3 days ago
Women by Women: A Shared Vision: Girls in Film
eWhat conversations do you feel we need to have more often when it comes to women in the creative field?
It's always important to keep intersectionality at the forefront of our minds when pushing for representation in one aspect or another. Not everyone's experiences are the same and not everyone's struggles are equal. Listen to your fellow filmmakers and make space for everyone to speak.
We need to continue to platform global majority artists, and put pressure on institutions to do the same. We need to continue to find ways for working class artists to access an industry that is very heavily weighted towards those from more privileged backgrounds. We need to find ways for parents to continue their roles in an industry that is very much built around the traditional male existence.
Your work highlights underrepresented voices, both in front of and behind the camera. Since the beginning of your project, what challenges have persisted—and what positive changes have you seen emerge?
In the years following GiF's inception, opportunities for female, trans and non-binary talent grew significantly. There was a real focus on equal opportunities & conversations about representation were loud. In recent years, with budgets shrinking across the board - both commercially and institutionally, due to factors like Brexit in the UK and the rise of TikTok and lower end social content (no shade on TikTok though), we've felt a shift back to old thinking when it comes to awarding jobs to directors & representation on commercial rosters. Change isn't a fad and needs to be upheld by the industry, even when the industry itself feels under threat, because embracing change is the only way the industry will survive.
