The actress and director Expresses Fury Over Hollywood's Backsliding for Female Professionals
Kristen Stewart has stated she is “so angry” that advancements for female directors in the film industry have reversed after a short-lived surge of positive change post the #MeToo era.
Stewart, who directed the upcoming film The Chronology of Water, gave an impassioned speech at a women’s luncheon in LA hosted by the Oscars organization.
“The backsliding from a brief moment of advancement is alarming by the numbers,” she informed attendees. “Such a pitiful number of films from the previous year have been directed by female filmmakers.”
An annual report that tracks the numbers of women directors revealed that eleven of the top 100 films of 2024 were helmed by female directors, down from sixteen in the year 2020.
‘Boys’ Club Business Model’
In her address, Stewart said: “In a post-MeToo moment, it appeared likely that narratives created by and for females were finally getting their due. That we could be permitted or even encouraged to express ourselves and our common stories, every aspect of our lives unfiltered.
“However, I can confirm to the intense struggle that it requires at each stage when the content is too dark, too taboo, when the frankness with which it serves up observations about situations commonly faced by females, frequently provokes disgust and rejection.”
She continued: “We can discuss pay disparities and menstrual product taxes and measure [inequality] in lots of quantifiable ways. But the violence of silencing, it’s like we’re not even supposed to be angry. But I can eat this podium with a utensil and sharp tool. I’m so angry.”
Attendees listening to Stewart’s speech featured a number of well-known female stars.
Stewart was met with several rounds of applause over the course of her seven-minute speech.
“I am thankful to you,” she stated. “I do not thank a male-centric industry framework that pretends to want to hang out with us while siphoning our resources and belittling our true perspectives. Let’s try and not be tokenised. It’s time to create our own value.”
Upcoming projects from a few women filmmakers are in the running for the next Academy Awards, but the best director category is anticipated again to be male in majority.
