Why not just filmmaker? : women in the film industry, from pioneering cinema, the feminist revolution, and blockbusters, to today’s digital platforms

Abstract

This thesis began as a search to find out the purpose of the term ‘female filmmaker’ and determine if it is outdated. The North American film industry is male-dominated with women making up less than 20 percent of the lead roles behind the camera in 2021.

Women were part of pioneering cinema, but have rarely been included in film history. The goal of this thesis was to acknowledge the historical impact that women had and to explore why women were pushed out of the industry. This was expanded on by looking at the resurfacing of women in the industry in the late 20th century, and by examining the careers of women in the 1960s to 1980s. Another theme was the evolution of cinema and video, entering the 21st century with online video-sharing platforms, specifically YouTube and TikTok.

The results revealed that women have faced many struggles in the industry, predominantly because they are women. Through discussions with several creators, it was found that digital platforms opened opportunities for girls and women to create, and developed a new kind of filmmaker. Additionally, there were similar patterns between the start of cinema and the start of YouTube, solidifying that online platforms are an expansion of traditional cinema.

Discussions about women in film are required to create an environment where women can be in top positions. The thesis project FEMALE was created to prompt conversations. The working process and exhibition are presented as a short report. Female filmmakers are needed, but there is no need to label them as female filmmakers when ‘filmmaker’ is already gender-neutral.