Women comprised six percent of composers working on the top 250 grossing films of 2018, according to research from Dr. Martha Lauzen and the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film. The Alliance for Women Film Composers (AWFC), a community of composers and colleagues that celebrate the work of women composers, is working to address that disparity. Variety reports that the AWFC recently elected a new president, Starr Parodi. She’s succeeding Lolita Ritmanis, who co-founded the Alliance in 2014 with Laura Karpman and Miriam Cutler.
Parodi “first came to prominence as a member of the ‘Arsenio Hall Show’ house band,” the source details. Her other TV credits include “The Division,” “The Starter Wife,” and “G.I. Joe: Renegades.” She’s done music for high profile trailers such as “Rogue One,” “Last Samurai,” and “Dreamgirls.” She made history as the “first woman to compose orchestral music for the 85-year-old Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, where she continues to be a featured composer.”
Boasting more than 400 members, the AWFC “aims to increase the visibility of women composers active in media scoring” and “advocates for the inclusion of women composers within industry events; supports filmmakers, game developers, and studios in their inclusion of women composers; and educates, mentors, and inspires emerging women composers,” according to its official site.
“Captain Marvel” marks a number of milestones in the Marvel universe. In addition to being the first female-led title and the first to be directed by a woman, the Brie Larson-starrer also marks the first time a female composer has scored a Marvel film and a major comic book movie period. Pinar Toprak scored the Carol Danvers origin story. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, “Captain Marvel” hits theaters March 8.
