Why are there so few female film directors?

that's it. and only one before jane campion.

Linda Richman: Okay. Now, this show is dedicated, as ever, to Barbra Joan Streisand. Yes. We love her. And, of course, the big news - "Prince of Tides". 7 Oscar nominations total, including Best Picture. But Barbra did not get a nomination for Best Director.

Liz: Long story short - I love "Prince of Tides". It was to die for! And to think a poor little mescite from Brooklyn made this masterpiece, and she's not getting any recognition for it.. [ near tears ] I'm sorry, but I get a little choked up!

I just remembered Mary Harron (sp?)

I mentioned her upthread. A male film-critic friend of mine noted when I last saw him that his favorite two films of 2009 are directed by women -- Bigelow's The Hurt Locker and Campion's forthcoming Bright Star.

Manohla Dargis gets something off her (undoubtedly magnificent) chest:

http://jezebel.com/5426065/fuck-them-times-critic-on-hollywood-women--why-romantic-comedies-suck

Do you think that a woman would have been able to get forty million dollars to make a puppet movie the way that Wes Anderson has been able to make, bringing to bear all the publicity and advertising budget of Fox? After two movies that didn't make a lot of money? I think this is true for a lot of black filmmakers too – they're held to a higher standard. And an unfair standard. You can be a male filmmaker and if you're perceived as a genius – a boy genius or a fully-formed adult genius – that you are allowed to fail in a way that a woman is not allowed to fail.

letting Nora Ephron have it should always be encouraged.

that movie cost $40million?!?

there's no thread on the hurt locker!

<3 Manohla

Do you think that a woman would have been able to get forty million dollars to make a puppet movie the way that Wes Anderson has been able to make, bringing to bear all the publicity and advertising budget of Fox? After two movies that didn't make a lot of money? ...they're held to a higher standard. And an unfair standard. You can be a male filmmaker and if you're perceived as a genius – a boy genius or a fully-formed adult genius – that you are allowed to fail in a way that a woman is not allowed to fail.

this

tried to find info on female box office records and such, but couldn't really find any. nora ephron probably a good bet i'm sure?

"So does that mean I have to go support Nora Ephron? Fuck no. That's just like, blech."

<3

"Let's acknowledge that the Oscars are bullshit and we hate them. But they are important commercially... I've learned to never underestimate the academy's bad taste. Crash as best picture? What the fuck."

<3

Manohla is a g-d swashbuckler in this article.

One, the people making them have no fucking taste, two, they're morons, three they're insulting panderers who think they're making movies for the great unwashed and that's what they want.

killing it

"People are starved for representations of themselves."

so true

One, the people making them have no fucking taste, two, they're morons, three they're insulting panderers who think they're making movies for the great unwashed and that's what they want.

pretty much otm unfortunately

I'm wondering when the young white male demographic will get a movie of our own

I can only hope to do it as much justice as Manohla does Ephron's movies.

http://www.indiewire.com/article/b.o._of_the_00s_the_top_grossing_female_helmed_films/

Awesome, TS. I was just looking for something like that.

Third place is What Women Want. It should all be so easy.

I would pay to see a movie of Manohla Dargis intelligently cursing up a storm.

letting Nora Ephron have it should always be encouraged.

― Feingold/Kaptur 2012 (Dr Morbius), Monday, December 14, 2009 9:39 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Agreed. Julie and Julia was such a nice, pleasant, charming DOG TURD of a film.

Half a dog turd. The other half was just dog food.

The Julie parts were garbage. The Julia Child parts were enjoyable but kind of empty at the same time: has idea to write cookbook -> writes cookbook -> gets it published! Yay, life is swell! The end.

A male film-critic friend of mine noted when I last saw him that his favorite two films of 2009 are directed by women -- Bigelow's The Hurt Locker and Campion's forthcoming Bright Star.

Would this be Brian, "Jaymc's film-critic friend"????

4. jaymc's "film critic friend"
Defining Characteristics: metaphorically stands in for ILXors pathological habit for using film critic quotes instead of stating their own thoughts
Most Famous Battle(s): being invoked by adamrl on the Capote thread
Humanizing Factor: is friends with jaymc, so is probably sweet like sugar pie
Secret Powers: too good to throw down in the low-down catty 300-plus-post battles
Weak Point/Guilty Pleasure/Kryptonite Analogue: ditto
Known Enemies: adamrl
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 3 March 2006 02:00 (3 years ago)

Would this be Brian, "Jaymc's film-critic friend"????

Indeed!

I missed him.

I never see him anymore. I sort of fell out of touch with the group of friends I met him through. Plus, he had a kid a few months ago. But you know, if you're curious about his take on recent films, go nuts.

He agrees with Tomatometer 79% of the time. Figured it would be higher than that. I feel like I've had to make a conscious effort to get mine down to 75%.

And that's with the help of dozens of Disney movies.

that movie cost $40million?!?

PUPPET MOVIES ARE EXPENSIVE.

Also, FMF has only grossed $16m.

I think this is true for a lot of black filmmakers too – they're held to a higher standard. And an unfair standard. You can be a male filmmaker and if you're perceived as a genius – a boy genius or a fully-formed adult genius

this is such a fascinating area - generally the lack of artistry seen in black art at large. if you're brian wilson and you spend your days pushing buttons you're a troubled genius, if you're sly stone and you re-record all your album tracks yourself you're a power crazed whacked out saboteur.

sly is generally viewed as a troubled genius iirc

yeah I don't buy that at all, critics love female 'troubled geniuses' too - sylvia plath, cat power etc.

It's the 1p3 What Do You WISH You Looked Like Thread ; )

generally the lack of artistry seen in black art at large.

this is a fairly inexplicable charge to make

America LOVES black music FYI and not for any perceived "lack of artistry"

female trouble genius

generally the lack of artistry seen in black art at large.

this is a fairly inexplicable charge to make

i don't know if i can articulate what i'm getting at, but i think that the standard 'artistic' model, of some piece of art being the product of a refined expressive mind, is less visible. to stick to my previous example, because it's easier to be narrow, i think the comparative coverage of there's a riot goin' on and pet sounds or smile is so jarring - there are obviously too many variables and differences in style to call them analogues, but it feels like similar stories reach different conclusions and laud one guy and not the other. i'm obviously not disputing that america loves black music; or that american music is black music etc etc etc; and not suggesting that it fetishises its lack of artistry? i am trying to put words to the vague idea that genius or artist is bestowed on white authors or whatever sooner than it is elsewhere; maybe that's an inevitable high/low culture judgement.

I don't know what universe you're living in where Sly is not lauded. Greil Marcus wrote a whole chapter about Riot, he didn't write shit about Brian Wilson for ex.

and that's not some retrospective thing either, Sly was lauded as a genius from the get-go, and rightly so. Brian had to grow into it publicly. Both squandered it, obviously.

yeahhh I think your argument might feel stronger if you weren't using a super acclaimed album / ilx's top album of the 70s as an example of some ignored piece of black culture

http://yallbcn.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/gza1.jpg

Not even just Sly -- Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder were hailed as artistic geniuses around the same time.

curtis mayfield

yeahhh I think your argument might feel stronger if you weren't using a super acclaimed album / ilx's top album of the 70s as an example of some ignored piece of black culture

ha, yeah maybe so. it isn't the ignored piece of black culture thing that i'm suggesting though; more that it can still occupy a prominent position but without the same kudos for the author. man i don't even know.

charlie parker