Butler University Digital Commons @ Butler University
Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication College of Communication
2008
Women film directors and producers
Ann M. Savage Butler University, [email protected]
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Recommended Citation Savage, A. M. (2008). Women film directors and producers. In J. Hawley (Ed.), LGBTQ America Today. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. Available from: digitalcommons.butler.edu/ccom_papers/13/
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Lovers (1931), Workl7lg film directors and producers, women Dance (1940). Barbara I !9mmer (I' ferred (Q as rhe umothel S ince the beginning of moving images, there have always been represenrarion: bendi ted from the stri, of gays and l ~h ians by lntlinstrea m moviemakers. Not surprisingly, howeve r. gay ventional :lnd cxr cmne ;md lesblan representation was hmillx.1 hOlh by the quantity of roles as well tiS by minute erotic DykewC!i the ways such characters were portrayed. Oftentimes, ::thhough the roles were not made hy a k'Sbiarl. O [h clearly identified
O ne of the pioneers, making her mark well he(o re her time, and a Qloundbrcakcr Gcrnum po litics Vill a w() fo r not only leshians but for women in .ge neral, is Dorothy Arme[ (1 897- 1979). of fil mic coll age comblru r In add i[ion LO being the only woman d irector of ,he 1930s, A rmer w", one of HoI , li"a Talki ng P,crures (l97C Iywood's top directors. She starteJ as a script girl fo r renowned filmm i;1 ker Cecil B. murder (1 996).
Deh.tlille at P £amount srudi os, eventually working her way up the ranks , until she C ;urying on R~1me r's « made her directorial debut with F",hinn, of Women (1927). DirectlOg '" many a.' engage in av n nr~ ga rde , Ci lO films, Arzner brought a uniqui.: perspective to male~dominated fi. lmmakillFZ by sonal work explol l11 g fen' ~e e k i ng out scripts t.ha t broke down stereotypes of women and ~ h() wed rhem ,IS is be" known for Tre" ,lUI :::.trong anJ rational. These characteristics showed themselves in sllch films ~L~ Ch ris morher t hr ou~h home fd, wlJher Strong (1933), starring KaLherine Hepburn as (In independent avimur, and to Germany. Friedrich' r Rosalind Russell in C raIg's Wi!_ (1936). A rzner challenged dominant classic Holl y· grapples with her lesniaIU wood fare and portrayed mdepenJent women with jn tc re ~(s m careers, even rhough (1990), which explores hI rh o~e in terests were in dirl.:ct conflIct with rheir hushands. A ltho ugh never ge tting and controversial film~ IS 1 (rom he r male peers the full accolade,> ~ h e deserved, eventuall y :,md just a few ),C'ar:, tive with lmpressmm.s Li c c before her dearh the Direc(or's GU ild of America paid her a long overdue rribme for WOlUn n . Fnedrlch'1'I pl.' ooor her ccln tributions to fjl mmak ing. Although A rzner never r ubl icLy idennfi ed <.I :::. k ..... accessihle, Wit h material bian, .s he shan:J her life with choreo~1farh er Marion Mot gan for over 30 ycars and them. S me nf hl!r TeCt::n r her "masculine" appearance made" diffk ult to think olhnwi sc. I n the 1970s, iL' (1993), UdeL, of RWlIiel')' ( ft.: mimsm became ,10 academk discipline, feminiH's in both the United Stares anJ Jon 0 enberg', experil U nited Kingdom rediscovered her wClrk and rheori:ed them through lesbian ::1nd as one of th e first lesbi.n quecr readings. Other Anncr films include An)'body's Woman (1930), Honor am()ng girl enc ourn~l.J to he femr
386 film directors and producers, women
Gwen (1931). Working Girls (1931), The Bride Wore Red (1937), and D"nce, Girl, Dance (1940) Barbara Hammer (1939-L a lesbian fe minist filmmaker who is commonly re~ ferred to as rhe "mother of lesbian film,)) is certainly one of those filmmakers who ways been r('prc~enrati(l n:"> benefited from the strides made by A r: ner. Her award~winning work is uncon ~ll rpri 5 in gl)l , h()wevcr, gay ventional and experimcnt81, with a deCIdedly le sbta n~th emed conrent. Her four~ luirV of rolo a~ well M hy minute erotic Dylcl.:'tacrics (1974) is considered the first lesbian lovemaking film lthough the roles were nl)t m8 de by a lesbian. Other 1970s cutting edge work by HcHnmer includes Menses Inc men with a h.o.;p or i n~ (1974) and SUIJerdyke (1975). Her work is often noted by her trademark technique , t.he coded gay or lcsbhn in which the camera appears to actually caress the OOdies of her subj ec ts withol1l ~e d to di:dikc or dcspiw. tf objectifying them (as was/is common in Hollywood films). Hammer set uut to tell lS ~s dle fo;C Ol\ r~e of s('~ie r y. stoncs that were nut being told and W ~ L" adamant to work ollt si de of the Hollywood
j alld 1970:-; for civil light.; , S'f ti tem. Her more than eighty films include her firs t features, NicUHt: Ki~~e~ (1992), I nt mmakin~ emerged 387 film di rectors and producers, women juxtaposes home movies with footage of lesb ian rights marches and women play films have been able to t ing foo tball. Other Oxenberg works include Comedy in Six Unnatural Act.1 (1975), Vachon, Lisa Cholodenl Thank You and Good N Ight (1992), and television producti()11 and direction, includ twe ntieth~century filmm ing ante and Again (1999), Chicago Hope (1 994), and Cold Case (2003- 2004). Christine Vac hon (19 Other ea rly filmmakers that arc main contributors to the b 'inning of lesb ian bia n filmmaker li ving [()( influenced and leshian-created celluloid include Sheila McLaugh1.in (1950-), Linda queer films . what mosr at "Lizz ie" Borden (1958-) (who uses the momkc r Lizzie, afte r allegeJ nineteenth ics [hat mainstream studi century axe murdere r lizzie Borden in an effo rt to dra w attention to her work) , and an assistant editor on val Donna De itch (1945-). chon joined with filmmel Experimenral fil mmaker and actress Sheila Mclaughlin is most well known for Productions, a nonprofir She Must Be Seeing Things (1987), which explores and challenges various sexual makers. Vachon produce( stereotypes and butch-femme role playing. McLaughlin's earlier film Committed Spanked (1993) , and Saf; (1984)' codirecred with Lynn Tlilman, is an experimental narrative about the life Pamela Komer and Kati of frances Farmer. McLaughlin specifica lly se t out to challenge heterosexual biases including Rose Troche's while also trying to avoid d()gmatic feminist pronouncements abom lesbian lifc and Harron's J Shot Andy W, :-;cxwI Iity. Soland,', Happille. 388 film directors and producers, women nrches and women pby~ fUms have been ahle to cross over to mainstream success (and budgets). Christine " Unnatl< wl Act> (197';), Vachon, Lisa Cholodenko, and Kimberly Pierce are good examples of these late on and direction, incl\ld~ twentieth,century filmmakers. ld eLIse (2003- 2004). Christine Vachon (1962-) is probably the mos t well-known and successful les he hcginning of l es biul1 ~ bian filmmaker livi ng today. Although she is often considered the top producer of _Laughlin (1950- ), Linda queer films, what most attracts Vachon to a project are challenging or difficult t"p ~ f[ cr alleged ninetel,.;nrh~ ies that mainstream studios may avoid. After working as a production assistant and rcntion to her work), and an assistant editor o n va rio us Independent and low,budget films in New York , Va~ chon joined with filmmakers Todd Hay nes and Ba rry Ellsworth to create Apparatus In is m OSt well known fo r Productlo ns, a no nprofit grant-awarding o rganization that funds independent film~ challenges va rio us :;cxual makers. Vachon produced all of Haynes's fil ms, includll1g Poison (1991), Dottie Gets l 'S earli er fiiln Cummitted Spanked (1 993), and Safe (1995) In the mid-1990s, she formed Kdler Films with ,11 narrar ive about the It t<.: Pamela Knffler and Katie Roumel and produced a number of high-profile films, llenge heterosexual bH1\t:s including Rose Troche's Go Fish (1994) and The Safety of Objects (2001), Mary cnts abouf lesbian life and Harron's I Shot Andy Warhol (1996) and The Notorious Bettie Page (2006), Todd Solond,'s Happilless (1998), Todd Haynes's Veil'" Goldmine (1998) and Far From [he feature film W()rk t11~ Heaven (2002), Kimberly Peirce's Bo ys Don't Cry (I999}. John Came ron Mitchell's prostitute, r'.1 () \ly. BorJcn Hedwig and the Angry Inch (200l), John Waters's A Dirty Shame (2004), and Rob in:; either from glorifying ert Altman's The Company (2004). As one of the premiere comributors to queer for \\"hat it is: a job rhat. cinema, Killer Films even enjoyed a fi lm retrospective in 2005 at the Museum of ,J[er cmning an MfA ;·md Modern A rt in New Yo rk C ity. )orden l'ventu 389 HIm directors and prod uce rs, women othe r chrecting projects include an edapwtion of A . M. Holmes's book of sIwrL such as Gertrude Stein stories, n eSafety of Ob}ecI.s (2001 ), a nd Bedrooms aM HaUways (1998). Turner h,,, tual community on the turned much of ht' r attention to writing, includin.g scripts fo r The ot.0110l45 I3 c t~ Weiss and Sch iller hav, rie Page (2006) and B loodRa~n e (2005), and acting in small parts in films such as Swee thearts of Rh ),thm ( D" gma (1 999), The L Word (2004-2005) and [tty Bi(( y Ticty Comminee (2007). of the same name. Thi A nothe r lesbi Gl n ... themeJ romantic comedy that had notable succe in Lhc mi d International Swee theart' 1990, IS Maria Maggenti's ( 1962- ) T he Incredibly True Advenrure., oj Tu o G irls ill whic h centered on twu Lole (1995). Deve loped out of a New York Univer"'y screen writing class, the film Rh ythm and their musi! was based on Maggenti's first relationship. Maggcntl's other work i n d l.l d (' ~ d irecnng ineludes Escape to Life and writing the bisexual mmanric cnmecl y Puccini jor Beginners (2006) ..lOd writi ng Zero (2002), anJ Recall for television (Wilhol/to. Trace, 2003- 2004). Many gay and Icsbm Despite ma in';tream s u c ces~ hy some, independent films are ~[ ill the rimary upon , the .support 0 rh avenue in which mOSf lesbian or femin isf fil mmakers work. This is particularly true Jependent fi lm festival fo r women of color, includ ing C h eryl Dunye (1966--) and Loureles Portillo. D, Ill Ye', Experimenral Film Fesl prison drama Str unger [n,ide (2001) tells a dlsconcerting story 01 3 young African cofounder and programl A merican wmnan who p urp o~t:dy mi,beh ,l\'es in juven ile deten tion to get tranS ti vals for both connrric: ferred to Lh e women 's prison in an ~ ffort to reunite with her irnprisoll ed m0thcr. geles Gay and Leshian F Dlln ye 's earlier work, W"",rmeion Woman (1 996), fo cuses on the life of a you n ~ Although .,till large!' A tnean. A men ean lesh,an f.,(lOoted by rhe li te of ft ctinnal 1930s movie star Fue bians of color suffering L R ichards-an actress ('If color who was relegate-d to roles as a h Ol lsemaid . Dunye':, have made notable CGn more reccnl lVork incluell" My Baby's DadLly (2004). making in geneml. No <.: We ll -knowll C hiC<1na fil mmake r Lourd..s Portillo has devoted her careet to porary artists bodes well Latin A merican issues and id e n ti t~'- in dud m g the sn uggles of wom.en and c.hil Further Readiug d re n . Her body ofwork Includes nla ny ; hllru, such a> C,,/mnhus an Tria! (1 992), The Bemhofr", Han-y M., and S{;, Dc",! Neve'r Sleeps (1 994), C nrpIlS: A Home MOl'ie for S.,..,1O ( 1999) , anel Senoriw A nwTlCu . Ltnham. MD: t EXlrlwinda, M.issil\~ Young Woman (200l). FtMolcr, G \.\Ien ~lol yn A. 1995 . T hree of the higheq-profile documentary lesbian filmmakers arc JaneL Baus and P( lrt, CT: Gl-eenwood Pn l-lUJJ , M ~ry G. the t '.am of Andrea Weiss (! 956- ) and Gre ta Sch ill er (1954-) (If Jecoebel Produc · Women Dinx: Rc:dJ ing, JuJLlh M., anJ Vlt tions. Ml"lS( " tabl)', Baus coprocl ueeJ (with Joh n caglloni and Dil n Hum) Before Emeryvillc-, CA: SeaJ Pre. Stnne"",I/: T il. Making of a Gay and Les/,ian G ,nm,wulY (1984), on extrelllt:i y im Rl~SO , Vito. 1987. The C..dllil po rum t fi lm thm ch ronIcle, gay and leshlan li fe hefor rhe 1969 !Qnewall Rio! in New York C ity fo llowing a police raid. T he film was the fi tst gay-thorned documen r..ar y fu ndeJ by the Corporalion for Public BroadcastiJ'lg. B.:lU ~ ·~ work h & contin ued to dncument th e 0 ppresseci lives of rhe queer community with After Stunetuall (I999 ) ,IIlJ D(lfIgervlLl LII'ing; CmninR 0 ", In the Dewlnping W,,,/d (lOOl ), narrnred ill' .hnean e Gat(If;t!o. Mnre recen tly Bil llScodirccteJ Crud and UIIU. 390 film} American and non,American influences I InlnH;~'~ book of short such as Gertrude Stein, Sylvia Beach, "nJ Janet F1anner, who created an intellec i I heT impnsoned rnothL'L geles Gay and Lesbian FIlm Festival. ~:-i. on the life of a you,,;..! A lthough still largely marginalized by the mainsueam film industry (with les nr1 11930s mov'ic :-.t<1r E lL bians of color suffering even worse ghettolZation») fe minist and lesbian filmmakers as a hou:-icmaiJ, [)lIn ~"t''s have made notable conu ibutions to not only queer cine ma- but the a rt of film making in general. No doubt the grollnJwork laid by these histoneal and COLHem 1$ ~k:vo ted heT career 10 porary artists bodes well for the future of leshl an and feminist-influenced film. ~g lc s or women and ch d Further Reading Illlh", (Ill Trial ( 1992) , T h" Bensho(f, Harry M., and ~n Griffin. 2006. Queer Images: A Hisc.my of Gay and u~bi(J1l Film In ·I,'na (1999), ami .senorita America . Lanhmn, MD: Rowman anI1Li uJefielJ Publbhers. ['oster, Gwendo lyn A. 1995. \X:Tomen Fi lm DrrecrGrs: An International Blo-Critit.-"II L)ictl(JJw ry. \VC5 1 pore, CT: Greenwood Press, nakers ;. 1Il; J<1llct Ball::' im d H\Jrd, Mary G. Women Dm!ctors and T heir Fifm ~. 2006. Wesqxm, c:r: Pracgcr Publ lsh ers. 1914- ) of Je,ebcl ProJuc Red~ l tng , JudIth M., and Victoria Brownwurdl . 1997, Film FauJe..s : lnde/>Cnil ....m \17omen D1m:wn . Itt! and Dan JIHnt) Rr:)I) TC Emeryville, CA: Sell I Press. (1\.)84), an extremely 11ll Russo, Vlr.O. 1987. The Cdlu/oiJ Closet: HamoSeXUlllftj In (he M01Jies. Rev. c~l . New York: H ;1 1vcr. ,e 1%9 Stonewall Riul on Ann M. Savage Ir::.1 !!,\y-thcmcd JocuIllcn . Bau:s\ work has cnnrl n Un if\ with Afler St()ncu"lll Mg W/orld (2003), narr:treJ film, American and non-American influences ,I and Un usual (2006) Wilh lIc rr,.ms).!cndcrec1 \VOU II n L!:' cndirecting The Les hwn A history of contempolllry LGBT Q fil m in America m the li ght of i(S influences coming from outside the Un ited States ma y be approached by traekmg down the and CTl"at ive partners, rcp two separate p"ths: the mainstream/Holl ywood movies and the hlms produced in irccwr on BefoH~ Swneu1dll dependently of rhe "dream factory" In the last 50 year:; these two strands ofLGBTQ ri~ W05 a Wuman: PUtU'OilS filmmaking \.'x i ~ [ eJ apart, although the initial and timid dialogue between the two loi(LllS in Film (1991). h) seems to have started some twenty years a~ o and to have continued on and off ever 1(.1IIt H?n tary based {Hl Pm'is since. The contemporary LGBTQ filmmaking and portrayal in the United States vc.o:. of the creati ve women, is conceptualized in this entry as either around rhe films that depIct characters ano 391