On being a female filmmaker

I've been giving a lot of thought to the idea about being a female in the filmmaking industry. I'd like to amend the answer that I gave on the Phat Girls show last week. When Kat asked about how it feels to be a female filmmaker, I had said that I don't really pay attention to the numbers and that I'm just going to keep making films. That is partially true. It doesn't consume my every thought but when you start to look at the statistics, you have to think it should be better. There are WAY too many talented women in this world for me to accept current state of affairs.

What stats you ask? Well, you don't have to search too hard to find articles about how few females are in this industry.

• The Blacklist blog had an article on the miniscule numbers of female writers. Last year females only accounted for 9.4% of the spec script sales.
• In 2011, 18% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films. Read more here. 
• This article on how Hollywood doesn't seem to trust women.

Back in high school in the early to mid-90s, I did a paper for my English class about the glass ceiling. It really frustrated me that such a thing existed. Men really make more money for doing the exact same job women?! WTH! And yet, here we are 20 years later and nothing seems to have changed.

Men and women are different. Of course, we are equal in value and worth, but we are wired differently. We have different sensibilities and views on life. If the majority of stories being told in the box office are from men, we are losing out on so many points of view. And it's not even just our points of view, but the role of women in the stories.  Have you ever heard of the bechdel test? Take a few moments to watch this video and then read this article before you come back and read the rest of this blog.

There are some themes that cut across cultures and genders and speak to the human condition. But we are missing out when women are, at best, relegated to the background and, at worst, depicted as sex objects, idiots or any other negative attribute like in many movies. 

I saw a movie last week that infuriated me in its portrayal of the relationship between men and women. I found this film so abhorrent that it really sparked something inside me.  The main character - who you usually should be rooting for - was only charming until he spoke his first word right after the opening credits finished. He then went from annoying to narcissistic to pedophiliac to sociopathic. There was NO redemption of character in the entire film.  Yet the women in the film kept giving him a pass on his behavior. I'm a nonviolent person, but I wanted to climb into the screen and punch him in the ear and yell at every woman for even staying in a conversation with him for more than 5 seconds.  Yes, I know he's just a character in a movie, but if that is how women are going to be depicted by a male screenwriter, then I've had enough.

So, I can definitively say that I would like to change my answer to Kat's question. I'm not going to just let the statistics roll off me and keep my nose to the ground. I want to write great roles for women to play and help female crew members move up in the industry. No, I'm not some wildly successful writer/director with great power and connections. However, we each have power over what we create. I may have only six short films and one feature with a limited festival run under my belt, but it starts here with me. (Yes, if you are a female in the industry, this is an invitation to connect. Hit me up on Twitter or Facebook.)

I'm curious to hear what other females think on this issue. Do you let the statistics get to you? Or do you just keep doing what your doing and hope that you will be on the positive side of those stats?