Dynamic Women Filmmakers at the Sundance Film Festival
On January 16, the Sundance Film Festival kicked off its 30th year. Created by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance has become a household name and film lover’s dream.
Started with the intention of cultivating new, independent filmmakers, Sundance has since changed the shape of movie making not only in the U.S., but internationally as well. To the average moviegoer today, recognition from the festival gives a film automatic credibility.
With such a wide reach and admirable goal, it should be safe to assume that the number of women producers and directors in Utah this week is comparable to the number of men.
Unfortunately, that assumption is false. Numbers from a recently released study commissioned by Sundance Institute and Women in Film show that overall female filmmakers only make up 30 percent of the festival. Though – within the documentary sector alone – women directors and producers cover a higher percentage (40). On the whole, the numbers haven’t showed a “meaningful” increase in 11 years.
While compared to mainstream Hollywood – where women directors make up less than a pitiful five percent of the profession – Sundance numbers are significantly higher. And with their Women Filmmakers Initiative Mentorship Program, the organization is clearly dedicated to achieving more balanced numbers. Through this program for women filmmakers participating in the development labs, numbers are beginning equal out.
As Sundance, and Hollywood to (hopefully) follow, work to break down barriers for women within the film industry, these dynamo filmmakers deserve some serious snaps.
Alix Madigan: A “veteran producer,” Madigan has been a longtime contender at Sundance. Her 2010 film Winter’s Bone won the Grand Jury Prize for best dramatic feature, and also landed an Academy Award nomination for best picture. With hordes of other films under her belt, Madigan has two movies at this year’s festival: White Bird in a Blizzard, and the dark comedy, Laggies, starring Keira Knightley.
Maya Forbes: This first time director earned her chops as a comedy writer. She’s worked on several children’s movies including Monsters vs Aliens, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. As the writer and first time director of Infinitely Polar Bear, Forbes based the story off her own childhood experience. Upon finishing the screenplay, she knew she had to be the one to direct the movie. The film stars Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana, and has been getting rave reviews.
Mynette Louie: This producer has had three films run at Sundance since 2009, including this year’s Land Ho! Prior to becoming a producer, the Manhattan native worked on the marketing side of Time Magazine, SportsIllustrated.com, and Jupiter Communications. With Land Ho! Louie entered into the project early on and helped get the full-length movie shot entirely in Iceland.
Pelin Uzay: In 2008, Uzay became a partner at Zbabam Productions. The Turkey native has an M.F.A. in film from Columbia University, and began producing in 2003 when she worked on the short film “The Time We Lost.” Uzay is also a founder of Istanbul’s Mithat Alam Educational Foundation, and a chairperson for the Foundations’s Fellowship Committee. Just last year, she was part of the 2013 FFF (Film Finishing Fund) Grant Cycle. Her latest film, “The Bravest, The Bold” is a Sundance shorts competitor.
Marjane Satrapi: The genius behind the graphic novel-turned-film, Persepolis, Satrapi has become a world-renown writer and director. Born in Rasht, Iran, she has traveled the world and speaks six different languages. 2014 marks her Sundance debut with her newest film, The Voices, starring Ryan Reynolds and Anna Kendrick. Written by Michael Perry, the horror-comedy is being called and genre-bender, and is also the first of Satrapi’s films to premiere in the US.
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