Support for female directors in the UK

I’m fed up with people claiming there is no support for female directors. Rather than moaning all the time, how about doing something about it? Let’s celebrate the few groups and organizations that are actually working to support films made by women. In the UK alone, we have Women in Film and TV (@W_in_FilmandTV), an organization for women working in the creative media, filmdirecting4women (@fd4w) which supports, encourages and exhibits work by female directors and Young Women in Media (@YoungWomenMedia).

filmdirecting4women was launched by teacher, writer and director Ruth Torjussen and is based in her hometown of Brighton. In the last year, the company has run courses in directing for women in London, held their first international film festival and has recently embarked on a roadshow, bringing their short courses to various locations around the UK.

Last year’s festival gave women directors around the world to apply for funding for film ideas, show their work and meet other women working in film. Such big name attendees included the women from Jackal Films, Annabel Jankel, Antonia Bird and Hazel Chandler, who said: “The importance of festivals like this lies in proving there is an audience for films made by women and not just films made by women who can run with the boys and make action films. Women directors also need this support and affirmation that their films are good in order to maintain the energy to keep making them.”

Jacqueline Wright and Alice Lowe (from Jackal Films) proved just how much women can do in film in a short amount of time. The festival screened their shorts (which were made with zero budget and in less than a month each) and hosted a Q&A with the pair. Junia Bashiru, a festival volunteer, is a young woman with a dream of becoming a filmmaker and it was this event that made her aware of her capabilities: “The women from Jackal Films were such an inspiration to me. If they can make a film with no budget every month, surely I can make at least one a year.”

Women came from all over the world to attend the festival and had nothing but kind words to say about it. Filmmaker Frances Dodd said: “Having been on the first fd4w director’s course, it was great to come to the first festival and be surrounded by fellow filmmakers – especially the friends I made whilst on the course. The programme was varied, entertaining and it was an inspiration to be a part of the event.”

The roadshow kicked off in Brighton last month and has since appeared in Southampton, London and Cardiff. The ‘5 Steps to Directing’ seminar introduced women to directing over the course of a day and is suitable for any woman starting out in film, whether they’re already a filmmaker, an actress, screenwriter or producer. The five steps include understanding the role of director and the language of cinema, working out a shot list, guiding an actor’s performance and directing the scene.

Women who have gone along to the seminar so far have been surprised by how much Ruth and her team have managed to fit into just one day. Filmmaker Clare from Cardiff was one such happy customer: “FD4W’s one-day directing workshop was packed full of practical guidance for budding directors – with everything from understanding shots and visual grammar, to breaking down a script and working with actors. It was invaluable to me ahead of shooting my first short film… And delivered at just the right pace.”

New dates have just been announced for Oxford, Ipswich, Birmingham, Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent and further event details will be posted on the website soon.

It sounds daft but I think it’s easy for people to forget that women are capable of making films, good films, and that we like watching them too. STUDIO is a new British magazine that will hit the newsstands later this year and is aimed at women who love films. It’s about bloody time someone recognised this increasing audience and I can’t wait to get a copy.

If you’re a woman who wants to make her own movies or if you just want to know more about films made by women, check out the following links:

Writers

Melissa Silverstein (@melsil) who founded Women and Hollywood

Anita Sarkeesian (@anitasarkeesian) who can be found on Feminist Frequency

Distribution companies

Women Make Movies (@womenmakemovies)

Sites, blogs and networking groups

Movies By Women (@moviesbywomen)

Women in Film and Media (@WIFMPIT)

Her Film (@HerFilm)

Women in View (@womeninview)

reelladies (@reelladies)