Hope on the Horizon: A New Wave of Support for Female Filmmakers.

A breakdown of x4 outstanding debut features by women since 2021

by Chloe Buxton

For a long time now I have been looking forward to writing about Charlotte Wells’ debut feature Aftersun (Wells, 2022) featuring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio. Wells injects the film with her own vivid memories which translate beautifully into an intensely nostalgic vision of a long ago summer holiday with her dad. Having spent many summer holidays awkwardly connecting with my own single dad, Aftersun was incredibly affecting. I found the smallest of details had been expertly and gracefully captured in a succinct 96 minutes. Looks, touches, and thoughts I had no idea anyone else had experienced confronted me on screen. From sneaking glances at an older couple by the pool, to telling her dad she could put sunscreen on herself. I have not seen anything which deals with such an awkward stage so beautifully. Aftersun demonstrates just how crucial this period is, from experiencing your first kiss (and figuring out whether to tell your dad about it), to trying to fit in with kids you think are the coolest people in the world (they play pool). I was transported back to being 11 turning 12. Learning, messing up, learning again. Embarrassing myself on stage singing karaoke Mamma Mia, with my dad singing Hey Jude off key right afterwards. Mustering courage, facing rejection, overcoming embarrassment, embracing awkwardness. Looking back I realise just how universal these experiences are. I’m not quite sure how to summarise my experience watching Aftersun other than having felt seen. As the credits rolled, tears rolled gently down my cheeks as they did for most others in the room. It is a strange and heart warming moment - finding your experience captured perfectly on screen, yet also coming to the realisation you were never alone.

Frame from Aftersun trailer, MUBI, 2022.

Referring to her position as a female filmmaker, what I find especially remarkable about the film is that it is directed by a woman yet for the first time I did not feel that Wells’ story had been altered in order to be successful or receive funding or distribution deals. Instead her female led narrative and detail orientated perspective had been accepted as enough. More than enough, her unique take on growing up and her presentation of young teenage self discovery was precisely what makes the film so great. Being a woman didn’t feel like something the film was “grappling” with. To elaborate on this point, I would use the case of filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow. Bigelow was the first woman to receive the best director Oscar in 2010 (way more recent than I’d like it to be). Although this was undoubtedly a historic win, Bigelow’s filmography is male orientated, focusing on gun heavy action films with conventional male leads. I’m not attempting to discredit the value of action movies. However, as an aspiring female filmmaker constantly in search for role models to follow the footsteps of, looking up at figures such as Bigelow only made me doubt being a woman and being a successful director would ever be synonymous. Often, it seemed as if women directors were forced to alter or remove their femininity from their work in order to be successful. I wondered if Bigelow would have been awarded such a prestigious award at that time if she hadn’t been catering her films to men. Therefore discovering Aftersun and learning it was directed by a woman in her 30s who went on holidays with her dad and wanted to recreate her experiences and their lasting impact on her life felt like a much needed hug of reassurance. It felt like “yes, you can be a woman and a director, you can tell the story you want to, your voice is valid”. Of course there is still an editing process, there is still a marketable audience for Aftersun. I am not suggesting Wells was somehow able to do this alone outside the system and achieve success. Instead what it seems, is in the last few years beginning around the 2020s, women directors have been receiving more and more industry support. What does this mean in reality? More funding. More distribution deals. More actors making a conscious effort to be in the work of female artists. What evidence do I have for this? Four strong debut features by women directors released in the last 3 years.

I first noticed The Lost Daughter (Gyllenhaal, 2021) which I have already written about for its bold, dangerous and honest depiction of motherhood. Distributed by Netflix, and starring Olivia Coleman, Dakota Johnson and Paul Mescal the star studded cast and huge streaming platform allowed for Gyllenhaal’s debut feature to stand out. The film went on to receive almost universal acclaim from viewers with an approval rating of 94% on rotten tomatoes and high praise from critics.

Shot from The Lost Daughter Trailer, Netflix, 2022

Then came Aftersun in 2022, which was also the debut feature of Charlotte Wells. The film accessed £350,000 from the National Lottery and Scottish Government funding through Screen Scotland’s Film Production and Development Program. The film also received funding through BBC Films and the BFI. The film also happens to star Paul Mescal who discussed wanting to support Charlotte Wells after watching her short film “Tuesday”. The film was initially distributed by Mubi, and went on to be acquired by A24 for distribution in America and Canada. One of the production companies tied to the film was “Pastel Productions”, Pastel was a filmmaking collective founded by Barry Jenkins (director of Oscar award winning Moonlight) and producers Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak, who are ¾ of the producers credited on Aftersun. This is what I refer to when I say these films are receiving “support”. Women are unable to create, produce, release and distribute their work without the help of key figures and industry links such as the likes of Jenkins. Pastel Productions was made aware of Wells through their links to NYU Tisch, which Wells attended as a Masters student. The film went on to receive extensive international acclaim for its direction as well as praise for performances from young newcomer Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal as her understated vulnerable father. The film was nominated at the Academy Awards and awarded “Film of the Year” by the BFI in their annual Sight and Sound poll.

Frame from Blue Jean trailer, Altitude Films, 2023.

Moving on to Blue Jean my third case study for female directorial debuts in the past 3 years. The film was directed by Georgia Oakley and released in February 2023. Set in 1980s Newcastle, Blue Jean follows a lesbian secondary school teacher and her pupils during the implementation of Section 28 (anti-LGBT legislation) by Thatcher’s government. Blue Jean has been one of my favourite films of the year so far, dealing with the experiences of a gay woman in the UK in the 1980s, but making pertinent points to the legislation which threatened the rights of gay people at the time, linking to issues and debates still continuing today. The performances were subtle, incredibly naturalistic with beautiful production design which maintained a strong sense of style that was also encompassing of 1980s era specific props, costumes and decor. I thought Oakley balanced politics, representation, and aesthetic style incredibly well. Coming back to production details, the film was also awarded funding by the National Lottery fund, the BFI and BBC films (very similarly to Aftersun). The support of these institutions is vital to the film's production, distribution and ultimately its success.

Frame from Rye Lane trailer, Searchlight Pictures, 2023.

And my final case study, Rye Lane released in March 2023 and directed by Raine Allen Miller. Rye Lane is a rom com set in South London, it stars David Jonsson and Vivian Oprah. The trailer immediately grabbed my attention with its vibrant colours, corners of London, and funny, light hearted tone. The film is also a rare gem stone amongst the British rom com scene, as it’s two lead actors are both black. A refreshing casting decision that hasn’t been given a large platform before. Much as Charlotte Wells experienced holidays with her own father as a young girl, and Georgia Oakley understands the experience of struggling with queerness in a small community, it feels right that Rye Lane is directed by Raine Allen Miller a young black female artist who grew up in South London. This is the representation I have been searching for. Women telling stories about topics they are passionate about because they are lived experiences only they can tell, to quote Bong Joon Ho’s acceptance speech, I always agree with the idea that “the most personal is the most creative”. Rye Lane was funded by Searchlight pictures, BBC Film and the BFI (awarding National Lottery Funding).

In conclusion, BBC Film and the BFI along with the support of the National Lottery have been doing great work to support a new generation of up and coming women directors as well as Searchlight and Netflix. I am well aware there are women all over the world who have stories to tell and who all wish they could be given the opportunity to direct their own debut feature film someday (including myself) - we can only dream. But it is with the examples of The Lost Daughter, Aftersun, Blue Jean and Rye Lane that these dreams begin to look like they might actually stand a chance at becoming reality. Women filmmakers have always been here and we will always be here, but such consistent support is the new found key to success I am celebrating in this article. In the 2020s production companies and executive producers are finally opening up their doors (and pockets) to women - and I’m here for it.

by Chloe Buxton, April 2023.