AMPAS Adds Women Directors!

On Wednesday, June 29, 2016, AMPAS (the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) invited 683 new members into “The Academy,” 314 of whom are women. This action—adding 314 women including women from many different countries and a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds–is the result of the pledge made earlier in the year to make AMPAS a more diverse organization.

After backlash from last year’s snubs which sparked our “#MakeOscarsGold” project as well as several other social media campaigns, AMPAS president Cheryl Boone Isaacs told the New York Times that her aim was to double the number of female and minority voters. Membership would climb from 6,262 to 7,000, potentially increasing the numbers of women and minorities by at least two percent and three percent respectively.

During the 2016 Oscar race, FF2 Media researched two national social media campaigns, #OscarsSoWhite (lack of minorities) and #StopBlueOscar (lack of women) and combined them into our merit-based campaign, #MakeOscarGold.

“This is not a Black/White issue. This is a global issue. If Oscar wants to be “gold” = merit-based, then everyone should have an equal chance of success. But right now, the statistical bias against anyone who is not a white male is extreme. This must stop.”

A more diverse group of voters – and winners – could translate directly into a box office revenue boost, thereby increasing the opportunities for female and minority filmmakers (see: Genderquake ‘15). Because every year, the male-dominated favorite films proceed to the next levels as female favorites get bounced out simply due to what amounts to an unbalanced numbers game. Critics vote against films they have not seen or heard of, and they have not seen or heard of them because their male colleagues choose not to see or hear of them. The vicious cycle continues.

We, at FF2 Media, have shown conclusively that there are hundreds of films by women released every year, with a large percentage passing the Bechdel-Wallace Test. Yet, these films are continuously excluded from awards consideration.

The films are there, but is the audience? The critics are there, but too many of them are still white male-centric?

With our commitment to reviewing all new releases written and/or directed by women, FF2 Media now plays an important role in breaking down these barriers. AMPAS invited 683 new members this year, 49 of whom are female directors. Who are they? What are their stories? We already know them, and we are here to tell you!

1. Maren Ade
2. Lexi Alexander
3. Haifaa al-Mansour
4. Ana Lilly Amirpour
5. Amma Asante
6. Katie Aselton
7. Anna Boden
8. Catherine Breillat
9. Isabel Coixet
10. Julie Dash
11. Tamra Davis        
12. Cheryl Dunye      
13. Deniz Gamze Ergüven
14. Valerie Faris
15. Shana Feste
16. Hannah Fidell
17. Anne Fletcher
18. Anne Fontaine
19. Nicole Garcia
20. Sarah Gavron
21. Lesli Linka Glatter
22. Laura Amelia Guzman
23. Sanaa Hamri
24. Mia Hansen-Løve
25. Mary Harron
26. Marielle Heller
27. Patty Jenkins
28. Naomi Kawase
29. Karyn Kusama
30. Phyllida Lloyd
31. Julia Loktev
32. Lucrecia Martel
33. Deepa Mehta
34. Ursula Meier
35. Rebecca Miller
36. Karen Moncrieff
37. Anna Muylaert
38. Maria Novaro
39. Lucia Puenzo
40. Lynne Ramsay
41. Dee Rees
42. Patricia Riggen
43. Gillian Robespierre
44. Patricia Rozema
45. Marjane Satrapi
46. Sam Taylor-Johnson
47. Margarethe Von Trotta
48. & 49. Lana & Lilly Wachowski

© FF2 Media Managing Editor Brigid K. Presecky (7/11/16)

Photo Credit: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences