Women have played a significant role in the film industry since its creation. However, their countless contributions have largely been overlooked in the past, and still are often overlooked today. This is especially true for women’s roles as directors.
At the beginning of film history, many women were involved in the creation of films. One of the earliest directors to exist was Alice Guy-Blaché. Starting in 1896, she produced, wrote, and/or directed over one thousand films, with twenty-two of them being feature-length films. In addition, she created a successful film company and oversaw the production of over three hundred films.
However, in the 1920s, she retired from film because women had begun to be excluded from the industry. Furthermore, her films and her many contributions to the art of film began to be overshadowed, and many of her films began to be credited as the work of men. During the rest of her life, Blaché had to fight to be rightfully remembered as a pioneer in the film industry.
The discrimination against women in the film industry still persists today. As of 2024, only 23% of the industry consists of women, 16% of which are directors. Despite these low percentages, many successful women directors actively create impactful and significant movies, and they stand as a beacon of hope for future generations of women in film.
One of these directors is Greta Gerwig, who famously directed Lady Bird (2017), Little Women (2019) and Barbie (2023). Gerwig’s movies often contain feminist messages that are conveyed through her characters, such as Jo March’s famous line in Little Women:
“Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty.”
Likewise, America Ferrera’s monologue in Barbie shares a similar message:
“I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”
Gerwig’s movies were well received by audiences, with Lady Bird making $80,000,000 dollars worldwide, and Little Women making $218,000,000 worldwide. In 2023, Barbie was a major success for Gerwig, making $1.4 billion dollars worldwide, as well as becoming the highest-grossing film that was made by a woman in film history.
The hardships women have received and continue to receive in the film industry do not take away from their significance in its development and its many successes and achievements. Without women, the film industry would not be what it is today.
Despite the low presence of women in film, women should not be discouraged from pursuing their dreams and creating art. For inspiration, they can look back to the significant woman figures in film who came before them, as well as the many women of today who currently create and contribute to film.
Additional Sources:
- https://goldenglobes.com/articles/alice-guy-blache-first-woman-film-director/#:~:text=This%20led%20to%20her%20pioneering,she%20is%20almost%20unknown%20today.
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alice-Guy-Blache
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2025/01/03/gender-gaps-widen-behind-the-scenes-in-2024s-top-grossing-films/#
- https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1517268/
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3281548/quotes/
- https://people.com/read-the-powerful-barbie-monologue-about-being-a-woman-that-america-ferrera-performed-30-to-50-times-7565806
