top of page
Kyung Ju Lee

Reflections & Review | Makers: Women in Film


Makers: Women in Film is a documentary about women in film through time. It shows us how women in film have evolved and changed over time. Women in the entertainment industry have decreased behind the camera, and as a result of that, they have decreased in front of the camera as well. They have decreased in the form of honest, real women and morphed into women from a man’s perspective. This is very unhealthy when most of what you see in media is all from a man’s perspective, and there is no diversity within filmmakers, it makes it hard to be diverse on-screen as well, Which then translates into the mind of the viewer.

What I thought was very interesting was the fact that the presence of whiteness was mentioned by Shonda Rhimes. Hollywood does comprise a lot of white, leading characters and barely any diversity. While talking about the absence of women that are filmmakers, the topic of more diversity comes into play. I believe that we need more diversity in Hollywood because it brings more substance. through the diversity and through the differences, there is unity. That is something that I believe makes good films. Without it, people are taught that it is not okay to have diversity, and it could sprout into a feeling of dominance over races that is very dangerous to have. The media controls what people think.

Jane Fonda says that she didn’t have a career in acting that was relevant to what was going on in the world before she was in “They Shoot Horses Don’t They.” It was very interesting to see the difference of an actor talking about doing things that she was not passionate about, and acting in movies that she was very passionate about, and had her own opinion in it. I think that that just shows how important it is for an actor to know the depth of a film and how it will impact an audience because I believe that when actors do their job, it has the power to change people’s lives and has the potential to change the world and so the task should be handled with respect and caution. I believe that when it is not handled with caution nor respect, it affects the community, and girls all over the world will worry about their body at very young ages, and boys will have a hard time expressing emotion. Moreover, I believe that that is what people want more than an actor just doing something that somebody tells them to do, it is better to watch when an actor gets involved and knows their character and sympathizes with their character.

Women in Film have grown and developed a lot. They have crossed boundaries, they have torn down walls. But now, it is time to go even further. To not stop until we are there 100%. If we stop halfway, we will always be at the halfway mark. We need to pass that mark and go all the way so that we can claim gender equality.

bottom of page