NewEnglandFilm.com

Women make up half of all moviegoers, and slightly more than half of the worldwide population — yet they certainly don’t dominate the film industry. That’s no surprise, but recent statistics from NPR reveal that women make up a crippling minority on all fronts. Only 7% of directors are women, 13% of writers, 20% of producers, and, out of last year’s biggest movies, only 28% of speaking characters were female.

This is a visible problem in the national industry; but does it reflect regionally and locally? I spoke with Shannon Vossler, co-founder of New York-based production company FOA Entertainment and a board member of Women in Film and Video New England (WIFV/NE). The non-profit organization was formed in 1981 to support aspiring female filmmakers and workers in the industry, but “has gone through a renaissance in the past couple years,” says Vossler. These days, the organization is dedicated to two things: “getting people the education they need to succeed, and also helping them make connections.”

Even today, women can have a hard time on set. “I feel like we, especially as women on the tech side, are often just patted on the head and told, ‘Oh, that’s a camera department thing, honey. You don’t worry about that,’” Shannon recounts. “It’s like, no, I need to know, since I’m the producer. If I’m going to spend that much money on a RED camera, I want to know what it is, what it does.” A well-rounded education is imperative for someone working in film and video, particularly in managerial or producer roles. WIFV/NE not only offers workshops and educational events, but also showcases and promotes the work of its members.

The organization also frequently holds networking events. When Vossler and a few other women of a younger age demographic joined the board of WIFV/NE, they strove to build it up as a “professional organization, where you get women who are working in the industry to really meet with each other and make the connections that they need.” Connections are vital to female filmmakers in New England. Unlike the large industry hubs like Los Angeles and New York City, women active in the New England film community are spread out — “You hear of a woman producer over here and a woman sound engineer over there, but unless they know each other and have the ability to communicate,” there’s no way for them to work collaboratively.

Collaboration is key in the film world. WIFV/NE “works hard to maintain a talent pool,” but much of the talent is moving on to Los Angeles or New York City “rather than fostering the creative base that we need here.” And that’s the purpose of WIFV/NE today — to build, support, and connect that creative base. This is especially important among women in the industry, says Vossler. “As much as you want to hear those stories of people who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps — us women need to stick together. It’s gonna take somebody from the top reaching down and helping pull somebody else up, and then that person reaching down and pulling somebody else up.”

When I read off the NPR statistics to her, Vossler was not surprised. “It makes me sad and it’s something I want to change, but it’s not surprising.” How do we go about changing these statistics regionally, if not nationally? If women can’t find inclusion in the industry, they have to create it. “I speak only for myself, but a lot of times early in my career, I was so focused on, ‘I need to be better than all the other girls so I can be one of the boys,’ that I wasn’t thinking, ‘Hey, we’re all in this mess together.’ So, it’s just a change in the mindset, which I have actually seen happening on sets.”

“Organizations like Women in Film are so vital to changing those things,” Vossler says. “It’s getting people in positions where they can foster cooperative creative energy — women helping women instead of trying to push them aside just so they can get to the top.” Through educational opportunities, women learn to express their own talent, and become as skilled and as valuable as any male applicant. They learn that they can and should have a voice in the film industry. Now it’s up to the rest of society to catch up.