Limited stories shrink our world

Diversity is only one reason why we need more women in filmmaking, writes Shelina Janmohamed

Chris Rock delivers his opening monologue at the Oscars in Los Angeles (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
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The host of the 88th Academy Awards Chris Rock quipped that the ceremony could easily be called the “White People’s Choice Awards”. Many black stars boycotted the event because none of the 20 Oscar nominees were black. Heated discussions ensued when New York critic Andrew Gruttadaro said that “no black people deserved a nomination”. As Rock observed wryly about hosting the awards as a black man: “If they nominated hosts I wouldn’t even get this job.”

This is structural bias. Privileged men dominate decision-making, so it’s no surprise that they hand the keys to the kingdom to other similar men, seen as credible and trustworthy.

So, for example, for new filmmaking talent, where men show potential, women are seen as inexperienced. Women are paid less, offered fewer good roles, are written off as “too old”, offered fewer directing roles and are underrepresented on screen. Sandra Bullock famously told her agent to find scripts with male characters and then see if they could be played as a female lead. But still, the reality is if you’re not a white man, your chances of representation are slashed both behind and in front of the camera.

There’s a double whammy in the arts because not only does the industry structure entrench privileged male bias, it also affects the way that all other stories are told and the way the characters within them are portrayed. And if those stories and characters are commissioned from just one point of view, they further entrench the same bias. The social and creative implications are huge.

In one piece of research commissioned by the International Museum of Women, they point out that female characters in film and TV are not portrayed in leadership roles and are less likely than male characters to achieve their goals. And even while women are under-represented on screen, they are over sexualised. Involvement in the industry too shows demonstrably lower levels of women at senior management positions. And so without being part of the senior decision-making process, this is likely to be a slow process of change.

As the Oscars boycott and Chris Rock’s biting remarks about racism in the film industry show, the same problems apply to minority representation. And if you happen to sit at the intersection of several groups that are under-represented – like Muslim women, for example – then frankly, your chances in the industry look gloomy.

It’s not just a tick-box exercise to broaden out one of the most influential industries in the world.

After all, the films we watch directly affect our attitudes and cultural narratives. So ensuring a greater variety of perspectives is included in the creative process is vital to our global cultural understanding.

If that sounds all too socially worthy, it’s worth remembering that you get better stories told better if you have a greater range of perspectives.

The film industry needs to wake up urgently to the fact that better representation is better socially, creatively and commercially for the industry.

Shelina Zahra Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and blogs at www. spirit21.co.uk