Inspiration July 3, 2018
Women making moves, whether you see them or not.
Women continue to struggle with representation both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. According to a Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film report, a mere 18 percent of women make up behind the scene positions such as cinematographers, producers, writers and directors in 2017. Since there is a lack of representation, we should applaud and appreciate the women that do hold it down behind the camera. That in mind, here are a few badass women who are killing it behind the scenes:
This Rwanda born choreographer has garnered more attention as one of the geniuses behind Childish Gambino’s “This is America” music video. At 24 years old, Silver is making her mark by using her talent and platform to bring life to important narratives and educate the world on African culture through dance.
This 23-year-old choreographer constantly creates captivating routines for her nearly 500,000 YouTube subscribers. She has also recently teamed up with Nicki Minaj, working on her hit “Chun Li” and appearing in the trailer for the video. Janell, who started her brand Queens N’ Lettos, runs a heels (lettos) class and continues to grow her empire with exciting routines and collaborations.
Evans is the young director behind Drake’s “Nice for What” video. The 22-year-old has created beautiful stories with many big names. She recently directed SZA’s “Garden” featuring Childish Gambino. Her amazing directing has definitely not gone unnoticed as she was the 2018 winner of Prism Prize’s Lipsett Award. Evans teamed up with Drake again for his most recent music video “I’m Upset.”
Yoon is the amazing best selling writer for “Everything, Everything” starring Amandla Stenberg and the upcoming movie adaptation for “The Sun is Also a Star.” The highly anticipated film is set to star Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton.
Meghie hit the directing scene in 2016 with her film “Jean of the Joneses” and is not stopping anytime soon. She continued building her resume working with Yoon on “Everything, Everything.”
Ruby Ella is a badass photographer and the founder of Brown Girl With A Camera. The photography brand provides a platform for women of color photographers to feel a true sense of empowerment and representation.
Mira Nair is the filmmaker behind the award-winning documentary “India Cabaret.” She has also gone on to direct highly recognized films such as “Monsoon Wedding.” Her recent film being “Queen of Katwe” starring Lupita Nyong’o. Nair is also the founder of both Salaam Baalak Trust, which provides resources and education for homeless children in Mumbai, and Maisha Film Lab, which provides up and coming East African filmmakers training and hands-on experiences.
Aurora Guerrero is the awesome director behind the 2012 Sundance Film Selection “Mosquita y Mari.” When Guerrero produced an episode for the second season, she quickly became a part of director Ava Duvernay’s “Queen Sugar” tribe. Aside from film, Guerrero also co-founded a collective called Womyn Image Makers (WIM). As she states in an interview with Agnes Films, the collective “came together knowing that [they] wanted to create films that reflected [their] identities because there was such a big void for [their] perspectives.”
Dunye is an amazing director that has worked on many projects. Her debut film “The Watermelon Woman” received the Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival back in 1996. This award is one that recognizes exceptional films that have a LGBTQ focus. Dunye has gone on to work on over 15 other productions. Some of these projects include “Queen Sugar,” HBO’s “Stranger Inside” and “My Baby’s Daddy.”
Jennifer Yuh Nelson is an awesome storyboard artist and animation director. She made her directing debut with the smash hit Kung Fu Panda 2, which got her a nomination for an Academy Award for the Best Animated Feature. This accomplishment is extra special as Nelson was the first woman to solo-direct a major animated picture. She continued on with the franchise working on the third installment. Nelson is currently working on “The Darkest Minds” starring Amandla Stenberg and “A Bittersweet Life” starring Michael B. Jordan.
Patty Jenkins is the super cool director behind DC’s “Wonder Woman.” The hit movie grossed over 800 million dollars worldwide. Her direction is admired by many in her reimagining of Wonder Woman and she continues to be vocal about her experience as a woman in the industry. Jenkins will be directing “Wonder Woman 2,” which will be released in 2019.
