Men and women may enter film school at the same rate these days, but 90–95% of the directing jobs in Hollywood still go to male filmmakers.
Gamechanger Films is one of the many players trying to even the playing field for female helmers. Founded last fall as the first for-profit devoted to investing in narrative features directed or co-directed by women, the film fund announced today that its namesake prize, which comes with a $2500 grant, will select an honoree from the pool of female filmmakers whose features will screen at the South by Southwest Festival.
Formerly known as the Chicken & Egg Pictures Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award (it’s probably not easy to fit all those words on a plaque), the previous incarnation of the Gamechanger Award recognized Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), Hannah Fidell (A Teacher), and Amy Seimetz (Sun Don’t Shine).
The SXSW narrative directors eligible for this year’s prize are Sarah-Violet Bliss for Fort Tilden, Kat
Candler for Hellion, Leigh Janiak for Honeymoon, Leah Meyerhoff for I Believe in Unicorns, Jen
McGowan for Kelly & Cal, Gillian Robespierre for Obvious Child, Anja Marquardt for She’s Lost
Control, Liz Tuccillo for Take Care, and Jocelyn Towne for We Will Never Have Paris.
It will be presented at the SXSW award ceremony on March 11.
