As you might have guessed, I watch a lot of movies, my favourites are science fiction
but also action, dramas, and thrillers and I'll even admit the occasional romantic comedy.
If you go to the movies a lot too you may have noticed something that the vast majority of these films
have in common, most of the movies seem to be stories about men.
One of the primary reasons Hollywood continually churns out films about men is because we live in a male centered society.
Most simply, male centeredness is an aspect of patriarchy that shows us that we place and prioritize
our attention on men, men's stories, the things men want to do and the things men don't do.
As a result, the images we see in the media often focus on male-centered stories.
One way to demonstrate male centeredness is not only to look at the films being made
but which films are most celebrated and honoured.
To do this, I looked up the films that won the Academy Award for best picture over the last 50 years.
Let's see whose stories are being told?
Starting in 2009 is The Hurt Locker which although directed by a woman is still all about men.
Slumdog Millionaire - men
No Country for Old Men - need I say more
The Departed - is about men
Crash - is an ensemble
Million Dollar Baby - is interesting because it's pretty equally a story about a man and a woman.
Lord of the Rings - men
Chicago - is woman centered
A Beautiful Mind - men
Gladiator - is about a man who fights other men
American Beauty - man
Shakespeare in Love - man
Titanic - is from a man's perspective
The English Patient - man
Braveheart - man
Forrest Gump - man
Schindler's List - man
The Unforgiven - is about men on horses
The Silence of the Lambs - is about a man who eats people, and this is interesting because although
Jodi Foster's character plays a pretty big role in the film, you would never describe it as a movie about
an FBI agent who... you would describe it as a movie about Hannibal Lecter.
Dances with Wolves - man
Driving Miss Daisy - is about a man and a woman
Rain Man - is about a man and his brother
The Last Emperor - man
Platoon - man
Out of Africa - is woman centered
Amadeus - is about a man
Terms of Endearment - is woman centered
Gandhi - is about a man, albeit a pretty extraordinary one
Chariots of Fire - men
Ordinary People - is about a family
Kramer vs Kramer - is about a couple
The Deer Hunter - men
Annie Hall - is about a man and his love life
Rocky - is about a man who fights other men, again
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - man
The Godfather, Part II - men
The Sting - is about two con men
The Godfather, Part I - men
The French Connection - is about men
Patton - men
Midnight Cowboy - is a man
Oliver! - is a boy
In the Heat of the Night - is about men
A Man for All Seasons - man
The Sound of Music - is woman centered
My Fair Lady - is another interesting one because it's pretty equally about both a man and a woman's story
Tom Jones - man
Lawrence of Arabia - is so male centered that there aren't even any female speaking roles in it
West Side Story - is about both a man and a woman
And finally in 1960 is The Apartment which is from a man's perspective
So only 4 out of 50 of these films are exclusively centered on women's lives.
The vast majority are films about men and their lives and although there are some ensemble casts
women often play secondary or stereotypical roles.
Year after year we see men's stories being created, produced, celebrated and honoured
while women's stories take a back seat or aren't even represented.
And it's also behind the scenes in Hollywood that is dominated by men.
It's astonishing that Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to have ever won an academy award
for best director in it's 83 year history, and she won for "The Hurt Locker" in 2009,
which is most definitely a male-centered film.
In fact only 4 women have ever even been nominated for best director.
And what's more startling is that women only account for 7% of all Hollywood directors.
Hollywood executives, production companies, financial investors and backers are most interested
in marketing to young men and funding stories that they, as men, can relate to.
Thus they fund and produce the majority of Hollywood films to appeal to this demographic.
Obviously, I want to see a many, many more films that are centered on women's lives,
however it's important to note that just because a film is women centric films doesn't mean it can't still be sexist.
For instance, in so called "chick flicks" women are often depicted in stereotypical gender roles
being obsessed with shopping, love and finding "Mr. Right".
I want to see more films that depict women as full and complete human beings
not stuck in stereotypical gender roles.
And just so we are absolutely clear... I'm not saying men's stories aren't good, important or interesting,
but I want to point out that they are disproportionally valued and most rewarded in our society.
Here are a few simple questions you can keep in mind next time you're watching a movie,
to help you identify whether a story is male centered or female centered.
Who has the most screen time?
Whose perspective do we see the scene from?
Whose story arc does the plot revolve around?
Do we see them make decisions?
Who do we most identify with?