We didn’t need record-breaking wins at the Oscars on Sunday to let us know that women are in the spotlight lately. Women are leading the way in front of and behind the camera, pushing boundaries and breaking taboos with movies and documentaries that center women’s empowerment and women’s issues, winning awards, and standing out as trailblazers in every area of cinematic storytelling. Here are just a few recent stories about women sharing, telling, lifting up, and creating stories that inspire us all.
Women Won a Record-Breaking 15 Oscars This Year, from CNBC—“Topping the previous record of 12 female … this year’s Academy Awards also saw several other firsts for women, such as Ruth E. Carter becoming the first black person to win the award for Best Costume Design and Hannah Beachler becoming the first black person to win for Best Production Design. This banner year for women is a sharp departure from 2018’s ceremony, at which only six women won Oscars, but, hopefully, signals a more positive change in the film industry as it continues to grapple with equality and representation issues.”
‘Captain Marvel’ Could Be a Game-Changer for Female-Led Films, Superhero Flicks, from the Saint Cloud Times—“With its historic induction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and into pop culture as a whole, young girls who may not have seen themselves represented in their favorite superhero movies will have the chance to connect with Danvers … She’s the best of us, and she’s a she.”
Rayka Zehtabchi Is the First Iranian-American Woman to Win an Oscar, from Broadly.—“On Sunday, Rayka Zehtabchi became the first Iranian-American woman to win an Oscar for her documentary short film Period. End of Sentence. … The 25-minute documentary addresses the cultural stigma of menstruation in a rural Indian village, where most women do not have access to sanitary pads or menstrual products. Girls who began menstruating tend to drop out of school — out of shame or stigma.”
The 2019 Oscars Were a Celebration of Black Women and Their Brilliance, from NBC News—“To call Sunday night’s history-making Oscar ceremony a celebration of black girl magic would be an understatement. In fact, the multiple wins from black women across several different categories was further validation that they are not only powerful and beautiful, but their work on screen last year was among the best in the entire world.”
The 100 All-Time Greatest Films Directed by Women, from IndieWire—“Around the time of the advent of sound cinema, female participation in filmmaking began to drop … But the riches are there, and they are decades-deep. The IndieWire staff put together this list of the 100 All-Time Greatest Films Directed by Women to celebrate the work of creators who have been making their mark on cinematic culture since it began.”
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