MIND THE GAP: Why is directing perceived as a male pursuit?

Context:

The film below is to be used as a teaching tool for sixth form girls who are studying media and film. The film will highlight the gender gap issue and give it an academic grounding by proposing that the lack of female directors is linked to the development of film theory, where women were either sidelined or excluded in the articles and directories of film critics.

Auteur theory requires more attention and exploration than can and should be given in a film like this because this film only seeks to engage students in the issue. It cannot explain the theory in full. What the film sets out to do is outline the main facts about how the theory developed, and how in that development, women were excluded.

The next step from this film, would be to look at auteur theory in more detail. It's widely accepted that the theory is vague which is why there is still so much controversy about it today. To fully understand the criteria proposed by Andrew Sarris and the ways in which women are excluded, we would need to spend time working through his article 'Notes on Auteur Theory' and consider the ways in which female film makers were sidelined.

What I am not dismissing, even though it is not raised in this film, is the obvious link between childcare and women in their 30s dropping out of the race. That was one reason given by everyone I spoke to but importantly, it was not the only reason. They recognised that people are very quick to file the problem under 'motherhood' but not every woman is a mother or wants to be a mother. There are many women in the industry who have chosen not to have children because they want to concentrate on making films. As one of the film makers I interviewed said, when you're working on a film, it is your baby. You don't have time for anything else.

I wanted my artefact to stay away from the obvious, trying to explain away the problem by blaming it on a woman's 'decision' to have children. In looking at the historical and demonstrating that women played an important part in the development of film making, I hope to give the debate an academic focus. I hope my students will find the film relevant to them and in this way I hope to engage them in an exploration of the theory.