s Diary.)
Previously: Quotable
Subsequently: Would You Like a Non-Fat Soy-Milk, No-Foam, Double Shot Latte?
Comments