It’s a common belief that the only place women have in the film industry is in acting; as visual agents standing in front of the camera exploiting their beauty, attributes, and charisma. It’s even more common to ignore all the amazing work women have made behind the scenes, in production or post-production.
If making it in the movie industry is hard for actresses, it might be even harder for these women to break into the industry; however, they have succeeded, leaving a great legacy that revolutionized filmmaking in their time. Their work has become key in this industry and has even served as inspiration for very important directors.
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Alice Guy Blaché
She is considered the first female screenwriter and film director in history. Guy Blanché passed into history as the most prolific director of all time, having over 1000 films in her repertoire; however, only 140 were signed with her name. For ten years she was the only female director and the only one to make narrative films as well.
She is credited with the cinematographic style that inspired and characterized Alfred Hitchcock.
Dorothy Arzner
Arzner is the only female film director that worked during the golden age of Hollywood, which covered from 1930 to 1948. In 1943 she retired from filmmaking to make wartime entertainment films and commercials.
She taught cinematography at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, was his student.
She is credited with the invention of the boom microphone, which is still used today in film productions as a method of getting the recording device close enough to a sound source without showing up in the frame.
Lois Weber
In addition to directing the first film adaptation of Tarzan and launching the careers of great silent film stars, Weber directed approximately 135 films. She wasn’t only a great and prolific director, she’s credited as a pioneer in the use of the split-screen and female frontal nudity, and was the first woman to shoot a feature film and the first to use sound.
Leni Riefenstahl
Leni began her career as an actress before becoming a film director. In 1938 she directed Olympia, a documentary film that portrayed the infamous Berlin Olympic Games of 1936. This documentary became a reference for sports photography.
Her work was overshadowed when she showed sympathy for Nazism. After getting involved with the party, Leni offered her talent and became in charge of filming their propaganda. Despite her political agenda, her style and strong screen images became an inspiration replicated in many films and series including Star Wars and Game of Thrones.
Sherry Lansing
Sherry Lansing began her career as an actress and managed to become president of production at the 20th-Century Fox studio in 1980. She was the first woman to lead such a major Hollywood studio and didn’t stop there, she also became CEO of Paramount. Lansing produced hits such as Forrest Gump, Clueless, and even co-produced Titanic.
These women worked hard and thrive in their areas becoming great influences on today’s filmmakers; still, the percentage of women working as cinematographers has only increased by 2 percent in 23 years, from 4 percent in 1998 to 6 percent in 2021. Unfortunately, the academy has spent years without awarding women; however, this doesn’t mean that they are not there and that the industry shouldn’t pay attention to this gender gap, starting by recognizing the work of female directors at their award ceremonies and hiring more women off-screen.
