Abstract
This article deals with gender inequality in the European film industry and outlines key findings of the international research report Where are the Women Directors? published by the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network in 2016. It shows barriers to enter the industry and then focuses on the Austrian outcomes of the EWA study. Questions like the different perceptions of gender inequality by women and men, the number of female students at film schools, their shares of budgets, production funds or festivals are answered and compared to other international studies. In addition, recommendations are offered in order to address the challenges female directors have to face in sustaining their careers. We argue that the film industry will be strengthened, tolerance in our society encouraged and diversity represented more strongly if female directors’ full potential is realized. We aim at providing evidence for the necessity of national and European policy changes regarding gender equality and call for action to change the status quo.
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Notes
- 1.
The report was drafted by Holly Aylett (Birkbeck College, University of London) under the project management of Francine Raveney (former EWA Director and current Head of PR). While the study was organized and managed by the EWA network, it was carried out with the support and collaboration of many institutions, including the Austrian Film Institute, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée (CNC, France), the University of Rostock (Germany), Birkbeck College (University of London, UK), Centre d’histoire culturelle des sociétés contemporaines (CHCSC—Université de Versailles/Université Paris-Saclay, France), Direzione Generale Cinema/MIBACT (Italy), Swedish Film Institute, Creative Skillset (UK), the Centre for Regional, Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University and the British Film Institute. It was prepared on the basis of detailed quantitative research involving approximately 1000 industry professionals from throughout Europe.
- 2.
It is worth noting, however, that the report looks at films in production up until summer 2014, before the British Film Institute (BFI) introduced their Three Ticks diversity initiative. Since then, the BFI introduced BFI Diversity Standards . “In the 2015–16 full funding year the number of BFI-supported feature films directed by women rose to 34%, or 11 out of 32 directors across the films we funded, our aim being that with further effort this will continue to rise,” said BFI Film Fund director Ben Roberts in response to the findings. This lack of public funding support for female filmmakers is not confined to the UK.
- 3.
The full questionnaire can be retrieved on demand from the Austrian Film Institute.
- 4.
The average amount of production funding payments for female-directed fiction films within the period 2009–2013 were 600,085 euros and for male-directed fiction films 675.531 euros.
- 5.
The average amount of production funding payments for female-directed documentary film within the period 2009–2013 were 103.092 euros; for male-directed documentary film 122.353 euros.
- 6.
The observation period had to be shortened here due to the fact that production budgets are difficult to access as no data was available.
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Raveney, F.H., Moldaschl, B., Koblitz, A. (2018). Gender Inequality for Directors in the European Film Industry: Focus on Austria. In: Murschetz, P., Teichmann, R., Karmasin, M. (eds) Handbook of State Aid for Film. Media Business and Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71716-6_28
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