Feminist Film making
After viewing many films in this class by women in general, whether or not they declare themselves as feminist filmmakers, I am even more confused by the concept. It seems to be subjective to the viewer as to whether or not the film is feminist. If someone sees a film to have feminist topics or characters, they may then view the film as feminist. But if it’s not obvious to the viewer then it may not be. For example, I think a film like Iron Jawed Angels would be an obviously feminist film. But then something like The Piano may not be so obviously feminist to the casual viewer. Because “femininity” means so many different things to people, it may be difficult to label a film or filmmaker feminist, unless they, of course, say so. Of course, a filmmaker never needs to say or declare their stance as a feminist filmmaker to be considered one. During an interview with Deepa Mehta, she never says “I’m a feminist filmmaker”. She considered herself to be a “humanist filmmaker”. As feminism no longer is limited to just men versus women, filmmakers are no longer constrained by that dichotomy. Any one can reach out to any group and try to tell their story in the context of their nation, politics, religion, etc. The film “Born into Brothels” was directed by a white woman and man, but they managed to create a documentary literally through the eyes of the children and their families they were filming, by giving them cameras to take pictures of their lives. While feminism is still important, I think that the broadening of the term will allow for more objective viewing and filmmaking, which is not black and white.
http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/