Women in the film industry have to be thick-skinned to make it big, women directors said in the session on ‘Women Power in the Film Industry’ at Biffes.
“The white male dominates the industry. Then comes probably the black man, white woman and the black woman is at the bottom. That means I have double the trouble,” director Priscilla Anany said. However, there is a positive side to this challenge, she said. “If you push back and fight for what you want, and you make it, you are praised more as a minority.”
Anany is a US citizen originally from Ghana in West Africa. Her film ‘Children of the Mountain,’ about a Ghanaian woman who is blamed for delivering a deformed child, was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2016 and won an award there.
“If a man makes one good film and wins an award, he is set in his career. He will get investors with ease. But for a woman, one movie is not enough. She has to repeatedly prove herself before she can find a producer who will trust her,” she said.
The situation in India is similar, said Kannada director Kavitha Lankesh.
“Here, the industry lacks professionalism and producers do not trust women with money,” she said. After being a filmmaker for over 15 years, finding someone to invest in an idea she believes in is tough. “Sometimes, I get so furious and think that I should just quit.
It is tough for men too, but doubly so for women.” Lankesh said that in her movies, she is sensitive about the way women are depicted, making sure that it is not vulgar. Women in the industry, unfortunately, do not support each other, she added.
