Women in Film

Though women buy more movie tickets and watch more TV, men are getting most of the jobs writing, directing, editing and even reviewing film.

So, where are the women?

“Incredible women are working in the [film] industry, but sometimes they don’t get as much attention,” Susan Cartsonis, a movie producer for more than 20 years, tells PINK. “It’s been difficult for us to become owners in the media and film world. But it’s good business to be in business with women.”

Cartsonis has worked on blockbusters like What Women Want and Where the Heart Is – her movies have grossed more than $1 billion at the box office and she’s the founder of her own production company. She cites the

Life/Work balance and lack of support as reasons for the dearth of women in film.

Women made up only 16 percent of “all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films,” says Dr. Martha Lauzen, a prominent researcher on the role of women in film and TV.

Cartsonis says tenacity, vision and collaboration are keys to getting to the top. Research about women’s presence in film and news about those advancing in the industry can be found at Women in Film and the Motion Picture Association of America.

Bonus PINK Link: Check out the 99 must-see movies for ambitious women.

Minute Mentor: Verchele Wiggins, Vice President, Global Brand Marketing Communications, Holiday Inn Brand Family at InterContinental Hotels Group, shares networking best practices and strategy.

By Caroline Cox

“The one thing you must fight in Hollywood is the constant
pressure placed on you from within the industry to conform
to its current way of thinking.”  Kim Novak