In 2019, I decided to keep a running list of all the movies I watched. At the end of the year, I looked back on all of them and reminisced about the good memories. But as I pored over my list, I realized something that saddened me: 35 out of the 40 movies were directed by men. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have been fully aware of the gender disparities in film production for a long time, but I was particularly disappointed because I had made a point of trying to see more movies made by women. After having this rude awakening, I started thinking about why I love watching movies (and television) created by women.
Yes, it is important to see these films in order to support their creators, but even further, these films enrich viewers’ knowledge of human experiences that don’t get enough screen time. They are far less likely to feature female characters who are only relevant to the story for their sex appeal, beauty, or romantic relationships. They depict more realistic relationships–both platonic and romantic–between women. They feature actresses with a variety of body types and don’t use fat women as punchlines. Of course, not every film directed by a woman is perfect, but I find it refreshing to watch a film without seeing the same tropes that male creators tend to fall back on when writing and directing female characters. When I’m watching TV with my mom, I often complain that “a woman would never write that,” or “you can tell this was directed by a man.”
I know that I can do better in seeking out more films directed by women, but I also have to shift some of the blame onto the film industry; its exclusionary history plays a big role in keeping these films out of my periphery.
The Oscars went 49 years without nominating a woman for Best Director. The first woman to score an Oscar nomination for Best Director was Lina Wertmuller in 1976. Only four other women have been nominated since and only one woman has won (Kathryn Bigelow, in 2009). Similarly, out of the 563 films that have been nominated for Best Picture, only 14 were directed by women. The Academy’s continuing neglect of female directors projects the false narrative that films by women just aren’t as good as films by men. It prevents female-directed films from earning the boost in revenue and acclaim associated with Oscar recognition. Further, because films created by women are rarely viewed as “blockbusters,” they may only be accessible to people with access to streaming services or an indie cinema. These films may not just fall into moviegoers’ laps; they have to be actively sought out. But it’s an effort I’m willing to put in. This past year, female directors brought us the stories of two smart high school seniors trying to have fun, a group of strippers conning rich men, a family of girls growing up post-Civil War, a woman visiting her dying grandmother in China, and a black couple on the run from the police, just to name a few. Female directors have so much to offer. In 2020, I’m going to try to make sure that 50% of the movies I see are directed by women, and I challenge you to do the same.