The actress and director Expresses Fury Over Hollywood's Regression for Female Professionals
The renowned actress and filmmaker has stated she is “so angry” that advancements for women in the film industry have gone backwards after a brief period of improvement post the #MeToo era.
Stewart, who directed the forthcoming film The Chronology of Water, delivered an emotional address at a women’s luncheon in Los Angeles organized by the Academy behind the awards.
“The regression from a brief moment of advancement is statistically devastating,” she told the audience. “Such a pitiful number of films from the past year have been directed by female filmmakers.”
An annual report that monitors the presence of women directors stated that eleven of the top 100 films of last year were helmed by female directors, a decrease from sixteen in 2020.
‘Boys’ Club Business Model’
In her address, Stewart said: “After the MeToo movement, it appeared likely that stories made by and for women were finally getting their due. That we could be permitted or even supported to share our views and our common stories, all of our experiences unfiltered.
“However, I can confirm to the bare-knuckle brawling that it requires at each stage when the material is too dark, too taboo, when the frankness with which it presents insights about situations commonly faced by females, frequently provokes aversion and dismissal.”
She continued: “We can discuss pay disparities and taxes on tampons and quantify the imbalance in many measurable forms. But the violence of silencing, it’s like we’re not allowed to feel rage. But I can eat this podium with a utensil and sharp tool. I’m furious.”
Attendees listening to Stewart’s speech included several prominent actresses.
Stewart was met with several rounds of applause over the course of her seven-minute speech.
“I am thankful to you,” she said. “I am not grateful a male-centric industry framework that claims to desire to hang out with us while siphoning our resources and diminishing our genuine viewpoints. We must avoid being used as tokens. Let’s start printing our own currency.”
New films from a few women filmmakers are in the running for the forthcoming Oscars race, but the best director category is anticipated again to be male in majority.