Martha Coolidge
A bunch of high profile female directors (Martha Coolidge, Penelope Spheeris, Catherine Hardwicke, Kimberly Peirce) participated in a symposium at Chapman University in CA this past weekend called Women in Focus. They spoke about the difficulties for women directors.
Here’s what Catherine Hardwicke had to say about her post-twilight world:
There are a zillion movies that you feel a woman should direct…But they’re more than happy to let a guy do it.
Some doors opened post-Twilight:
I got sent a zillion scripts…There’s maybe one out of 500 that I’d like to do, but you’re in competition with Oscar-winning directors for those.
Martha Coolidge has been a truth talker on this issue for some time. She’s one of the women with clout to be honest since she was the head of the DGA. (I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for her since she really has tried to push this issue, and even when she had a position of power things didn’t get better.)
The truth is that there is a permeable wall…We don’t have the club and we don’t have the members that the guys do.
The glass ceiling has become a permeable wall. Now women can’t even see the other side.
I find it hysterical that Penelope Spheeris was thought by Lorne Michaels as not able to direct on her own until her 7th movie the SNL spinoff movie Wayne’s World. The idiots must have thought the film was going to flop cause they gave her 7% of the profits making her a millionaire.
Maybe it will be different for the next generation. Kimberly Peirce is now developing a comedy with Judd Apatow. Hopefully with her at the helm it won’t be the typical Apatow fare and might treat women a little better.
Twilight director still looking for daylight in Hollywood (Orange County Register)
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I really wish Catherine Hardwicke hadn’t dropped out of the Twilight franchise, it pisses me off. She could have stayed on to direct two more films and make a big name for female filmmakers and big budget movies, but nope she had to go ahead and drop out. Now a man is doing the female-led franchise, barf.
Women directors are also talented.They have to prove it and overcome all the difficulties.www.rainyhollywood.com
Kim Peirce working with Apatow sounds really interesting. I wonder if it will be a feature or relegated to tv?
Is she going to be the director, I wonder? Or just a writer?
Matt: “Just” a writer? Sure, it’s great to be a writer/director and frustrating if you’re a writer who is not allowed to direct your script when you want to. But as a writer, when I read “just a writer” or “only a writer”, I get a teeny bit cranky— I dream (fantasise?) about the day when movie writers have the same status on projects as playwrights do in theatre work, even TV writers in that industry—
I’m interested in this Apatow Peirce pairing, but couldn’t find this tidbit anywhere else. Could you link to more info somewhere?