Features, Films, News, Women Directors

Re-Thinking the Canon

“Monsoon Wedding”

My recent tweet storm about the need to re-think the (overwhelmingly white and male) canon led The Guardian to invite me to elaborate on my thoughts. They’ve used my piece as an introduction for a feature that asks writers, directors, producers, actresses, and other women in the industry to imagine a new, more inclusive canon.

The Guardian sourced contributions from women like Lynne Ramsay, Gurinder Chadha, and Amma Asante, whose respective picks are Claire Denis’ “Beau Travail,” Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding,” and Barbra Steisand’s “Yentl.” This is what the canon looks like when women have a voice.

Head over to The Guardian to check out the feature. I’m really excited about how it turned out, but I’m even more excited by the reaction it’s causing. This was intended to be a conversation-starter, and people are talking. I’m receiving lots of tweets about what the canon could and should look like.

Here are some of the suggestions:

“The Piano” — Directed by Jane Campion

“Pariah” — Directed by Dee Rees

“Born in Flames” — Directed by Lizzie Borden

“Clueless” — Directed by Amy Heckerling

“Girlhood” — Directed by Céline Sciamma

“Eve’s Bayou” — Directed by Kasi Lemmons

“Raw” — Directed by Julia Ducournau

“Middle of Nowhere” — Directed by Ava DuVernay

“Black Girl” — Directed by Ousmane Sembene

“Strange Days” — Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

The Elements trilogy (“Earth,” “Fire,” and “Water”) — Directed by Deepa Mehta

I’d love to hear from more people and to expand this important list. Please tweet me your picks @melsil. As more titles get added we’ll compile them and make a permanent home for this radical new canon, a celebration of the films that have been undervalued for far too long.


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