There’s a lot going on in the world of filmmaking these days. Women filmmakers are stepping up to the forefront of entertainment, particularly given the Sundance Institute study/scandal from a few weeks ago that revealed just how underrepresented women in film really are.
In the last couple of weeks, there have been lots and lots of articles about how awesome women filmmakers are. For example, the European Women’s Audiovisual Network was just founded in Berlin. The network aims to bring women filmmakers together to showcase the work of women in film. They also want to expand studies in filmmaking to include women-specific studies.
Films are also making headway in other countries. Calcutta University just added a film component to their women’s studies courses. By screening films about women around the world, many of them made by women, they’re giving students the chance to experience a female filmmaker’s point of view. Female empowerment starts with exposure to strong, powerful women through film and other means.
One way many people are exposed to women-created media is through an online video platform. Sites like Film Annex are great for bringing women-created and female-centric media to Afgan women and those around the globe. Social media is amazing for giving people experience they’d never have gotten before - including exposing them to all the wonderful female-created films.
Even programs like the Afghan Development Project are great for spreading film to the women of Afghanistan and other countries. Giving them a way to connect with the outside world through computer classrooms is like giving them a whole new world. This program could lead to a whole new crop of female filmmakers coming from a new place: Afghanistan. If you’re wondering how to empower women through film, the answer is “online”!
Bringing the Internet and the ability to access whole new mediums to Afghanistan is a huge project. To be successful, film programs around the world need better exposure to a wider audience. That’s why, even though they may all seem unrelated, the European Women’s Audiovisual Network and Calcutta University film programs are so important. Any organization that brings filmmaking to a female audience is helping to further the larger goal of making female empowerment a universally recognized fact.
