MONTREAL
- The group Réalisatrices Équitables*
released today the results of a study
entitled La Place des réalisatrices
dans le financement public du cinéma
et de la télévision au Québec
(2002-2007) [The Status of women
directors with respect to public
funding for film and television in
Quebec (2002-2007), which was produced
with the support of L’Association des
réalisateurs et réalisatrices du
Québec (ARRQ) and in collaboration
with UQAM’s Institut de recherches et
d’études féministes.
One would have thought that since the
women’s liberation movement and the
implementation of equality
legislation, women had long ago
conquered every frontier, however, as
filmmaker and president of
Réalisatrices Équitables, Marquise
Lepage, states, ”I belonged to that
group of happy, naïve optimists… When
I learned of the realities faced by
the majority of this country’s women
filmmakers, I fell from my small cloud.”
Réalisatrices Équitables
was amazed to discover that although
women account for 50.5% of the
population and 43-45% of the students
in film and video programmes, women
filmmakers receive only 10%, 11% and
14% of the production budgets given
out by the Canadian Television Fund,
Telefilm Canada and SODEC
respectively!
Sophie Bissonnette summarized the
study’s highlights: ”There are
definite obstacles hindering women
filmmakers’ full participation; one
can clearly speak of systemic
discrimination. If the fact that
there are a large number of women
studying film and television clearly
indicates their substantive interest
in these medias, what then are the
barriers in the workplace that keep
women directors from obtaining their
fair share of public funding and that,
equally, deprive audiences of women’s
worldviews? ”
How does a society move from a formal
to a substantive equality?
Réalisatrices Équitables is asking
government decision-makers to confirm
their commitment to gender equity by
fast-tracking crucial action measures.
Its spokeswomen are hoping to meet
with Ministers Josée Verner (Canadian
Heritage) and Christine St-Pierre,
(Culture, Communications et Condition
féminine), and with leaders of the
major Quebec and Canadian audiovisual
institutions in order to extend their
offer of collaboration in the hopes of
working towards reaching this goal.
STATUS of WOMEN DIRECTORS |
