The Importance of Women In Film
In a world where female filmmakers gaining true recognition is rare, we must not continue to dismiss their feminine impact.
As female filmmakers continue to be disregarded in events like the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, it almost seems as though they are their own genre. However, this should not be the case. If we are on the pathway to equality, female filmmakers should not be a spectacle of bravery. French director Celine Sciamma, like many female directors, too often is asked the question: “what is it like being a woman in filmmaking?”, as though they are a certain, unique species. Yet, as much as it may not think to be/thinks to be progressive, this type of questioning is frankly sexist. If we are to move towards equality, we need to embrace femininity in film.
I think of French filmmaking pioneer Agnès Varda, who has been regarded as the mother of the French New Wave, appearing in the 1950s & 1960s. Being the only female filmmaker in the movement, she stated that her approach to shooting a script remained instinctive and feminine. Unsurprisingly, Varda didn’t achieve as much success as her fellow male filmmakers and was erased from history books. Yet speaking in 1986 of her struggles, she remembers that with each new film, she had to “fight like a tiger”. Speaking on her creation of ‘La Pointe Courte’ (1955) in 2017, she states that “out of the blue I invented the film, and I succeeded to make very little money, but it was something I wanted to do”. She too notes that she “knows she was a pioneer”. In a remarkably sexist and racist time, Varda’s apparent unperturbed attitude is sheer inspiration. Surrounded only by men, she still pushed on purely because”it was something I wanted to do”. This shows us how, even if we doubt ourselves as creatives, the reason we started is what should be the drive, no matter the circumstance.
Varda is widely considered a feminist because of her inclusion of female characters and voices. Yet she has stated that she is “not at all a theoretician of feminism” & that she “did all that — my photos, my craft, my film, my life — on my terms, my own terms, and not to do it like a man”. In a male-led filmmaking world, women may feel as though they need to adopt ‘masculine’ qualities to succeed, yet filmmakers like Varda show that this is not needed. However much she had to “fight like a tiger”, she too wanted to “not do it like a man”. Varda has not only directed but also written almost every film she has ever created.
Continuing the theme of femininity in filmmaking, one remarkable example is Sofia Coppola. Her films tend to focus on period pieces and cinematic teen dramas, all laced with recognisable femininity in the costumes and graphics. Coppola herself is a great example of embracing one’s femininity whilst still being in a male-dominated industry. Sporting fashionable looks herself, along with her characters, this is something important to follow. As previously mentioned, women may feel as though they need to drop their supposedly ‘weak’ femininity to be taken seriously in the industry. Yet by embracing one’s womanhood in their art and career, we feel as though we don’t need to change to be successful in film. I know that this, and Coppola herself, inspire me greatly. Granted, she is the daughter of Francis-Ford Coppola, so it would have been easier for her to get her start in the film industry, but that does not disregard her talents or influence.
In an event at the Freud House in London prior to International Women’s Day 2020, mental health in female-led films was discussed. In approaching mental illnesses in filmmaking, rather than defining them, more emotion and texture are created. Depicting realistic pictures of mental health in women in film challenges the idea that they need to be ‘positive’ and ‘empowering’, whereas they can be just realistic. Celine Sciamma’s ‘Water Lilies’ (2007) does just this. Portraying an adolescent teen’s anxiety surrounding her sexual identity, Sciamma portrays this apprehension through chaotic emotion. By challenging the notion that women need to be strong to be empowering, Sciamma tells a girl’s anxieties in a realistic light. This shows us that the reality of deeply struggling can be empowering, as it is something to relate to — not just a positive force to aspire to.
Sciamma’s ‘Portrait Of A Lady On Fire’ (2019) is a great feminist film, featuring only women and viewing them equally. Starring actress Adèle Haenel states that “the concept of ‘muse’ is an invention to make women passive”. In the film itself, as one woman is given the job to paint another, subjecting her to being a ‘muse’, she is only lusted after upon personally knowing her. This defeats the passive nature of a muse and the typical male gaze down on women upon first sight, rather than viewing them at an equal level. Sciamma empowers women by not only widely featuring them in her films but giving them depth, complex emotions, and flaws. This has her representing women in a strong and real light.
Independent filmmakers on the rise like Ana Asensio and Sally Potter, who write, direct and star in their films, and also have a background in theatre, are also of great import. Again, this shows the variety and push of women in the industry. The way to equality for women in film is not to label them as ‘female filmmakers’, but for it to further become normality. As in the history of the Academy Awards, only one female director has won Best Director, so this may be a long road if women are to be represented well. Yet pioneers and independent filmmakers inspire us to take that journey, despite the struggle.
