The Pass the Bechdel Test campaign has officially been launched following Cate Blanchett’s brilliant Oscar acceptance speech yesterday and in advance of International Women’s Day this Saturday. In case you missed it, Cate said: "To those in the film industry still clinging to the idea that films starring women are niche. They are not. Female films are not niche experiences. Audiences want to see them and they make money! The world is round people!". There are a few actions that can now be taken to imbalance women representation in the film business.
To pass the Bechdel Test, a film:
- Has to have at least two women in it
- Who talk to each other about something meaningful, and
- About something other than a man
A campaign calling on filmmakers to Pass the Bechdel Test in their feature filmmaking has just been launched, with aims to improve the representation of women on film.
Check out the Pass the Bechdel Test campaign just launched ahead of International Women’s Day, with aims to improve the representation of women on film.The Campaign Approximately 69% of IMDB’s top 250 films fail the Bechdel Test.This campaign appeals to those in the film industry, who create the films that we all consume, to commit to making sure that their films pass the Bechdel Test unless there is a specific reason* for them not to do so.
Films are watched by millions of people around the world, and influence our understanding of men’s and women’s place in society. They are one of the many contributing parts to a greater media environment which is still hugely sexist in its representation of women, and films affect what girls think about the possibilities for their place in the world as they grow up. As filmmakers, let’s take some responsibility for the effects of our industry and portray women doing more. Or at the very least,having conversations with each other.