“I am seeing a definite shift, but it doesn’t mean that the numbers are not still absolutely abysmal,” Gina Prince-Bythewood tells Deadline in a new feature about the fight for gender parity and inclusivity behind the camera. That fight, she says, is far from over. The writer-director explains, “The hope is that we can have success when we get the opportunity, and that just opens doors for others to help us change the narrative. We have to change the narrative that women are unable to succeed at the big-budget level.”
Few women have had the opportunity to try their hand at blockbusters — but there are plenty examples of women-directed pics scoring big at the box office. And with the recent record-breaking successes of Anna Boden-co-directed “Captain Marvel” and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman,” it seems like studios may finally be receiving the message that female filmmakers are far from box office poison.
Things seem to — at long last — be changing. More women directors are being hired for big budget pics, Cathy Yan and Cate Shortland among them. And the media is also starting to pay much closer attention to the issue. Prince-Bythewood attributes the evolving landscape in part to #TimesUp.
“The strides they’ve made have been tremendous,” the “Shots Fired” creator says of the movement, “both in pushing issues to the forefront in such a wide spectrum, whether it be the lack of representation in the media, pay equity, equal representation on boards and in agencies, or of course, the bigger thing: women’s harassment.”
As for how Hollywood’s most influential players can effect change, Prince-Bythewood emphasizes, “It’s absolutely on the studios to continue to step out of the comfort zone; it’s up to actors to use their power; it’s up to directors who are through the door to keep that door open, and pull others up. What you need is people in the fight, people to help you fight, and people to show you what the fight is. I really think it’s the only way it’s going to change.”
“Beyond the Lights,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” and “Love & Basketball” are among Prince-Bythewood’s feature credits.
