Wednesday, October 20, 2021
How Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jane Campion, and Other Women Filmmakers Are Upending Hollywood Expectations
Vanity Fair: Nicole Holofcener knows she’s not the first person who comes to mind for a medieval action movie. For more than 20 years, the indie-film icon (Lovely & Amazing, Enough Said) felt perfectly content directing her own screenplays, biting slices of life in which rich dialogue was the main attraction. Then Ben Affleck came knocking. “He emailed me a strange request: Would I want to write a sword-fight movie with him and Matt Damon,” says Holofcener.
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Something that immediately stuck out to me was the fact that these women were all firsts to be nominated and win so many awards. And clearly, they deserve these awards for all the contributions that they have made for the arts, but it’s still insane that it took until very recent years for a woman to win these awards. Besides that, it’s clear to see these women’s passion and dedication to film as an art. Also, the fact that they are willing and eager to take on a variety of projects is very inspiring. In addition, it’s interesting that they are all interested in adapting books to film because that can be a very tricky process. Especially with classics, the integrity of a text can be so important and if not kept intact can be extremely criticized by fans. But these directors seem to be dedicated to the faith of the text, which is refreshing as a book lover who is often disappointed by adaptations.
Recently, more people are speaking up about the lack of diversity and representation in the Academy and other awards. Even though there are now more female and minority representatives (such as Greta Gerwig and Chloe Zhao) being nominated, it is still a long path to equity. The article mentions that female writers and female filmmakers are now rising and gaining exposures as they are invited to shine light on different viewpoints. However, it shows that they have been hidden for so long in the male dominating industry and many of the female filmmakers, even up to this date, have not had a chance to show themselves. I think that many of the female filmmakers are successful in their adaptations (whether from books or re-adaptation of previously made films) because they are able to bring a different, and perhaps newer interpretation that resonates with present audiences.
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