top of page
Search

?UESTIONS: She Does Filmz

SheDoesFilmz is an online platform showing 100% women-director films, featuring festival-winning, bold films from around the world.


Films by women directors receive 67% less distribution. SheDoesFilmz allows the viewer to discover a new cinema, women directors, more female leads and different stories. The coolest online film club!


Can you tell us about SheDoesFilmz? SheDoesFilmz is the first 100% Women Director film platform. We select the coolest films by women directors from around the world - from Malaysia, to the US and passing by Costa Rica and Russia. We want everyone to get a chance to discover all this talent we've been discovering, all from the best festivals in the world. 


There is definitely a difference in story-telling and one other thing we love is all the female lead roles - 90% of our films have women main characters. Did you know that less than 1 in 3 speaking roles are for women in the top 150 US films and that 96% of Hollywood films are directed by men? It's a breath of fresh air to see women stories, visual cues and bold, complex characters. 


We also track down all older films by women directors, from the 60s onwards. It's so fascinating. We're discovering films we never thought existed - some extremely rebellious! We have a New Wave film by Nelly Kaplan from 1968 about a prostitute's revenge, another film about women starting a revolution to take over New York. They are so fun. 



Why do you think female directors are overlooked?  Our view is that a huge part of the problem is curation and selection. The film industry is still very male-driven and I think some viewers aren't seeing the beauty or importance of some of the stories being told.  Men are selecting what is and isn't relevant, and they filter their views through their own experiences. For instance, we've all seen the Male coming-of-age story a thousand times. But so rarely the female version... On SheDoesFilmz we already have a dozen or so really powerful films on this theme. Women are making very cool, bold films, but the industry is so male-dominated and old school, that they just put them aside in favour of the same old stories and styles... Women are the innovation really! 


Can you give us the titles of 5 filmmakers to get us started?  YES - and thank you for asking! This is literally what we love doing... and actually when our subscribers join we send them a little overview of films to watch, a bit like joining a film club or when your best friend the film fan pitches you about the coolest films she's seen! 

So part of the fun we think is discovering work across decades and regions, so here's a 5 worldwide and cross-generational view!  Ok so we'll start with three strong modern directors, then a couple classics! 

1. MEDEA - This film literally stopped us in our tracks and was a big reason for the launch of SheDoesFilmz. The film was selected by Costa Rica as its submission for the Oscars International selection and won a ton of awards. The story is very subversive, about super hip university student (with a very cool look!) who is pregnant and totally in denial about it. She's dating guys, goes clubbing, plays rugby... It's the untold story of an unwanted pregnancy, the one we never see on screen yet is the starting point for all the political debates! Comes with a trigger warning, but very, very bold. We interviewed director Alexandra Latishev for our Director blog too here!  2. SPEAK UP -  We call this film a MUST WATCH, as in everyone we know needs to watch it. Amandine Gay is one of the most impressive people we know, a strong and visionary intellectual. This is a documentary she made about being a black woman in France. She interviewed 20+ women and asked all of them the same questions, based on her own experiences as a Black woman. It's deep, meaningful, moving, thought-provoking... There aren't enough words to describe how powerful and important this film is. Our podcast with Amandine is coming out soon (a lucky one hour mind-blowing conversation). You can sign up here to get notified for the podcast, but definitely watch the film by all means!  3. THREE ADVENTURES OF BROOKE - This Malaysian and Chinese is wonderful - it feels like a mellow gap year of self-discovery. The main character moves around Northern Malaysia meeting this wonderful group of diverse characters. A sweetly film to indulge in, especially in these times of no travel! We can't wait to see what director Yuan Qing will do next.  4. A VERY CURIOUS GIRL - This is a French film about a prostitute that takes revenge on a whole village. It is SO refreshing in how it positions women, their choices and their sexuality. We love it. It builds up into this super woman liberation story but with so many twists that only a  60s filmmaker would think of. It's true counterpoint to mainstream portrayal of how a woman should and can be but also a super fresh take on the "prostitute story"! We love it!  5. BORN IN FLAMES - This film is ICONIC as could be. It won at Berlin and in our Top 10 films of all time. Super rebellious, it's the story of women in Manhattan to decide to take over New York and patriarchy. Very ballsy directing, by Lizzie Borden, and just so much fun to watch. They fight against the rapist, beat up rude dudes... The genre is unique as well - anarchist sci? Not to be missed! 


How can we, the viewer, support the movement?

Step number one is SUBSCRIBE to SheDoesFilmz. We want to be super accessible, so a monthly subscription is less than a film ticket, maybe two cups of coffee?? So super worth it!  ($6.99 a month!). 


With that you get access to a whole collection of films by women directors from everywhere. It's like a discovery journey and it's the easiest way to catch up on all the films we typically miss. Our view is that audiences shouldn't need to do all the research to find the cool women directors - we take care of that and present you with a curated selection of films that made waves at all the festivals. 


The next thing is to speak about these films and filmmakers everywhere. There is this idea that there just aren't enough female filmmakers. WRONG. It's a classic thing that happens across industries, where the patriarchal system insists on forming young women for future roles, whilst ignoring all the existing female talent around. We are very big on promoting and highlighting titles of existing contemporary female filmmakers, because we know their work is already top end and we're in love with their story-telling. 


C*LTURE: Sun Ra



A highly productive jazz musician, composer, poet and bandleader best known for his cosmic philosophies on life and music.


Sun Ra believed in 1914 he arrived on Earth from his home planet Saturn. Upon his arrival he was stripped of his memory. In the late 1930s he was then teleported back to Saturn and rediscovered his true identity, as Sun Ra. He returned to Earth and sort to spread his message of cosmic Afrocentrism through music.


He moved to Chicago at the end of World War 2 and came into contact and later influencing the beliefs of the Nation of Islam and Black Hebrew Israelites.


Sun Ra led his own space trio, The Sun Ra Arkestra. Unable to find a label receptive to his work, he created one of the first artist-run independent record labels in America, El Saturn Records.


In 1972 Sun Ra produced the film Space is the Place and accompanying album of the same name. He returned to his home planet on 30th May 1993. The Arkestra still performs to this day. Sun Ra's music is still a major influence to musicians, hip hop and free jazz.


?UESTIONS: Blossom Blair

Illustrator Blossom Blair is a young artist who is beautifully representing the female form in the world of comics. Creating bold and colourful illustrations, her art is inspiring and champions empowerment.


How would you describe your work?

Colorful! I make it a thing to try and include diversity and variety in my work.



Who are your biggest influences?

A lot of different artists actually. Loish, Caleb Thomas, Anna Cattish, etc. I consume a lot of art everyday and discover so many new artists. I don't think I ever had just ONE favorite artist lol, I can never pick. I feel like they each inspire and influence different parts of my work!


How important is representation in Art? Its very important! I'll admit that it took me awhile to understand the significance of representation but looking back now, I don't think I'd be who I am today without seeing all of those strong and independent superheroines.


Seeing yourself on the big screen or in galleries definitely sparks something in you and helps make you feel included.



What advice would you give to a young artist following in your steps?

Well depending on what you want to do, I'd say it is important to have a plan or at least know what the next step is. Ask yourself: What do you want to do with your art and what are the steps that will get you there?

All images by and courtesy of Blossom Blair

bottom of page