Women underrepresented in TV, film, and now, web series: report

A reportreleasedWednesdaysays, not onlyare womenare still under-representedinkeyrolesinCanadian film andtelevision, but inweb series and as actorsas well.

The annual report released in Toronto and St. John's atthe St. John's InternationalWomen'sFilm Festival (SJIWFF)showswhileawarenessand concern about gender equityin the screen industryhas grown, the numberof womenworking asdirectors, screenwriters and cinematographers in Canadian feature film and televisionand nowin web seriesis still low.

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And for the first time since the first report was produced in 2012, it includes numbersaboutwomenworking in web series and as actors. And the headline hasn't changed.

"Generallythe statistics really suck," saidSt. John's International Women FilmFestivalchairNoreenGolfman.

"It's really discouraging and the evidenceshines a lens on what needs tobe done."

Golfman said now that the evidence exists, policieshave to be developed that encourage equal treatment. While many of forms ofinstitutional life in Canada dothis, she says, the film industry needs to catchup.

"If you don't want to go the length of quotas, which I would be perfectly happy to do, at least have policy that ensures balance and oversight. Who is getting the money to to make films in this country? Who is being encouraged?" Golfmansaid.

"This is practiced in awhole variety of ways in the service ofequity in the workplace. If government is doing thefunding,government should be practisingthe policies."

In the film industry, the report says17 percent ofdirectors, 22 per cent ofwriters and 11per centof cinematographers are women.

In television,17 per cent ofdirectors, 38 per cent of writers were women.

Not one of 239 TV episodesemployed a female cinematographer.

Golfmansaid the "one cheery note" wasAtlantic Canadawith the largest percentageof women in the director's chair at 33 per cent.

Low numbers in web series

The new informationfrom web series productions between 2010 and 2014, including36 series comprising 623 individual episodes, showed:

• 14 per centof the director positions went to women (6 of 43).
• 27 per centof writer positions were held by women (26 of 98).
• 2 per centof the cinematography positions went to a woman (1 of 42)
• 50 per cent(18 of the 36) series employed no women in any of these three capacities.

"People from St. John's, all around the province, Atlantic Canada and the world are assembling here to see what women have come up with lately," said screenwriter and filmmaker Patricia Rozema, whose latest movieInto the Woodsopened the St. John's International Women's Film Festival.

"Half of the human population and more!is female. And yet a tiny portion of the films made or TV shows or webseries made are made by women," Rozema said.

'I want to play all these things'

As well, the report contains numbers about femaleactors in 76 live-action feature-length films:

• When women were directing, 55 per centof the top four roles went to women; as compared to 41 per centwhen men were directing.
• When women were writing, 58 per centof the top four roles went to women; as compared to 40 per centwhen men were writing.

NaomiSnieckus, a co-founder of the National Theatre of the Worldimprovtroupe and actress whose credits range from sitcoms (Mr. D.) to horror (Saw 3D), said gender inequality in film and TV needs to be "called out" and discussed in the open.

From her own experience, she noted that roles originally written as male can often be rewritten as female, for instance."

"[Change] starts with being represented in intelligent, funny, interesting roles as opposed to just sexy, or ditzy or cute -- which absolutely have their place. As a female comedian, I want to play ditzy and silly or goofy, but I also want to play smart and conniving and wicked," she told CBC News in Toronto.

"I want to play all these things, and that's our job."