“Women are only five to 10 percent of the film industry. The reason for that is not because women are born with less filmmaking skills,” said Columbia School of the Arts Olivia Newman, who, along with fellow SoA student Bora Kim is one of the two fellows of Columbia Women in Film this year.
CWIF was founded to combat the gender disparity that exists within the field of film. Its mission is to support women filmmakers and to promote women’s film at Columbia. CWIF holds workshops, organizes movie screenings and discussions with famous non-Columbian and Columbian female filmmakers, and provides a comfortable atmosphere at its meetings for discussion and assistance.
Newman was quick to point out that she has never felt any sexism in her classes at Columbia. She explained in an e-mail, “I feel so blessed to be in a class of extremely open and supportive students, both male and female, and professors who push and expect as much from me as any other student regardless of gender.”
But, she admitted, there is a lack of encouragement for women in the field as a whole and it is imperative for female filmmakers to learn from the example of the women who came before them.
This year’s events sponsored by CWIF include a screening of Academy Award-nominated Frozen River, written and directed by Courtney Hunt, SoA ’94. CWIF also held a screening of The Secret Life of Bees and a Q&A session with the writer and director, Gina Prince-Bythewood.
“I am happy with the turnout to our movies,” Newman said. “I also feel the group is supported not only by women attendees but also by the male students who come.”
The group has also hosted technical workshops for editing techniques and grip and lighting procedures where women of all experience levels can come and feel free to ask questions. Newman noted that there are often skills women are expected to know when they walk on to a set that they might have never previously learned.
Although CWIF attracts mostly films students because it is focused on the film program at Columbia, it is open to everyone, and Kim and Newman encourage undergraduates to attend the events and meetings. Although, Kim said, “It does not matter how many people come [to our screenings]. I just want to share women’s films—it is very meaningful to me.”
In April, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Julia Roberts’ former agent and producer of films including Mona Lisa Smile and Maid in Manhattan, will be speaking at a luncheon hosted by CWIF. There will be a limited number of seats to encourage an intensive, focused discussion. Newman and Kim are also looking to expand their focus to student films, and are thinking about hosting a small festival at the end of the year.
Next year, Kim said she would also like to hold more screenings. Yet, as it stands, Newman believes CWIF is already “a testament to Columbia that they are willing to focus on the issue” of women’s role in film.
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