Elizabeth Banks and Amy Berg have a lot to say about being women directors in Hollywood. 2015 is a big year for both female filmmakers, with Banks making her feature directorial debut with the Barden Bellas’ return in “Pitch Perfect 2” and Academy Award-nominated documentarian Berg (“Deliver Us from Evil”) premiering her first narrative film, the psychological thriller “Every Secret Thing.”

Banks discussed the lack of female filmmakers behind big studio films with Sky News, admitting that high-profile jobs for female helmers are “really rare.” The “Hunger Games” actress put a positive spin on the situation by saying that she “would hate to give the impression that because it’s rare it means it’s hard.” Banks continued, “The numbers are not in our favour. One of the reasons I am here today, as a director and producer, is because I want to tell stories. That’s why I got into this business, why I am an actor and I definitely felt like I was underused and that I had more to offer in the industry.”

Banks and Berg are coincidentally closely connected — Berg directed Banks in “Every Secret Thing.” Berg spoke with Entertainment Weekly about being in the minority as a woman filmmaker and offered a strong reaction when asked if she’s tired of being referred to as a “female director.” “No!” she said. “I think we need to hear that term because I think we need more jobs. I think we need more projects. I think we have to keep talking about it until it shifts. I think that the female voice is relevant, [that] it will change the audience’s experiences in movie theaters because it’s a very important voice that needs to be heard. So I’m not tired of it.”

We’re not tired of the discussion about female directors, either — and we’re happy to see Banks and Berg engaging with the topic so openly and honestly.

Both “Pitch Perfect 2” and “Every Secret Thing” will hit theaters May 15.

[via Sky News and Entertainment Weekly]