Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Wait, Is It Good or Bad To Be A Woman in Indie Film? My Lady Brain Hurts
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
()
San Diego State University just released a new study about women in independent film, and its findings are, shall we say, up for debate. Here are a few headlines (from The New York Times, Deadline, and The Hollywood Reporter, respectively):
()
()
()
Support for LAist comes from
Authored by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen of SDSU's Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film, the study examines the behind-the-scenes contributions of women at major film festivals like Sundance, SXSW and and AFI Fest.
The New York Times interpreted the numbers somewhat dismally (see above), noting the study's statistic that high-profile U.S. film festivals screened three times as many feature films directed by men as by women in 2016-17, and twice as many documentaries directed by men as by women. Deadline opted to look for the silver lining, pointing out that sure, the study's stats are grim, but they make the indie-film circuit look like a Valhalla of gender equity compared to the world of big-budget film, where women directed just 7% of last year's 250 top-grossing domestic films. So, basically, things are bad for female indie directors, but not quite as bad as they are for female big-budget directors. Yay! Progress!
Lauzen's study isn't wholly devoid of optimism; she notes that films with at least one woman director also had substantially higher, percentages of women writers, editors,and cinematographers, so at least the women who do rise through the independent-film ranks are helping each other succeed. Now, if only we could get studio heads to stop systemically discriminating against female directors, we'd be in business. Sort of. Eventually.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist