Being a woman in male-dominated fields of study can be challenging. And yes, there are of course the obvious male-dominated college majors, like finance and engineering. But the arts are no stranger to the glass ceiling, either — or in the case of the film industry, the “celluloid ceiling.”
At face value, it may look like the difference between women and men film majors is small, with some of the top institutions for film studies appearing evenly split — some even leaning more female than male. But outside of the world of higher education, the difference between male and female filmmakers becomes far more noticeable. Female filmmakers often find themselves struggling against the “celluloid ceiling,” the film industry’s version of the glass ceiling (celluloid being the material historically used to make film) — aka the persistent gap in the number of women being hired in pivotal filmmaking roles, as well as general on-screen representation of women. Take the Academy Awards for example: Only three women have won the Oscar for Best Director, compared to 95 men, in the award show’s 97-year history. (The first time a woman was even nominated for the category wasn’t until 1976.) Additionally, women of color experience this gap differently than white women, with racial diversity in film facing a concerning decline from previous years.
While these figures may seem discouraging, this generation of female film majors are emerging into the industry intent on making change for the better, no matter how others might view them or their art. The result? A new generation of creatives who are expanding genres, playing with tropes, and telling women’s stories in front of, and behind, the camera.
Gen Z Women Aren’t Shying Away From Their Film Dreams.
For starters, even just believing in your own talent and finding your way in a male-dominated industry is an act of feminism. For Katherine Lynn Rose, the decision to major in film came from a desire to follow her own oath — rather than doing what was expected of her. “I [majored in] math my first year and was like, ‘I do not enjoy this at all,’” Rose, who is pursuing a master’s degree screenwriting and directing at Columbia University, tells Her Campus. “I really fell in love with [film] because I found that it really combined all of the things I love doing.”
After a decade as a child actress, Makayla Lysiak decided she wanted to be the one telling stories and calling the shots behind the scenes. “I’ve read hundreds of scripts over the years, and suddenly, I started forming opinions about what I was reading,” Lysiak, a writing for screen and television major at the University of Southern California, says. “It gave me some semblance of control over my artistic voice, whereas in acting, you have to wait for a ‘yes’ to be creative.”
The Celluloid Ceiling Is Antiquated, But Also Still Real.
Despite the empowerment they feel from pursuing this path, many female film students find it hard to be taken seriously. Genres that are seen as “girly” — such as romance and musicals — are often looked down upon. “Me and a lot of my friends tend to like rom-coms, musicals, and Netflix comedies,” Rose says. “To a super artsy, film bro-y kind of world, [these] tend to be looked down upon, [because] these are a lot of the genres that teenage girls and women tend to enjoy.” But, as Rose notes, these films are “popular and successful for a reason,” and deserve their flowers — regardless of (or, maybe, because of) how “girly” they are.
But the struggle to be taken seriously as a filmmaker doesn’t stop many of these students — for some, it actually fuels them. “Going into college, I already had the mindset that I might not always be taken as seriously, especially as a Black woman,” Marissa Baker, a cinematic arts major at Indiana University Bloomington, says. “I knew if I wanted to be recognized as a filmmaker, I had to truly lock in and prove myself through my work … When it comes to female filmmakers, I think they are some of the strongest storytellers out there. I just wish it were easier for us to share our stories. Often, we have to work twice as hard, but that reality motivates me even more.”
Despite the (wrong) assumptions that women don’t make “serious” films, female film students — especially women of color — actually find themselves gravitating toward more “serious” subjects. Sometimes, that’s due to a sense of duty, a responsibility to create films with strong messages and highlight issues like feminism and misogyny. This isn’t really expected of their male counterparts. “I choose some hard topics that may go unseen or need more attention … [but] while women can use their platform to talk about sexism and misogyny, it shouldn’t solely be on them,” Baker says.
But for some, though, sending a strong message is essential to creating their art. “Everything we make, everything we write, every word that we say is because of … where we come from and our experiences,” Ziyu Gao, a film and business student at the University of Southern California, says. “The message that I want to send is that I’m a strong Asian filmmaker, who is a woman, and can make great films.”
The Female Filmmaker Community Is Strong — and Powerful.
The importance of women supporting women cannot be understated, and that’s abundantly clear in the film world.
In high school film classes, Gao often felt her ideas were ignored by her male classmates. And while there are still challenges, she’s thriving as a female filmmaker in college, thanks in large part to the community that surrounds her. “[At] film school, luckily, there’s a lot of female filmmakers,” Gao says. “I’ve been so grateful to have worked with an all-female crew, an all-female cast … and this environment that is so much more diverse than what I was used to.”
Sally Pan, a character animation major at the California Institute of the Arts, believes women in her industry are helping open doors for more diverse stories to be told. “Female filmmakers are making more and more impact in the industry,” she says, citing Maggie Kang’s KPop Demon Hunters and Domee Shi’s Turning Red as examples. “Women are bringing to life female characters in bold and authentic ways.”
While there is still more work to be done, these film majors are hopeful that more progress is on the horizon. “I think the future is bright for female filmmakers as long as women keep taking risks with their art and stick to [their] truth,” Lysiak says. “Especially as audiences become more sophisticated as well … [audiences] want things that are new and nuanced, and they want underrepresented voices.”