FemaleDirectors Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Last week, Peter Bart of Variety wrote "Unlikely Rivals on the Oscar Circuit," outlining how Jane Campion and Kathryn Bigelow were a part of the Oscar race with Bright Star and The Hurt Locker. But rather than simply outlining their accomplishments and discussing their talents, Bart gave the piece this weird, "at odds" theme, kicking it off with their looks. It's apparently strange that the "cerebral, somewhat severe, leans toward post-hippie attire" Campion could helm an all-out romance* while Bigelow -- the "tall, model thin" director with a "gracious manner" -- could bring us The Hurt Locker. As if looks are inextricably tied to theme. As if Wes Craven has to look like Freddy Krueger, or James Cameron has to be a beefy Terminator.

To be fair, kind words are given to both filmmakers; it's just fueled by this strange desire to make things at odds. Its execution doesn't relay a sense of distaste in Campion's and Bigelow's accomplishments, but rather an inability to discuss them without noticing a woman's physicality, without struggling to make connections between their looks and interests. It continues right down to the final line -- "Keats vs. Iraq: Now that's downright weird." -- as if Campion's Piano didn't already face off against the likes of Schindler's List and The Fugitive, as if Juno never faced off against No Country for Old Men, and so on and so forth.

As if women are some sort of alien species that cannot be understood without their physical presence -- they must be judged by it, defined by it.

*Let alone the ridiculousness that Campion has to be characterized as the "severe" woman to Bigelow's cuteness.

There have been notable women in the world since that first apple-curious gal was made from an extra rib, and Hollywood has even covered many of their stories. But it just can't seem to allow that bubble to burst fully into the X-X spectrum. The lack of female directors has been well chronicled: We've seen the challenge in following the Bechdel Rule, and the list goes on and on. Most recently, we've watched as Catherine Hardwicke earned the best box office opening for a female director ever, only to be axed and replaced by Chris Weitz for the Twilight sequel, New Moon. Not exactly the best way to wrap up 2008 and kick off 2009, but life goes on and so do we.

Hollywood also moves on, and luckily there are still women to watch for. Some are older, and some are quite young; a few have the pressures of sophomore features, and one isn't even real. But they're all women who will mold the face of Hollywood in 2009. Read on and make sure to comment with the woman (or women) of Hollywood that you're waiting to see in the new year!

A Sunday Herald article speculates on why so few of us have heard of Gaby Dellal, a British director whose debut feature On a Clear Day premiered at Sundance earlier this year and just had its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The movie is about a man who decides to swim the English Channel, and stars well-known actors such as Billy Boyd and Brenda Blethyn. Is it because Dellal's a woman?

In the article, Dellal blames the British media: "The great British press don’t like a female gutsy director getting her film made. We were the only British film at Sundance, and we opened the festival. We got so little publicity in the British press for it."

I don't know if the reason behind a lack of publicity is as simple as sexism—think of Miranda July, whose film Me and You and Everyone We Know received a lot of media attention in the US after doing so well at film festivals. However, July's film won an award at Cannes, so it was much harder to overlook. July is an American ... are the Brits ignoring their female directors? I'm trying very hard to think of other female British feature film directors, and the only ones I can recall are the women who directed the Bridget Jones movies. No one remembers their names; we think only of Helen Fielding. Wait, I've remembered another one: Gurinder Chadha, who directed Bend it Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice. (What is it with the British female directors and Jane Austen?)

Perhaps it's because Gaby Dellal isn't stereotypically feminine in any way, and On a Clear Day focuses on its male characters. During her interview in Switzerland with the Sunday Herald, she decided to swim across a nearby lake in Switzerland before her movie premiere. The media may not know what to make of her.

On a Clear Day will be released in the UK on September 2. It appears the film may not be released in the US until 2006. I'm hoping I'll remember Gaby Dellal by then, or that the American media will remind me. [via GreenCine Daily]