Behind the Screen: Diversity in Film & TV

Women directing successful, big-budget feature films seems to be a rarity, but why is this? Even rarer is a woman picking up an award for directing. Do women not have an interest in directing, or is it a sexism problem within the industry? Since the first Oscar statues were handed out in 1929, only five women have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, and even worse, only one woman (Kathryn Bigelow) has won. Following suit, the Golden Globe for Best Director has only been won by one woman (Barbra Streisand), with only five women being nominated. Despite the current conversations surrounding the gender pay gap, #MeToo, and #TimesUp, Hollywood is still choosing to disregard the accomplishments of women by snubbing them during awards season. Kathryn Bigelow with her Oscar for Best Director for  The Hurt Locker  (2008). ( source ) While it looks like things may be changing, with the likes of Greta Gerwig, Ava DuVernay, Patty Jenkins, and Dee Rees al...

It may seem as though Hollywood is coming to terms with the fact that stories don't just have to revolve around straight white men to sell tickets, but when looking into how certain films are marketed, it's clear to see this is still the audience that's being targeted, even with films surrounding LGBT+ issues. Luca Guadagnino's 2017 film, Call Me By Your Name , was lauded for its positive portrayal of a same-sex relationship between two men, as well as the onscreen visibility of bisexuality. However, during the twitter marketing campaign for the film - which won awards for Best Adapted Screenplay at this year's Academy Awards and BAFTAs - the @SonyPicturesUK account chose to focus on one of the protagonist's relationships with one of the female characters, alluding to the idea that the film may have centred around a straight romance. A @SonyPicturesUK tweet (since deleted) that aims to sell  Call Me By Your Name  to a straight audience. ( source ) Th...