A recent dip in female-led theatrical releases in the UK - back to 2018 levels of 26% reminds us that our work is far from over; that we cannot be complacent.
Below you can read about the research we conduct into gender representation in film and the wider industry, tracking the release landscape to present an accurate picture of investment in films by filmmakers of marginalised genders.
Here you can also find out about news and opportunities at Reclaim The Frame, along with curated film recommendations, filmmaker interviews, and creative responses.
Starring Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as Vivian Sternwood Rutledge, ‘The Big Sleep’ is based on a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angeles.
The story is noted for its complexity, with characters double-crossing one another and secrets being exposed throughout the narrative. The title is a euphemism for death; the final pages of the book refer to a rumination about “sleeping the big sleep”.
In 1999, the book was voted 96th of Le Monde‘s “100 Books of the Century”. In 2005, it was included in Time magazine’s “List of the 100 Best Novels”
Co-written by: William Faulner / Leigh Brackett /Jules Furthman
Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American writer, particularly of science fiction, and has been referred to as the Queen of Space Opera. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on such films as The Big Sleep (1946), Rio Bravo (1959) and The Long Goodbye (1973). She also worked on an early draft of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), elements of which remained in the film; she died before the film went into production. She was the first woman shortlisted for the Hugo Award. In 2020, she won a Retro Hugo for her novel The Nemesis From Terra, originally published as “Shadow Over Mars” (Startling Stories, Fall 1944).
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Set during the Third Reich and its aftermath, this lyrical, harrowing tale of love and war is a neglected classic of New German cinema. Hans and Lene scarcely have time to meet and marry before Hans is sent away to fight, leaving Lene to give birth during an air raid and struggle through the war with a baby daughter. Based on director and writer Helma Sanders-Brahms’ mother’s experience, the film explores the devastating impact of politics of family life.
Eva Mates (Lene) gives a brilliant, fearless performance, with the film casting a powerful emotional spell which is intensified by a delicate, plaintive piano score. German critics savaged the film at its premiere, baulking at its ‘subjective’ female take on recent history. Cut by 30 minutes for cinema release, only now has it been restored to its impressive original form and available for home viewing.
For more Mother’s Day film suggestions, see our WATCH NOW page
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Collective action and shared ownership for driving gender parity is what makes International Women’s Day impactful. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” So make International Women’s Day your day and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women.
Happy #InternationalWomensDay from us all here at BEV. We’ll be here 365 days a year campaigning for gender equality in film through industry programmes and #ReclaimTheFrame. We’ll continue to celebrate all the brilliant #filmsbywomen by spotlighting new releases including…
ASUNDER (2016) by Esther Johnson – Using archival footage the film tells the story of what happened to an English town during the First World War, with almost all of its men fighting abroad and its women and children left behind.
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POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ (2021) Directed by Paul Sng and Celeste Bell – A key inspiration for the Riot grrrl + Afropunk movements, Poly Styrene introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion in late 1970s Britain. Out now
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MOUTHPIECE (2018) Directed by Patricia Rozema, written by Patricia Rozema, Amy Nostbakken & Norah Sadava – A powerful, funny and highly original look into the conflicted psyche of a fiercely independent millennial woman. It’s out in virtual cinemas and on demand this Friday
Click HERE for where to watch
RARE BEASTS (2019) Written and directed by Billie Piper – her directorial debut
Mandy (Billie Piper) is a mother, a writer, a nihilist. Mandy is a modern woman in a crisis. Raising a son in the midst of a female revolution, mining the pain of her parents’ separation and professionally writing about a love that no longer exists, she falls upon a troubled man, Pete, who’s searching for a sense of worth, belonging and ‘restored’ Male identity. Release date 21 May 2021
