The Invisible Woman: Female Directors in Hollywood

2721 Words6 Pages

Film scholar Louis Gianetti says, “In the field of cinema, the achievement of the Women’s Movement [of the 1960’s] has been considerable, though most present-day feminists would insist that there is still much to be accomplished in the battle against patriarchal values” (428). Gianetti’s words are an understatement. Women in Hollywood are underrated, underrepresented, and generally shoved into the background of the film industry. However, with film becoming one of the most pervasive and influential art forms of the 21st century, women’s leadership in the film industry is vital not only to the feminist movement, but to the perception of the modern female overall. With the advent of the internet, digital media and film have become much more accessible forms of entertainment and education. According to the official statistics, an hour of video content is uploaded to YouTube every second (YouTube), creating an animate archive of this moment in time. Film both in a theater, and online, are among the most popular forms of entertainment in modern day America. So when we realize that the majority of these films are directed by men—even those targeted towards a primarily female audience—one has to wonder why women are not thriving in this burgeoning and influential form of art. The Lack of Women Leadership in Mainstream Hollywood In Louis Gianetti’s 546-page popular film studies textbook, Understanding Movies, he devotes 7 pages to feminist film perspective and the female director. Three of these seven pages are devoted primarily to pictures, rather than content. Gianetti explains to his readers that, “Today there are about two dozen women directors working in the mainstream Hollywood film industry…the range of female rol... ... middle of paper ... ...ssa Knight. Pixar Animation Studios. 2008. Film. Working Girls. Dir. Lizzie Borden. Perf. Louise Smith, Ellen McElduff. Alternate Current. 1986. Film. Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Reissue Edition. Ballentine Books: (2009). Print. www.matcatfilmfestival.org. The Mad Cat International Women’s Film Festival. Web. 7 Apr. 2012. www.sandiegowomensff.bside.com. San Diego Women’s Film Festival. Web. 7 Apr. 2012. www.oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Web. 7 Apr. 2012. www.imdb.com. Internet Movie Database. Web. 7 Apr. 2012 www.youtube.com/t/press_statistics. Youtube. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. www.articles.latimes.com/2011/may/25/entertainment/la-et-women-animation- sidebar-20110525. LA Times. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. www.deadline.com/2008/12/hardwicke-fired-from-twilight-franchise. Deadline. Web. 14 Apr. 2012.

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