Hollywood Director's Club:
for Men Only...
by Paulette Reynolds, January 24, 2012 / Update February 21, 2017
for Men Only...
by Paulette Reynolds, January 24, 2012 / Update February 21, 2017
Change appears to be happening everywhere; America has its first African-American President, Iranian protesters – many who are women – have taken to the streets of Iran, and Denise Richards has become a mildly successful reality TV star (who knew?). But something still gnaws at me...doesn’t quite add up. When it was announced that the 82nd Academy Awards was going to be held on March 7, 2010, something disturbing occurred - I didn’t get excited.
Anyone who is a Hollywoodphile lives for the annual Academy Awards show: We mark our calendars ahead of time, scout the talent, and begin planning our annual Oscar party. Yet my response was tepid.
Say it ain’t so...! I had become what is an established fact – I had become - an Oscar cynic!
Well, it had to happen, you say. An Oscar aficionado can always look beyond the cheesy musical numbers and maudlin thank-you speeches. We can forgive a star’s dressing too up - or down – for the evening’s festivities. And we do understand that most Best Picture awards will invariably go to a film with an unwieldy ensemble cast. But now, amid all the social and political changes happening round me, I cannot forgive the Academy’s - and by extension - Hollywood’s, unwillingness to change when it comes to women directors.
Ah, what’s wrong, you say. There are plenty of female directors...there’s --- and you draw a blank. We know they're out there, somewhere existing within the ether of Creation. Those faceless and nameless women who do have faces, whose names are known – yes, they do in fact exist!
Yet, ask anyone to name a few male directors, and even the most unschooled of filmgoers will reel off a few well-known names in the business: the Coen Brothers, Quentin Taratino, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, Judd Apatow, just to name a few. Google “film director” and Wikipedia.com comes up with over 70 + names of male directors and two women directors – one of whom is dead!
So let’s face it, the more things change, the more they stay the same, for women in Hollywood, it appears. Yes, women can be and are successful actresses and producers, some even writing and directing, but the good old boy’s club of directors still firmly excludes women from its inner circles.
A few facts bring this issue into sharper focus (sorry, I couldn’t resist!). The number of women directors working in Hollywood is pretty slim to almost non-existent:
“Dr. Martha Lauzen, the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film's executive director, tracks the employment of women in the industry. Her 2008 figures are striking. Women accounted for 9% of directors of feature films, a number that "represents no change from the percentage of women directing in 1998." Women did a bit better in the world of primetime television, mustering 11%.” 1
The cold fact is that the number of women directors nominated for Best Director by the Academy totals : Four
Lena Wertmuller, Seven Beauties, 1975
Jane Campion, The Piano, 1933
Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation, 2003
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker, 2010
And the grand total of women directors who have won an Oscar for Film Direction, in its 81 year history? Exactly: One
Only 82 years in the making, Kathryn Bigelow beat out her ex-husband, James Cameron, and his 3D blockbuster knock-out, Avatar, for the coveted golden naked guy we all know fondly as Oscar. Of course, there always has to be a Hollywood Hater somewhere. Sigourney Weaver, an Avatar co-star, came out a few weeks later to launch a blistering attack on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, declaring his loss was the direct result of "didn't have breasts". She believed the Academy wanted to make history by naming its first-ever female Best Director.
"Jim didn't have breasts, and I think that was the reason," Weaver told Brazilian news site Folha Online after the award show. "He should have taken home that Oscar." 2
Cine thinks the Oscar was awarded to director Bigelow for two reasons:
* First, yes, it was time to step up to the plate and give the award to a female director. So in that regard, Ms. Weaver is correct. Yet, we wonder if James Cameron, an Oscar winning heavy-weight himself, released Avatar so close to nominating time because he thought his special-effects wunderkind would easily win and to beat out his ex-wife...mmm...what a doubly sweet moment!
* Second, Kathryn Bigelow won because she played the man's game - simple. The only way for the Academy to acknowledge a female director, was by making a male-centered film. The Hurt Locker - the little movie that could - did win and so *hopefully* pave the way for future women directors. OHLand hopes that this win will not be Hollywood's way of saying, "Now you got a prize, go back into the kitchen and shut up."
Why is the film industry still treating women directors with such contempt and discrimination? While many point to family obligations still falling on women, or the lack of “chick flicks”, an area where female directors have been given free reign, the truth of the matter is two-fold:
1. The film industry is still male-dominated – in all areas. [2017]
2. Female directors are still treated as third-class citizens because they allow themselves to be. [2017]
Let’s take number one. How many movies are made with male-centered themes? Countless, right? Not only that, but when one looks at the movies that are male-centered, their range is three-dimensional and limitless: Males save the world, grapple with complex issues and situations, are evil-doers, adventurers, supernatural beings, famous historical figures, fathers, brothers, lovers, military heroes, and police officers.
How many films offer female-centered themes? Female-centered cinematic themes still center around the one-dimensional expressions of sex object, mother, and wife, usually wrapped in the over-wrought “chick-flick” genre. Once in a great while, women are lauded by their peers for performances such as Monster and The Queen, but even these plum roles are few.
"I find it staggering and rather depressing when you look at the Oscar list," says Phyllida Lloyd, who directed last year's smash hit Mamma Mia! For Lloyd, it's not just about the "lack of female directors," it's that "the stories are all so male-driven, even with the independent films. It's quite a bleak canvas." 3
The abundance of male-centered movies reflects the balance of power in Hollywood. Actresses and women directors are forever complaining that there is little “availability” of good jobs, scripts and roles, and with good reason – Hollywood film companies and producers keep it that way.
Which leads to my second point. It may sound harsh, as though I’m “blaming the victim”, but until female directors (and producers, scriptwriters, actresses) start forming new paradigms of power, then they – and sadly – we, the film goer – will continue to see more of the same. The greater film industry is ruled by males, and women in Hollywood need to have a more pro-active approach in defining their own success.
The first begins with attitude. Fanzines gush ad nauseum about the numerous pregnancies, birthings, and child-rearing of famous babies by their equally-famous adoring mothers. It’s wonderful to see so many women in Hollywood embracing Motherhood, but we have to wonder why so much ink is spilled in the service of such ga-ga reporting. Encouraging women - even extremely famous ones - to be perpetually "barefoot and knocked-up" has always been the cushion that men in power use to keep women out of the loop and out of the Good Old Boy's Club. Let's face it, while the women in Hollywood are busy creating babies then they're Career Radar is operating on low voltage. Who's going to notice new projects when People, TMZ, and the Enquirer are running features on Suri's shopping haunts?
A second facet of this approach is creating more groups of power, in the form of female-owned and operated film companies and associations. The creation of United Artists in 1919 helped pave the way for the independent spirit, and hence, independent filmmakers. Female directors and producers should take a page from history and create film companies that would exclusively hire female directors, scriptwriters, producers, and actresses.
Also, the film award shows need to reflect the changing industry. If the Academy can add more nomination slots to the Best Film category, then they can get creative and add a new category for female directors, or provide more nomination slots to the Best Director category. The recent spate of awards for African-American Actors and Actresses ONLY occurred when complaints of racism were followed up with the promise of action. (And Spike Lee still hasn’t won an award for Best Director – but that’s another article!)
NOTE: As of February 21, 2017 : Female directors have been shut out of the nominations for Best Director - again - for the ninth straight year. Director Maria Giese went to the ACLU to file a suit against the Hollywood film industry, which has led to a federal investigation by the EEOC that is still ongoing.
While more female artists are indeed creating their own production companies and directing films, the Hollywood system continues to get a failing grade for gender equality in hiring and wage equity. The one step that will guarantee fair treatment is to legislate the film industry into compliance, like any other service industry. Food for thought?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cine Mata's Fave Films by Female Directors (2009):
1. Christopher Strong : Dorothy Arzner
2. The Piano : Jane Campion
3. Marie Antoinette : Sofia Coppola
4. Mixed Nuts : Nora Ephron
5. Monster : Patty Jenkins
6. Twilight : Catherine Hardwicke
7. Wanda : Barbara Loden
8. Outrage : Ida Lupino
9. A League of their Own : Penny Marshall
10. She-Devil : Susan Sideman
11. Yentl : Barbra Streisand
12. Frida : Julie Taymor
And lastly, the little-known history of women directors should be more well-known to all film goers and fans. Sharing history honors past accomplishments and develops pride in future goals and visions. In this spirit, OHLand wishes to print an abbreviated timeline of female directors and our list of favorite films directed by women: Women Directors - 2009. 4
Additional Citations:
1 Peters, J. (6/11/09) Filmmakers Look Elsewhere for Employment. Variety Online
2 April 13, 2010 FoxNews.com
3 Blakeley, Kiri B. (2/19/09) Up Close and Personal: Women Directors. Power Women, Forbes Online
4 Wikipedia. (2009) Women Directors. [For the entire list - Wikipedia Online]*
Rogers, N. (2008) Tuesday Top Ten: Female Directors @ Box Office. The Film Experience™
Photo: “Ten Interesting Female Directors” * (top view)
Pictured from upper left:
Alison Anders, Kathryn Bigelow, Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola,Claire Denis
Mary Harron, Nicole Holofcener, Mira Nair, Kimberly Peirce, Lynn Ramsey
Anyone who is a Hollywoodphile lives for the annual Academy Awards show: We mark our calendars ahead of time, scout the talent, and begin planning our annual Oscar party. Yet my response was tepid.
Say it ain’t so...! I had become what is an established fact – I had become - an Oscar cynic!
Well, it had to happen, you say. An Oscar aficionado can always look beyond the cheesy musical numbers and maudlin thank-you speeches. We can forgive a star’s dressing too up - or down – for the evening’s festivities. And we do understand that most Best Picture awards will invariably go to a film with an unwieldy ensemble cast. But now, amid all the social and political changes happening round me, I cannot forgive the Academy’s - and by extension - Hollywood’s, unwillingness to change when it comes to women directors.
Ah, what’s wrong, you say. There are plenty of female directors...there’s --- and you draw a blank. We know they're out there, somewhere existing within the ether of Creation. Those faceless and nameless women who do have faces, whose names are known – yes, they do in fact exist!
Yet, ask anyone to name a few male directors, and even the most unschooled of filmgoers will reel off a few well-known names in the business: the Coen Brothers, Quentin Taratino, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, Judd Apatow, just to name a few. Google “film director” and Wikipedia.com comes up with over 70 + names of male directors and two women directors – one of whom is dead!
So let’s face it, the more things change, the more they stay the same, for women in Hollywood, it appears. Yes, women can be and are successful actresses and producers, some even writing and directing, but the good old boy’s club of directors still firmly excludes women from its inner circles.
A few facts bring this issue into sharper focus (sorry, I couldn’t resist!). The number of women directors working in Hollywood is pretty slim to almost non-existent:
“Dr. Martha Lauzen, the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film's executive director, tracks the employment of women in the industry. Her 2008 figures are striking. Women accounted for 9% of directors of feature films, a number that "represents no change from the percentage of women directing in 1998." Women did a bit better in the world of primetime television, mustering 11%.” 1
The cold fact is that the number of women directors nominated for Best Director by the Academy totals : Four
Lena Wertmuller, Seven Beauties, 1975
Jane Campion, The Piano, 1933
Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation, 2003
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker, 2010
And the grand total of women directors who have won an Oscar for Film Direction, in its 81 year history? Exactly: One
Only 82 years in the making, Kathryn Bigelow beat out her ex-husband, James Cameron, and his 3D blockbuster knock-out, Avatar, for the coveted golden naked guy we all know fondly as Oscar. Of course, there always has to be a Hollywood Hater somewhere. Sigourney Weaver, an Avatar co-star, came out a few weeks later to launch a blistering attack on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, declaring his loss was the direct result of "didn't have breasts". She believed the Academy wanted to make history by naming its first-ever female Best Director.
"Jim didn't have breasts, and I think that was the reason," Weaver told Brazilian news site Folha Online after the award show. "He should have taken home that Oscar." 2
Cine thinks the Oscar was awarded to director Bigelow for two reasons:
* First, yes, it was time to step up to the plate and give the award to a female director. So in that regard, Ms. Weaver is correct. Yet, we wonder if James Cameron, an Oscar winning heavy-weight himself, released Avatar so close to nominating time because he thought his special-effects wunderkind would easily win and to beat out his ex-wife...mmm...what a doubly sweet moment!
* Second, Kathryn Bigelow won because she played the man's game - simple. The only way for the Academy to acknowledge a female director, was by making a male-centered film. The Hurt Locker - the little movie that could - did win and so *hopefully* pave the way for future women directors. OHLand hopes that this win will not be Hollywood's way of saying, "Now you got a prize, go back into the kitchen and shut up."
Why is the film industry still treating women directors with such contempt and discrimination? While many point to family obligations still falling on women, or the lack of “chick flicks”, an area where female directors have been given free reign, the truth of the matter is two-fold:
1. The film industry is still male-dominated – in all areas. [2017]
2. Female directors are still treated as third-class citizens because they allow themselves to be. [2017]
Let’s take number one. How many movies are made with male-centered themes? Countless, right? Not only that, but when one looks at the movies that are male-centered, their range is three-dimensional and limitless: Males save the world, grapple with complex issues and situations, are evil-doers, adventurers, supernatural beings, famous historical figures, fathers, brothers, lovers, military heroes, and police officers.
How many films offer female-centered themes? Female-centered cinematic themes still center around the one-dimensional expressions of sex object, mother, and wife, usually wrapped in the over-wrought “chick-flick” genre. Once in a great while, women are lauded by their peers for performances such as Monster and The Queen, but even these plum roles are few.
"I find it staggering and rather depressing when you look at the Oscar list," says Phyllida Lloyd, who directed last year's smash hit Mamma Mia! For Lloyd, it's not just about the "lack of female directors," it's that "the stories are all so male-driven, even with the independent films. It's quite a bleak canvas." 3
The abundance of male-centered movies reflects the balance of power in Hollywood. Actresses and women directors are forever complaining that there is little “availability” of good jobs, scripts and roles, and with good reason – Hollywood film companies and producers keep it that way.
Which leads to my second point. It may sound harsh, as though I’m “blaming the victim”, but until female directors (and producers, scriptwriters, actresses) start forming new paradigms of power, then they – and sadly – we, the film goer – will continue to see more of the same. The greater film industry is ruled by males, and women in Hollywood need to have a more pro-active approach in defining their own success.
The first begins with attitude. Fanzines gush ad nauseum about the numerous pregnancies, birthings, and child-rearing of famous babies by their equally-famous adoring mothers. It’s wonderful to see so many women in Hollywood embracing Motherhood, but we have to wonder why so much ink is spilled in the service of such ga-ga reporting. Encouraging women - even extremely famous ones - to be perpetually "barefoot and knocked-up" has always been the cushion that men in power use to keep women out of the loop and out of the Good Old Boy's Club. Let's face it, while the women in Hollywood are busy creating babies then they're Career Radar is operating on low voltage. Who's going to notice new projects when People, TMZ, and the Enquirer are running features on Suri's shopping haunts?
A second facet of this approach is creating more groups of power, in the form of female-owned and operated film companies and associations. The creation of United Artists in 1919 helped pave the way for the independent spirit, and hence, independent filmmakers. Female directors and producers should take a page from history and create film companies that would exclusively hire female directors, scriptwriters, producers, and actresses.
Also, the film award shows need to reflect the changing industry. If the Academy can add more nomination slots to the Best Film category, then they can get creative and add a new category for female directors, or provide more nomination slots to the Best Director category. The recent spate of awards for African-American Actors and Actresses ONLY occurred when complaints of racism were followed up with the promise of action. (And Spike Lee still hasn’t won an award for Best Director – but that’s another article!)
NOTE: As of February 21, 2017 : Female directors have been shut out of the nominations for Best Director - again - for the ninth straight year. Director Maria Giese went to the ACLU to file a suit against the Hollywood film industry, which has led to a federal investigation by the EEOC that is still ongoing.
While more female artists are indeed creating their own production companies and directing films, the Hollywood system continues to get a failing grade for gender equality in hiring and wage equity. The one step that will guarantee fair treatment is to legislate the film industry into compliance, like any other service industry. Food for thought?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cine Mata's Fave Films by Female Directors (2009):
1. Christopher Strong : Dorothy Arzner
2. The Piano : Jane Campion
3. Marie Antoinette : Sofia Coppola
4. Mixed Nuts : Nora Ephron
5. Monster : Patty Jenkins
6. Twilight : Catherine Hardwicke
7. Wanda : Barbara Loden
8. Outrage : Ida Lupino
9. A League of their Own : Penny Marshall
10. She-Devil : Susan Sideman
11. Yentl : Barbra Streisand
12. Frida : Julie Taymor
And lastly, the little-known history of women directors should be more well-known to all film goers and fans. Sharing history honors past accomplishments and develops pride in future goals and visions. In this spirit, OHLand wishes to print an abbreviated timeline of female directors and our list of favorite films directed by women: Women Directors - 2009. 4
Additional Citations:
1 Peters, J. (6/11/09) Filmmakers Look Elsewhere for Employment. Variety Online
2 April 13, 2010 FoxNews.com
3 Blakeley, Kiri B. (2/19/09) Up Close and Personal: Women Directors. Power Women, Forbes Online
4 Wikipedia. (2009) Women Directors. [For the entire list - Wikipedia Online]*
Rogers, N. (2008) Tuesday Top Ten: Female Directors @ Box Office. The Film Experience™
Photo: “Ten Interesting Female Directors” * (top view)
Pictured from upper left:
Alison Anders, Kathryn Bigelow, Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola,Claire Denis
Mary Harron, Nicole Holofcener, Mira Nair, Kimberly Peirce, Lynn Ramsey
Originally appeared in Outside Hollywoodland.com | 2009.
COPYRIGHT 2012/2017. Paulette Reynolds. All CineMata Movie Madness blog articles, reviews, faux interviews, commentary, and the Cine Mata character are under the sole ownership of Paulette Reynolds. All intellectual and creative rights reserved.
