Kristen Stewart Voices Anger Over The Film Industry's Backsliding for Female Professionals
The renowned actress and filmmaker has stated she is “furious” that advancements for women in Hollywood have reversed after a brief period of improvement following the #MeToo era.
The Twilight star, who directed the upcoming film The Chronology of Water, gave an emotional speech at a women’s luncheon in Los Angeles organized by the Oscars organization.
“The regression from a short period of advancement is statistically devastating,” she informed attendees. “A disappointingly low figure of films from the past year have been directed by female filmmakers.”
A yearly study that tracks the numbers of female filmmakers revealed that eleven of the top 100 films of 2024 were directed by women, down from 16 in 2020.
‘Male-Dominated Industry Model’
During her speech, Stewart said: “In a post-MeToo moment, it appeared likely that stories made by and for women were at last receiving recognition. That we could be permitted or even encouraged to express ourselves and our shared experiences, every aspect of our lives unfiltered.
“But I can now attest to the bare-knuckle brawling that it takes every step when the material is too dark, too controversial, when the frankness with which it serves up observations about experiences commonly faced by females, often elicits aversion and dismissal.”
She added: “We can talk about pay disparities and taxes on tampons and quantify the imbalance in lots of quantifiable ways. But the violence of silencing, it’s like we’re not allowed to feel rage. But I could devour this stand with a fork and [expletive] knife. I’m so angry.”
The guests hearing Stewart’s speech included several prominent actresses.
Stewart received multiple ovations during the duration of her brief talk.
“I appreciate you,” she stated. “I do not thank a boys’ club business model that pretends to want to associate with us while siphoning our resources and belittling our true perspectives. We must avoid being used as tokens. Let’s start printing our own currency.”
Upcoming projects from several female directors are among those for the next Academy Awards, but the best director category is once again expected to be dominated by men.
