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https://www.themarysue.com/nyff-female-directors-2018/
As reported by the blog Women and Hollywood, and drawing information from The Hollywood Reporter, the lineup for NYFF has been released and only four, or 13% of the films, are directed by women. This is a step down from last year, where 32% of the films (eight in total) were women-helmed. This is a sad reminder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s study that showed exactly how much we are failing women and other marginalized identities behind the camera, as well as in front of it.
This is not even the first time this year that studies have been released that talk about the lack of female filmmakers represented at film festivals. IndieWire released an article earlier this year on women being represented at indie film festivals, stating that on average 16 narrative films made by men are screened as compared to six by women; for documentaries, women fared a little better with the average is 13 to 8.
The article went on to talk about how women accounted for 29% of directors and other behind the camera positions in indie films screened at festivals between 2017-2018. That’s a disheartening number when we think about how many male filmmakers who get chance after chance while still not delivering excellent product. Women are, on the whole, being shut out of these festivals and therefore being deprived of more chances to get their work screened to the industry and possibly get wide distribution.
This is not to say that all the male filmmakers being screened at NYFF, or at any major or small film festival, are undeserving of their slot. We should still judge on quality of film. However, there have to be as many films that are made by women that also deserve a spot at major festivals. It’s telling that women-helmed films, which often feature more women in other off-camera roles, tend to be shut out of these festivals.
What needs to happen is more festivals need to have diversity initiatives to encourage, mentor, and screen films by female filmmakers. Festivals are a great way to get industry buzz, and without them female filmmakers will continue to struggle for funding and distribution while male filmmakers continue to climb higher and higher. Diversity initiatives such as the ones present at Sundance, or pledges such as the gender parity pledge signed at Cannes, will help continue to allow female filmmakers the chance to shine. Otherwise, we will continue to see a lack of diversity behind the scenes.
The filmmaking world needs to see real, lasting change, and the only way to do so is to encourage marginalized directors and allow their work to be seen by the world. How many talented filmmakers have had their visions stifled by lack of support or an inability to submit their films to festivals? By crafting diversity initiatives, we can allow more filmmakers to share their films and uplift their voices, which in turn will create a better and more inclusive Hollywood. It’s up to festivals to create these movements and to share their platforms. Hopefully, we’ll see a change soon; if not, we’ll keep demanding change until we see it.
(Source: Women and Hollywood; Image: Getty Images)
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—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
As reported by the blog Women and Hollywood, and drawing information from The Hollywood Reporter, the lineup for NYFF has been released and only four, or 13% of the films, are directed by women. This is a step down from last year, where 32% of the films (eight in total) were women-helmed. This is a sad reminder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s study that showed exactly how much we are failing women and other marginalized identities behind the camera, as well as in front of it.
This is not even the first time this year that studies have been released that talk about the lack of female filmmakers represented at film festivals. IndieWire released an article earlier this year on women being represented at indie film festivals, stating that on average 16 narrative films made by men are screened as compared to six by women; for documentaries, women fared a little better with the average is 13 to 8.
The article went on to talk about how women accounted for 29% of directors and other behind the camera positions in indie films screened at festivals between 2017-2018. That’s a disheartening number when we think about how many male filmmakers who get chance after chance while still not delivering excellent product. Women are, on the whole, being shut out of these festivals and therefore being deprived of more chances to get their work screened to the industry and possibly get wide distribution.
This is not to say that all the male filmmakers being screened at NYFF, or at any major or small film festival, are undeserving of their slot. We should still judge on quality of film. However, there have to be as many films that are made by women that also deserve a spot at major festivals. It’s telling that women-helmed films, which often feature more women in other off-camera roles, tend to be shut out of these festivals.
What needs to happen is more festivals need to have diversity initiatives to encourage, mentor, and screen films by female filmmakers. Festivals are a great way to get industry buzz, and without them female filmmakers will continue to struggle for funding and distribution while male filmmakers continue to climb higher and higher. Diversity initiatives such as the ones present at Sundance, or pledges such as the gender parity pledge signed at Cannes, will help continue to allow female filmmakers the chance to shine. Otherwise, we will continue to see a lack of diversity behind the scenes.
The filmmaking world needs to see real, lasting change, and the only way to do so is to encourage marginalized directors and allow their work to be seen by the world. How many talented filmmakers have had their visions stifled by lack of support or an inability to submit their films to festivals? By crafting diversity initiatives, we can allow more filmmakers to share their films and uplift their voices, which in turn will create a better and more inclusive Hollywood. It’s up to festivals to create these movements and to share their platforms. Hopefully, we’ll see a change soon; if not, we’ll keep demanding change until we see it.
(Source: Women and Hollywood; Image: Getty Images)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
The geniuses at Marvel have gone and done it again. Over the past few years, fans have been able to experience MCU marathons at their local theater. Sometimes it’s a double or triple feature. Other times it can be up to six movies at once. This past April, Nerdist hosted a 31-hour MCU marathon leading up to Avengers: Infinity War. The end of August will see another marathon event, and this time it’s going to be the most accessible yet for any MCU fan.
Marvel is teaming with IMAX to bring ALL TWENTY Marvel movies back to the big screen to help celebrate its 10th anniversary. The good news is that you will be able to get some rest and even see your loved ones in between the films. Rather than going back to back, IMAX will show four movies a day starting on August 30th and run through September 6th. Here is a handy break down of the entire schedule.
As you can see, September 6th is “TBD.” That’s because IMAX is letting YOU decide what the last two movies will be. Here’s their Tweet where you can vote between Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, and Black Panther.
Only 2 films can close out the final day of our #MarvelStudios10FilmFest. And we’re giving YOU the power to choose.
— IMAX (@IMAX) August 10, 2018
If you are wondering where the MCU is going to be playing in your area, you can head here to IMAX’s site to procure tickets for your local theater. For Regal theaters, they have fifty dollar pass that lets you attend all 20 movies, and if you are a member of AMC’s A-List, you can use it towards a ticket to any movie as well.
So what do you think? Which of these movies are you excited to see on the big screen again? Let us know on Facebook or sound off in the comments below.
Images: Marvel/Disney/IMAX
So here we are again with more prurient speculation that the producers of the James Bond film franchise may break from tradition by casting popular Black British actor, Idris Elba for the vaunted role of Agent 007. And once again....it's not going to happen (nor should it). Longtime Afronerd Radio listeners are keenly aware that I am (for the most part) a stickler for canon and unless it's in print, logistically plausible or a wholesale reimagining, I'm probably not going to be supportive of such a change. The closest James Bond came to being even "Caribbean" was when Ian Fleming decided to name the character after his favorite (white) American ornithologist who was an expert in West Indian bird species.
Let's delve even deeper into the malaise, shall we? Fleming's original vision of Bond entails not only the physical amalgamation of the author himself and singer Hoagy Carmichael but also having the psychic resemblance to a vast array of military colleagues encountered during his stint as a British naval intelligence officer. Here's further evidence regarding the author's intentions via one of his drawings:
James Bond as a fictional character, is a very complex, if not perfidious figure. He's also very white-specifically of Scottish and Swiss ancestry. "Where does Marvel Comics fit into this?", you may ask. Well after 80 years of stories including an extremely successful decade devoted to an interconnected universe with perimetric characterizations-why shouldn't Bond folklore follow suit? There is also the hurdle that MI5/MI6 have a diversity hiring problem in real time. Sure you can chalk up a rebuttal by affirming that it's all fantasy except Fleming's influences surrounding Bond's development were quite real. Fleming served as a commander in the Royal Naval Reserve during World War II where he encountered a cadre of impressive soldiers and spies that undoubtedly fueled his creation. His most immediate inspiration probably came from within in his own formative household as embodied in his older brother, Peter Fleming.
But back to Marvel and the notion of a "Bond" of color. Just as comics (the House of Ideas, notwithstanding) explore an immeasurable amount of tangential heroes and storylines, why not a Bond-verse?. Bond's mythos is quite extensive, compelling (and racist in many regards) and just colorizing the character would actually be doing his prospective audience a disservice. Let's petition for a Black (and other protected class depictions) super spy with his/her own unique backstory that, like Fleming, relies on personal and historical context. There is an untapped wellspring of Black historical-fact not fiction-figures that are worthy of cinematic consideration. Why not a Mary Bowser film that highlights the eidetic former slave's exploits as a Union spy during the Civil War?
And then there's George Washington Williams who actor, Samuel L. Jackson loosely portrayed in the widely panned 2016 reboot, The Legend of Tarzan. Jackson's fictionalized version of Williams pales in comparison to the real life attorney, Civil War soldier and journalist. It should be noted that Williams single-handedly exposed the alternate Black Holocaust (aside from the transatlantic slave trade) occurring in the Congo Free State under the auspices Belgium's King Leopold II:
Again, this is the just the oftimes hackneyed tip of the iceberg. Let's get back to fiction. I propose that we build a better, stronger, faster and Blacker Bond archetype that belongs to another military agency beyond MI6-the British secret services since the first World War, diverged into approx. 19 department numbers. Let's expand the fictionalalized British Military Intelligence post Bond and while we're at it, I assert that for the next Lone Ranger adaptation, Hollywood should cast a Black actor for a change....this time for the sake of historical accuracy.