Letter from the Editor

BY ADRIANNE RAMSEY

The first film that I ever saw that was directed by a woman was Thirteen (2003), which was helmed by Catherine Hardwicke. She co-wrote the film alongside fourteen-year-old Nikki Reed, who also starred in the film. Loosely based on Reed’s early adolescent years, Thirteen follows the life of Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood), a vulnerable seventh grader who begins experimenting with drugs and alcohol, sex, crime, and more after striking up a friendship with popular and troubled classmate, Evie (Reed). Tracy ’s mother Melanie (Holly Hunter) grows increasingly concerned by the girls’ toxic friendship and the rapid changes in her daughter, but struggles to intervene as Tracy shuts her further out of her life. The movie is fast-paced and gritty, showing a realistic, bare version of girlhood and how women influence one another – positively and negatively. I first saw the film when I myself was thirteen, and recognized many aspects of the character's insecurities and their lives at school and at home in myself and my friends. Thirteen left such a mark on me that I consider it one of my top five films of all time, and try to watch it in full once a year. The fact that this film was co-written and directed by a woman, with a majority female cast, is not lost on me. In a year when the popular films about teenage girls included Freaky Friday (2003) and The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), Thirteen walked so Euphoria (2019 – Present) could run.

The truth of the matter is, there are very few female filmmakers who receive mainstream recognition in the film industry. Some of those names include Andrea Arnold, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Greta Gerwig, Patty Jenkins, and Nancy Meyers – and it is not lost on me that only one out of those six names that I listed is a woman of color (DuVernay). At the time of this writing, only two women have won the Academy Award for Best Director – Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008) and Chloé Zhao for Nomadland (2020). There is an overwhelming majority of male directors who are constantly revered in the film canon, so much so that their names can roll off the tip of my tongue – J.J. Abrams, Ryan Coogler, Francis Ford Coppola, Ang Lee, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, Jordan Peele, Sam Raimi, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro. (Continued)

BY ADRIANNE RAMSEY

And those are just a few names; there are so many more whose commercials for their blockbusters or action flicks we see on television, and who we cheer on at major award shows, not just the Oscar’s. To this day, I am still discovering the plethora of talented, brilliant, and successful female directors and women working in the film industry. While things are changing for women in film, it is so important that more women rise to the top in order to motivate and embolden aspiring female filmmakers.

Throughout the course of GIRLS Magazine, I have interviewed participants who are working in film or video: Maria Vera Alvarez (GIRLS 2), Xirin (GIRLS 5), Connie Zheng (GIRLS 9), and E. Jane (GIRLS 12). Once I began outlining the issues for the second volume of GIRLS, I realized that I hadn’t had an issue solely focused on womxn-identifying/femme-centered filmmakers and visual artists working in video. This felt like an oversight, and I am so thrilled to release this issue. Video became battery powered in 1967, and soon many people had portapacks. Portable video cameras quickly grew popular because anyone could use them, one didn't need a camera crew, and you didn’t have to be a professional. In terms of gender roles, a lot of women preferred video because they didn’t have to rely on men. Men controlled the film and television industries (and still do, sadly), but when it came to video, no one knew what they were doing, thus making it an even playing field. Video could be used in the home, meaning that if you were a domestic housewife, you could use it too, although men were favored to obtain video equipment because they worked and could afford it.

The biggest thanks goes to Ayanna, Jeanne, Marie, and Jennifer for participating in GIRLS 13. I truly appreciate all the time they took in telling me about their studio practices, recent and upcoming projects, scholarly research, and the changes that they want made in order to make the film industry a more equitable space for female filmmakers. I truly hope that readers enjoy this issue!