Michael Barker and Tom Bernard of Sony Pictures Classics were honored with the The Women In Film Beacon Award at last night’s Women in Film LA’s Crystal + Lucy Awards. Below is Bernard’s acceptance speech. He touches on how male bias holds women down, the importance of role models, and the impact of Sony Pictures Classic title “Wadjda.”
I was honored — and surprised — to get a call from Cathy Schulman about this award. I was also gratified to hear we had released 64 films directed by women, over the course of our careers.
That’s what happens when you look for quality. We often didn’t know whether the director was a man or a woman.
Maybe there was one exception: “Wadjda,” which we knew was unmistakably directed by Haifaa al-Mansour. It’s a story about a little girl in Saudi Arabia who wanted to ride a bicycle, which was completely forbidden at the time. “Wadjda” was the first feature film ever made in Saudi Arabia. And, in fact, it was submitted as their first-ever foreign film Oscar entry. But more importantly, Haifaa’s film caused a change in the law, and now, girls can ride a bike, as long as a male is accompanying them. It’s a small step, and there is still a long way to go to for equality in that region, but it is progress towards something better and underscores the importance of women in film.
“Gender parity on and off the screen” is the Women and Film mission statement. I am sure everybody here knows these stats only too well, but they bear repeating:
There’s never been a woman nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar.
Only four have Best Director nominations. Only one has won.
Hollywood is a community where Hillary Clinton probably won 90 percent of the vote. And yet roughly 90 percent of the Director’s branch are men.
If you support having a woman in charge of the country, support having more women in charge of your films.
Hollywood is proud of its progressive credentials, but unfortunately, it’s still a “Boys’ Town,” isn’t it?
It’s been said talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not. Remove the “male bias,” both conscious and unconscious in our industry — and throughout American culture — and the talent of women will shine. Women deserve to have their ideas and opinions matter from the time they are little girls throughout the building of their careers. And girls — and boys — need to witness role models who underscore their unlimited potential.
Think of all the amazing films that never got made because women (and people of color and all other under-represented artists) weren’t given the opportunities they deserve in life to make them. I want to see those invisible films. Michael and I want to release them and make them visible on every screen possible.
On behalf of all of our colleagues at Sony Pictures Classics who have worked with us for the past 25 years, we thank you for this award, and we thank Women in Film for doing what you do. It inspires us to work even harder. The celebration tonight reminds us, we can all do better.
It’s very important to have a place where one’s voice can become part of a chorus for change, and this room is certainly a very powerful partnership for parity.
Whether it’s riding a bike or directing a film, or running a studio: give women a chance. Magnify their voice. And the world will be a better place for all.
– Tom Bernard
Co-President and Co-Founder of Sony Pictures Classics
