A new study for the BFI finds that UK independent films were more likely to be profitable if they had women in key backstage roles, yet the gender is still under-represented
• Datablog: How well are women represented in the UK independent film industry?
Employing women in writing and directing roles makes business sense, yet is still relatively rare, suggests a new study by the BFI. The report, Succes de plume? Female Screenwriters and Directors of UK Films 2010-2012, indicates 30% of the most successful and profitable independent British films of the period had a female screenwriter and/or director.
The disproportion comes from a comparison of the percentage of female directors (11%) and writers (16%) of all UK indies in that period with the equivalent stats for the top 20 films at the box office. Of these, 18% had a female director and 37% a female writer.
Key figures boosting the stats include Emma Thompson, who wrote both Arthur Christmas and the Nanny McPhee sequel, and Jane Goldman, who penned the original Kick-Ass. Significant directors included Debbie Isitt (Nativity 2), Lone Scherfig (One Day), and Phyllida Lloyd, who took the reins on The Iron Lady. The screenplay for that film was written by Abi Morgan, who was the sole British winner at the Emmys earlier this year for her script for TV drama The Hour. Morgan, who has previously scripted Shame and the BBC adaptation of Birdsong, has a new play, The Mistress Contract, opening in the spring, as well as her new film, The Invisible Woman, adapted from the non-fiction book about Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin.
The research found that women who had made inroads in the field were more likely to have credits on platforms other than just cinema, and also highlighted the crucial role of key commissioners such as Christine Langan at BBC Films, and Tessa Ross and Katherine Butler at Film4.
Said Maria Miller, culture minister and minister for women and equalities: "The creative industries underpin this country's economic growth and are increasingly front and centre in representing Britain on the world stage. Of course, there is still a long way to go to address under-representation across the sector in general, but with the number of women being employed within the creative industries growing year by year, I know we can look forward to a future for film where the talent of women can shine."
Her words were backed by BFI CEO Amanda Nevill, who expressed frustration that "overall the numbers of women in writing and directing roles remains low". At the BFI London film festival in October, festival director Clare Stewart introduced a keynote speech from producer Alison Owen, who focused not on gender inequality but the fallacy of a battle for audiences posed by the internet. Owen's latest film, Saving Mr Banks, opens this Friday in the UK and has been praised for the central role it gives to a middle-aged woman (PL Travers, played by Emma Thompson). The Oscar-hopeful was scripted by the Brit Kelly Marcel, who has also adapted the EL James book Fifty Shades of Grey for Sam Taylor-Johnson's film version.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/26/female-writers-directors-film-bfi
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