“You can’t really divorce women’s struggles in the world from women’s in the cinema. As long as there’s hierarchy it means that women are somehow secondary or second class or less than” (Sally Potter). While moving pictures, “movies,” existed in the late 1800s, narrative films only grew into a significant part of pop culture early in the 20th century. The occupation of screenwriting involves developing and creating scripts for movies and television shows. Since the birth of the industry—as far back as silent movies—female presence in filmmaking roles included directing, producing, and writing. While female screenwriters in Hollywood are far and few, women prove themselves more than capable of meeting the qualifications for screenwriting
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According to The Telegraph, more women enter the film industry than men, and on average, those women possess higher qualifications; however, by age 35, half of the women who entered the industry no longer work in it (Thompson). In fact, women wrote a miniscule 11% of top 2014 films and 79% featured no female writers at all (Thompson). The article cites a report by the BFI when stating, “female screenwriters, whilst still underrepresented, were behind some of the most successful films in box office terms” (Thompson). The bizarre marginalization of women behind the camera results from a number of factors, a list not including women inherently having less talent. Women prove their capability to produce successful films time and time again, but Hollywood insists upon maintaining ideologies that movies developed by women make less money; as a result, studio executives fear the risk associated with female-produced or female-written films. Simply put, the inexcusable sexism in this field prevents women from getting hired. Additional statements from the Huffington Post include a relation between the low amount of female-written scripts to the few films that “authentically depict women’s lives” (Zellinger). Women are needed behind the camera to create films that will subvert clichés and tell the stories of female characters beyond the objectified love interest or catty high school student. Without these cultural symbols, young girls in the audience search for positive and realistic role models that are nowhere to be
According to The Telegraph, more women enter the film industry than men, and on average, those women possess higher qualifications; however, by age 35, half of the women who entered the industry no longer work in it (Thompson). In fact, women wrote a miniscule 11% of top 2014 films and 79% featured no female writers at all (Thompson). The article cites a report by the BFI when stating, “female screenwriters, whilst still underrepresented, were behind some of the most successful films in box office terms” (Thompson). The bizarre marginalization of women behind the camera results from a number of factors, a list not including women inherently having less talent. Women prove their capability to produce successful films time and time again, but Hollywood insists upon maintaining ideologies that movies developed by women make less money; as a result, studio executives fear the risk associated with female-produced or female-written films. Simply put, the inexcusable sexism in this field prevents women from getting hired. Additional statements from the Huffington Post include a relation between the low amount of female-written scripts to the few films that “authentically depict women’s lives” (Zellinger). Women are needed behind the camera to create films that will subvert clichés and tell the stories of female characters beyond the objectified love interest or catty high school student. Without these cultural symbols, young girls in the audience search for positive and realistic role models that are nowhere to be