Wellywood Woman

PQR = abbreviation for Pro Quote Regie /Pro Quote Film, advocating for equal allocation of public funding to women’s films You’re probably familiar with the questions that screenwriters often ask themselves when they revise their work: Do I start this scene as late as possible and end it in the right place? Who gets the last word in this this scene/sequence? Can I combine a couple of these characters? And you'll know that there are often more questions, starting at the very first draft and persisting right through a film’s release, about the genders of storytellers, whether there’s a female protagonist, how the women and girls are described, what they talk about to each other, how they act. There’s much more attention paid to how many women and girls appear onscreen and how often they speak. There are endless studies that you’re probably familiar with, too, from places like the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film, San Diego State University , from ...

The Mount Eden War memorial Hall: Where SWAG made history this week! This week, the Screen Women’s Action Group (SWAG) held two forums for women in the screen industries, in Auckland and Wellington. I went to part of the Auckland forum, where a large group of women from the screen industry filled the Mount Eden War Memorial Hall. I long for a War Against Women Memorial Hall, for this battle for our safety to be *over*, but these forums are a huge step forward, as for the first time screen women begin to speak publicly about their experiences, without fear of being blacklisted. Again, congratulations and warm thanks to SWAG for what they’re doing and the thorough, heart-warming and inspiring way they do it. The group’s accessed impressive support from various government agencies and NGOs and presented a carefully considered programme with a diverse and engaging panel to introduce us to some key people and ideas, in a safe environment: there was a counsellor on hand and food to ...