The scene: “Name your favorite director.” The answers I heard were always men who directed blockbuster movies…so I had ask, “Now, name your favorite woman director.”
It’s frustrating to have to make the distinction, right?
But it’s a reality – a reality we make clear right away in the feature I’m directing right now — Pioneers in Skirts, a film that showcases how far we still need to go for women to reach parity at work, especially in male-dominated fields.
The fact that not one person could name a director who is a woman gave me a chance to make a point: When people think “director,” they think “male.”
The opportunity in the story: The really awesome long pause one man gave me, as he racked his brain to name a director who is female, gave us an opportunity to use this moment to not only provide a little levity to the situation, but also show the audience – LOOK AT ALL OF THESE AMAZING DIRECTORS!
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The challenge: Names need to pop up on the screen as the interviewee searches for a name. But, what names do we add?
I’m challenged with many internal struggles: How does one decide which woman director name to have pop up? Shall we pick the most successful? or do we showcase the up and comer? Maybe the most awards won?
I wish we had the space to recognize all of the women who are working their asses off and barely have the door open for them in Hollywood.
The goal: Get the point across, cause the audience to chuckle, and move on in our documentary’s story š
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