Posts Tagged women in film

Chart: Movies with strong female roles make more money

After analyzing the top 50 biggest box office movies of 2013, Versha Sharma and Hanna Sender have an innovative money-making tip for Hollywood: Make more movies starring women. Revolutionary, right?

Roughly one third of the films they looked at passed the Bechdel Test–meaning they included at least two female characters, who talk to each other about something besides a dude. Let’s take one quick second to mourn the fact that it is 2014 and people are still making movies that fail to meet this very, very low standard. Ok, now the good news: The films that passed the test brought in billions of dollars more than the ones that didn’t. Check out the breakdown after the jump. 

After analyzing the top 50 biggest box office movies of 2013, Versha Sharma and Hanna Sender have an innovative money-making tip for Hollywood: Make more movies starring women. Revolutionary, right?

Roughly one third of the films they looked at ...

Infographic of the Day: Gender Inequality in Film (spoiler alert: there’s a lot)


The New York Film Academy has put together this informative infographic demonstrating the gender inequality endemic in film-making. But there’s some hope. Check it out below the jump.


The New York Film Academy has put together this informative infographic demonstrating the gender inequality endemic in film-making. But there’s some hope. Check it out below the jump.

Daily Feminist Cheat Sheet

Mia McKenzie on white liberals, racism, and eroding empathy.

Guilty of rape at Oxy? Write a book report.

Learn about the history of gun control in the U.S.

“Imagine being examined for ‘evidence’ by a doctor and telling your single-parent father that his only son was raped. Imagine hearing that this happened to you because you’re gay.”

Brilliant Republican thinks the phrase “Jew me down on a price” is the best way to express himself.

Guernica on recovering work of women writers.

Ali Safran’s story of building Surviving in Numbers has gone viral.

Obama is hosting female senators for dinner tonight. Can’t wait to hear who he thinks is the best ...

Where are the women? Cannes Film Festival edition

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, 22 films directed by 22 men will compete for the prestigious top award. But to feminist criticism of that dismal lineup, Cannes says, essentially, “Well, you can’t make us pick a girl just because she’s a girl.”

Of course, those numbers are pretty standard for Cannes. Last year there were a record-breaking four women in the running for the Palme D’Or, the festival’s top prize. But apparently that was but a minor blip in the long dude-dominated history of the event. Two years ago, there were no women either, and in the 64 years of the festival only one woman–Jane Campion–has ever actually won the Palme D’Or.

The French feminist group La Barbe took the ...

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, 22 films directed by 22 men will compete for the prestigious top award. But to feminist criticism of that dismal lineup, Cannes says, essentially, “Well, you can’t make us pick a ...

The Hunger Games: A story for women and girls that everyone can love

The only thing that could have made me more excited about The Hunger Games is if the trailer was put to Rihanna…Oh look!

In case you didn’t notice (ha!), last night The Hunger Games premiered at midnight across the country. The highly-hyped movie sold more advance tickets on Fandago than any other non-sequel film ever and brought in an estimated $19.7 million last night. Its expected box office numbers for opening weekend–between $115 and $120 million–could break records.

I haven’t seen the movie yet, but we wrote about the books last year, and I’m excited about its success for many reasons. It’s a story about class and inequality and power that resonates deeply in these times. And ...

The only thing that could have made me more excited about The Hunger Games is if the trailer was put to Rihanna…Oh look!

In case you didn’t notice (ha!), last night The Hunger Games premiered at midnight across ...

What are your favorite quotable lines by #LadiesinFilm?

“Most guys, we can recite all of The Godfather, we can recite all of Caddyshack, we can do all those kind of things. Women, by and large, can’t. You can guys can say you complete me, and that’s about it. And I think it’s because in the history of movies, there have been fewer quotable lines spoken by actresses than actors.” –Aaron Sorkin

Oh really, Aaron? As Shelby points out, to the extent that this is true, it’s directly the fault of dudes like you. Last time I checked, actors and actresses don’t come up with their own lines. Aaron, I know you are capable of writing memorable lines for women characters. (Everything that C.J. ever said, for example.) ...

“Most guys, we can recite all of The Godfather, we can recite all of Caddyshack, we can do all those kind of things. Women, by and large, can’t. You can guys can say you complete me, and ...