Why we need more diversity among film critics

Despite progress in recent years, movie critics are still overwhelmingly male. Why Film Yap's newest critic, Julieanna Childs, thinks that's got to change.

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“Women should be present at any table where their stories are being discussed.”

During the past 12 years of working as a film studio representative, I’ve contracted for all the major Hollywood studios, including Marvel, Disney, Sony, Netflix and Warner Bros. Some of these screenings, which take place before a movie’s release date, are for Indy’s film journalists. They’re responsible for a great deal of movie commentary in our local media.

Having spent numerous hours with them discussing films, I know one thing to be true – these folks love movies! They love talking about movies, they love writing about movies. They view and analyze elements of the film, such as writing, performance, directing, and plot points.

Occasionally, they have disagreements over whether a film is great, if the lead actor should win the Oscar, or whether the film deserves five stars or one. If there wasn’t any conflict, film journalism would be terribly boring.

Over the years, I’ve noticed the absence of female voices within the local film journalist circle. The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) features 23 male members and only two female members. I don’t believe either gender disparity is a result of subjective attitudes.

The guys at IFJA aren’t sitting around twirling their mustaches, hatching plans to keep the dames outta their cubicles. Is it possible that men are just more interested in watching movies than women?

As a film rep., I report on the viewers' demographics. Those numbers confirm that women make up 52% of movie audiences. If more than half of the audiences are women, why are there so few female film critics?

Indy isn’t alone in the gender gap -- it’s a problem in much of the U.S. markets. In 2020, San Diego State University’s Center for the Study of Women in Film and Television published the most comprehensive and longest research study of the representation and impact of female film critics. The study included women working for print, broadcast, and online outlets before the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2020, men made up 65% and women made up 35% of film critics, up from 34% in 2019. While men wrote 66% of film reviews, women wrote 34%, up from 2% in 2019. In 2020, Rotten Tomatoes allocated 60% of its “top critics” written film reviews to men, while women writers represented 40% of the reviews.

To fix this gap, should critics’ groups add women because of their gender? No. Women should be included in film discussions because of the quality of their work. Female film journalists have just as much insight promoting movies and evaluating storylines as their male counterparts.

Women bring a unique experience to the conversation with relevant perspectives and independent breakdowns. They have essential viewpoints about the entertainment they watch on cinema screens and at home. There’s an opportunity to energize the dialogue by creating a level playing field in journalism.

I believe women should be present at any table where their stories are being discussed. Female representation has slowly increased over the past two years with films such as “Bombshell,” “Birds of Prey,” “Mulan,” “Promising Young Woman,” “Emma,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Cruella,” “Nomadland,” “A Quiet Place II,” “Malignant,” and “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.”

Recently, there have been dozens of films directed by women: “The Matrix: Resurrections,” “Cinderella,” “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania,” “Where the Crawdads Sing,” and “Candyman” to name a few. “Black Widow” (the highest-grossing film of 2021 so far) and “Nomadland” (a triple Oscar winner) were both female-directed films that centered around women’s stories.

If we want to be a part of the solution, we can move to close the gender gap. Firstly, for more women to consider the industry an option for themselves, they must see female film journalists in action. As the saying goes, if girls don’t see it, they don’t know they can be it.

Secondly, writing takes a great deal of confidence. We must do a better job at empowering women to write! Sponsoring local writing contests, partnering with writing clubs, and guest speaking at schools and universities are just a few ways to encourage writers of all ages to write.

Book clubs are one of the best-untapped resources; some of the best writers I know are avid readers. Supporting a platform for women to share their opinions on films strengthens our community of artists.

Observing the need for female film journalists in our market, I considered my love of movies. Firing up my life-long passion for writing and screenwriting experience, I threw my hat into the ring. This month, I’ve joined Indy’s talented writing scene, specializing in film commentary.

I look forward to discussing movies with audiences and collaborating with critics. Sometimes a fresh reviewer can reveal new elements of a film and cause your thinking to journey down a new trail. My goal is to bring more attention to the art of writing and highlight the importance of women’s voices in film journalism.