Here’s an interesting story that I’m really not sure how I feel about. The good folks over at M&C give us this:
An underground global movement called the ‘Guerrilla Girls’ has rankled Oscar officials with a billboard of a transvestite King Kong in Los Angeles. The billboard — near the Kodak Theatre where the Oscars will be handed out next Sunday — depicts Kong wearing a dress and makeup holding an Oscar statuette, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.
The sign — which cost $4,500 a month — reads: ‘Unchain the Women Director. Women directed only 7 percent of the top 200 films of 2005,’ and ‘No woman director has ever won the Oscar. Only 3 have been nominated.’ The sign was created and funded by 13 women`s organizations, including Women in Film and the Fund for Women Artists.
Those are some pretty shocking numbers really. Only 14 of the topp 200 films this past year had female directors?!?! Wow. I didn’t expect it to be that low. However, before jumping to conclusions, the question has to be asked… are these numbers due to Hollywood not giving female directors a chance, or is it that there aren’t enough quality female director’s in Hollywood right now? The answer is probably somewhere in between.
I thinnk it would just be ignorant to suggest it’s 100% either one or the other… but clearly there is an issue that should be looked at. I don’t know what the answer is.
To be honest, if I had $20 million to invest in a movie (I’d probably develop a drug and sex addiction), I’d probably want my movie to be in the best hands (man or woman). But I certainly wouldn’t give it to a female director JUST BECUASE SHE’S FEMALE. So does my attitude just perpetuate the problem? What do you think? I think I’ll bring this up on the Audio Edition later.
