In celebration of Women's History Month, tonight the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and the New School for Drama present 'Changing Landscapes: An Evening with Female Directors' at 7:00 p.m. EST at the New School's Tishman Auditorium. A panel of five women at the top of their directing careers in film, television and theater will discuss the changing directorial landscape, why they do what they do and how it led to their success.
The evening includes directors Neema Barnette (THE COSBY SHOW, CIVIL BRAND);
Liz Diamond (FUTURA and CROOKED);
Leigh Silverman (CHINGLISH, WELL); Rose Troche (GO FISH, SIX FEET UNDER, LAW & ORDER); and
Claudia Weill (GIRLFRIENDS, THE OTHER HALF OF THE SKY: A CHINA MEMOIR, HBO's GIRLS). The panel will be moderated by
Melissa Silverstein, author, blogger, and founder and editor of
Women and Hollywood. For full event information and bios of the directors and moderator,
click here.
Personal stories and career advice will be shared throughout the evening by the directors.
"After saying, 'We really need to stop talking about
women directors,' this interviewer proceeded to ask if I had kids and if so, how that worked with being a director? Would he ask a man that? Like, 'Mr. Scorsese, does having children interfere with your work as a director?' Having a sense of humor is so important when you are trying to challenge assumptions!" says
Claudia Weill, film, television and theater director.
"Film is the strongest political and social art form and the final frontier for Black folks," says film and television director Neema Barnette.
According to recent statistics from the Directors Guild of America, 95% of feature films are directed by men and only 5% by women. More than 3100 episodes were produced in the 2011-2012 network season and 2011 cable television series but only 15% of these episodes were directed by women. According to a recent
New York Times article, women direct only 15 to 20% of the Broadway shows, a number that is considered a slight improvement to most of the last century.
Responding to the DGA's statistics, author and moderator
Melissa Silverstein states, "Women make up half the population and buy half the movie tickets, and yet we still do not see enough stories from women's points of views and we also do not see enough stories about women. The one message I hear from women directors is to keep going, to not give up, and I so admire and thank them, because I believe our world is a richer place where all people's experience are validated and celebrated."
The event is part of the SAG Foundation's LifeRaft program that produces panels and seminars on the business of acting. It is
open to SAG-AFTRAperformers and New School students, faculty, staff and alumni. "We are honored to be partnering with the SAG Foundation to host this exciting event which offers a unique opportunity for personal and professional insights from some of the best stage and screen directors in the business. That they all happen to be women is just an added bonus," says
Pippin Parker, director of the New York School for Drama.
The event will be livestreamed for the public at 7:00 p.m. EST / 4:00 p.m. PST. To watch the panel, go to
http://www.sagfoundation.org/videogallery/livestream. Questions can be emailed to
livestream@sagfoundation.org or tweeted to @SAGFoundation using #SAGF.
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