Rachel Tunnard, director of the feature film Adult Life Skills, knows what it’s like to be a female filmmaker in a male-dominated industry. It ain’t always pretty. Using a device from her film (using thumb puppets to tell a story), Tunnard created this video exclusively for Women in Hollywood that hilariously captures the sexism women too often face when they decide to make a film.
The video basically takes us through every objection that female filmmakers generally hear before they even begin to get support for their projects. In her interview with Women in Hollywood, Tunnard explained why she decided to create this little nugget of incisive hilarity now:
Over the past few years I’ve been making a comedy feature film called Adult Life Skills, and I am being asked a lot in the press about being a “woman in film.”
Sometimes, it’s hard to talk about being a “female filmmaker” without sounding like you have a massive chip on your shoulder (I do have a chip but it is about my mum not letting me have a shell suit in the late 1980s because she thought I would set fire to myself).
I don’t want to rant about how sexism is about undermining your power and authority not just saying “your tits look nice in that top” so let’s just say — some of the things in this video actually happened — and not the bit stopping the filming to go to the toilet and gossip with my Director of Photography. (I’m not saying we didn’t gossip on the loo — I’m saying we just waited until someone shouted “CUT!”)
For the record, women don’t need special treatment on film sets due to their periods any more than the ability for a male director to go to the bathroom is “special treatment.” Just in case you were wondering. Oh, and you don’t need to stock the catering table with tampons, ’cause… that’s… not… what it’s for.
(image via screencap)
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