Mountainfilm in Telluride: Where Are the Women?

10 Mar Mountainfilm in Telluride: Where Are the Women?

The new millennium has witnessed an attitudinal shift in society’s views towards many things, gays, marijuana – and women. Many from younger generations feel that all the battles have been won. Feminists from the 1970s, however, know the truth only too well: the ingrained complexity of patriarchy lives on. And while days commemorating the “fairer sex” such as last week’s International Women’s Day (March 8)  does raise awareness in the moment, the real change has to come from within the ranks as this blog by Mountainfilm in Telluride‘s program director Emily Long points out. The message: make movies, not noise – like Mountainfilm regular, director Lucy Walker, whose “Crash Reel” is being screened at a fundraiser at the Telluride Mountain Village Conference Center this weekend. (See related story for details here.)

Emily Long, program director with David Holbrooke, director, Mountainfilm

Mountainfilm on Tour is constantly growing, so we’re screening films for larger audiences in more locations around the world. Perhaps that’s why we’ve received a rash of criticism we’ve not seen before: Women are writing to describe “feeling upset…at the end of the presentation” because of “an utter lack of films portraying women.” They want female role models. We hear you and appreciate the input, and Emily Long, Mountainfilm’s program director, offers this response:

Thanks to everyone who has noticed and addressed the lack of adventurous and inspiring females in our programming. It’s a problem for sure, but the problem goes much deeper than just Mountainfilm or one Mountainfilm on Tour show. The truth is, unfortunately, that not that many awesome, adventuresome women are making films. This is 2014, not 1954, and yet there’s still a huge dearth of women in film that is endemic to the entire industry.

Most of the filmmakers and film subjects who create in the adventure genre are men — 80% or more.

Continue reading here.