Women in Film: Get Inspired

It’s Women’s History Month!
We asked our team “What women filmmakers inspired you?” Comment below if you agree with any of their answers, or list women that inspire you!

Leanna:

CEO & Founder

Women have always held a strong presence and influence in this industry. Maya Deren with her Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) plays with surreal non-linear storytelling that is baked into modern-day filmmaking. Shonda Rhimes can do it all and is one of the most talented TV writers of our time. Her past work as a producer and writer includes Bridgerton, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder. Patty Jenkins started in TV and then hit her stride in Wonder Woman (2017). Her eye for action is beautiful and I am thrilled that she is joining the Star Wars universe. And last but not least, Kathryn Bigelow. As a producer and director, Kathryn has a clear vision and knows how to communicate that to her audience. These four women each have a distinct voice and are not afraid to have it heard in a male-dominated industry. They paved the way for women and minority filmmakers to follow their dreams and have their stories told.

Sadie:

(Project Manager)

I'm not sure if I could name any female filmmakers until college. One of the filmmakers that truly stuck with me was Agnes Varda, a leader in the French New Wave movement. The Gleaners and I (2000) is a beautifully constructed documentary that everyone should study. From early Hollywood, I learned about Ida Lupino, a Hollywood starlet that was sick of women’s representation in films. So she ended her contract with Warner Bros. and started her own company where she had the freedom to tell stories about motherhood, surviving rape and other controversial topics at the time. Modern-day influences behind the camera like Rachel Morrison who proves that mothers can work and produce phenomenal pictures. Rachel was the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Mudbound (2017). Greta Gerwig is an honest writer and director that Hollywood needs. It was recently announced that Greta will be directing Margot Robbie as Barbie in Barbie! (are you as excited as I am??) And we cannot forget the talent in front of the camera. There are so many actresses that inspire us: Sandra Oh, Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Nicole Kidman, Regina King - the list is endless. These women are brave, talented and everything that filmmaking means to me. They make me want to write better scripts, produce more inclusive stories and be a more thoughtful filmmaker.

Emmett:

(CFO)

A female filmmaker that stands out to me is Kathryn Bigelow, for a few reasons. She is the first and currently only female to win Best Director at the Oscars for her amazing film, The Hurt Locker (2009). This film also took home Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay that year, showing the amount of work and dedication she put into the film! Another thing that stands out to me about her is her innovative camera work: she uses what she calls “purpose-built” camera equipment to craft unique mobile shots that are very distinctive of her style. Some examples of this are her frequent use of mobile and handheld cameras, such as in The Hurt Locker, to get the viewer into the action, almost as if the audience was watching a live feed or documentary of the story unfolding in front of their eyes. She is not afraid to get in the middle of the action either: for instance, in Point Break (1991) Bigelow actually was on location filming the sky diving scenes, parachute and all! Kathryn Bigelow is one of many incredibly talented female filmmakers and I cannot wait to see what her next project is!

Riley:

(Production Coordinator)

I wanted to study film in college because I wanted to see my stories come to life. I stayed because of women like Alice Guy-Blache. Learning about how she pioneered the film industry got me interested in all aspects of film-making, not just the writing. Typically credited as the first female filmmaker ever, Alice was a vital part of the silent film era. Not only did she have her hand in over 1,000 films in her lifetime but she is credited as the first female director, one of the first directors to ever create a narrative film, and also one of the first to feature an all African-American cast with her film A Fool and His Money. For a long part of the film industry's history, her contributions have been grossly overlooked but it's thanks to things like Columbia's Women Film Pioneer Project that women like Alice Guy-Blache are getting the recognition they deserve. If we're looking more at the modern era of film, I have always loved how Nora Ephron's work basically created the genre of romantic comedies with such great hits as when Harry Met Sally (1989) or You've Got Mail (1998). The fact that she started as a writer and journalist before getting behind the camera as a director just makes me admire her more. From Alice to Nora and thousands of female filmmakers that have come after them, they have given a voice and a place to create for women like me to tell our stories and see them come to life on screen.

Raghav:

(COO)

There are many women in film from directors to actors to editors and many other crafts that have contributed to the art of cinema and inspired generations with their work. 

Back in 2008-2009, I had just finished college and was seriously considering doing something in cinema. One of the first filmmakers that really inspired me was Kathryn Bigelow when she directed The Hurt Locker (2009). The story of men in the Army who disarm bombs in the heat of combat might have been told many times in the world of cinema but nothing comes close to this masterpiece for its immersive experience. Bigelow did a phenomenal job in showcasing how different men deal with stress in different ways where a specialist has a breakdown and a sergeant appears to get high from his adrenaline-filled missions. It was definitely storytelling at its best. She followed it up with two more powerful films Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and Detroit (2017). Her films always tend to be edge of the seat, provocative and high impact emotionally. Her choices of casting relatively unknown actors in films always add to the tension of the scene. I really like her style of filmmaking as she always strives for realism and accomplishes putting the audience in the midst of all the action with her documentary kind of approach towards filmmaking. 

There are other notable filmmakers I absolutely adore. Including Mira Nair for her work on Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Monsoon Wedding (2001). She always manages to capture out of the ordinary life while exploring varied themes. There is also Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird (2017) and Ava DuVernay for her work on 13th (2016). From the editing department, there is the legendary Sally Menke for her collaboration with filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, editing eight of his films until her death.