Cannes victory for director: feminist film funding in the crisis!

Cannes victory for director: feminist film funding in the crisis!

Mascha Schilinski, a talented German director, caused a sensation at this year's film festival in Cannes, where she won the jury's great price for her film "Watch in the sun". In her moving thank you speech, she called young women in the film industry to believe in her artistic visions and to follow them with determination. This award comes at a time when the debate about the unequal distribution of film funding in Germany is flown back.

According to the Federal Association Director, women receive only 28% of the federal government's film funding in 2023, which illustrates the challenges with which female filmmakers are confronted. In her speech, Schilinski formulated the need that women should receive more opportunities in filmmaking to realize their projects. Despite positive developments, Laura Machutta from Constantin Film Berlin reported, larger film productions remain dominated by men.

challenges for women in the film industry

Statistics show alarming grievances: only 4.5% of fictional TV productions in Prime Time are managed by women. This is contrasting to the fact that more than 90% of female filmmakers exist the Bechdel test, while only 50% of the male filmmakers achieve this. Julia von Heinz, a well -known director, expressed that topics that affect women are often seen as less interesting and called for an equal distribution of film funding in favor of women.

Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer rejected a quota regulation, but proposed a bonus for female occupations in central positions. He receives support from Susanne Stürmer from the Babelsberg Film University, who calls for a quota for women to improve the representation of women in films. It encouraged women to found their own production companies and organize themselves in networks in order to become more visible and successful in the industry.

The state of gender representation in the German cinema

An analysis of the University of Rostock proves the progress and challenges in gender representation in German cinema. The study, which was carried out in cooperation with the Malisa Foundation and other partner institutions, shows that the proportion of women on the screen has increased since 2017, but the presentation often remains stereotypical. The decline in older female characters is particularly worrying, while men over 50 are strongly represented.

From 2017 to 2020, 25% of German movies were staged by women, and 24% of the scripts came from female authors. These figures make it clear that if they either direct or write the scripts, women make more visibility in the films. However, the stereotypical representation of women remains a challenge, as Dr. Maria Furtwängler notes, which indicates the continued age difference and the stereotypical large -scale depiction of female figures.

Initiatives for more gender equality

The current Film Funding Act has taken measures to ensure a gender -friendly occupation of the support bodies. According to the FFA, the Board of Directors is now 30 percent occupied by women and men. This is part of a more comprehensive effort to promote gender justice in film funding.

Another important point is the new guideline, which enables the consideration of costs for family -friendly rotation within the funding applications. In this way, costs for childcare on the set can be included in the calculation of the eligible budgets. The FFA also regularly publishes information about gender distribution for funding commitments and submitted projects to create transparency and to document the progress in gender representation.

While the successes of filmmakers like Mascha Schilinski are celebrated, the path to equality in the film industry remains for a long time. A higher commitment to film funding and the creation of networks for women could be crucial to set the course for a fairer future in German cinema.