“Her” Story: Infinite Possibilities of Women in Film Making

This article attempts to interpret the world through the lenses of women filmmakers by tracing the creative journey of women in film across different periods, and in this diachronic review, to see the infinite possibilities of women's cinema and womenhood.

「The Dawn of Film」- The Forgotten “Her”

Renowned scholar Dai Jinhua believes that “feminist film” first signifies the involvement of women in the film industry, implying that women attempt to change the patriarchal structure of the industry through "intervention." In the early days of the film industry, women were largely excluded from the filmmaking process, often only able to work in non-technical areas such as makeup or as producer's assistants. However, contrary to popular belief, women were not silent in the film industry; some exerted their influence directly or indirectly as directors, producers, or playwrights.

In December 1895, soon after the birth of cinema, Alice Guy-Blaché shot a 50-second short film, "The Good Fairy Cabbage Patch" (1896), marking the birth of the world's first fantasy film. Over her lifetime, she made over a thousand short films and 22 feature films, and was one of the earliest directors to experiment with close-ups, hand-tinting, synchronized sound, and various other cinematic techniques.

The 2017 documentary "Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché" narrates the professional journey of this early female director. It chronicles her various challenges and seeks to rightfully acknowledge her as the "world's first female director," a figure who had been forgotten in film history.

The documentary industry, as the "firstborn" of film, also has a substantial, hidden group of female documentary filmmakers, excluded from the historical narrative.

John Grierson is hailed as the father of British documentary, and his British Documentary Movement had a profound impact on the development of documentaries worldwide. Yet his sisters, Ruby and Marion Grierson, also documentary directors, are seldom mentioned, even though they indeed influenced Grierson's work.

「Expanding the Voice」- Women's Truth Cinema and Avant-garde Films

From the 1960s to the 1970s, influenced by the second wave of feminism, more women joined the film industry as directors, screenwriters, producers, and curators. During this time, the mainstream documentary genre of “Truth Cinema" prized an aesthetic of truthfulness, faithfully recording events and activities in real life, making it an ideal medium for feminist creators to document private lives of women, break stereotypes, and spread feminist consciousness.

In the United States, Julia Reichert, who won an Oscar for "American Factory" in 2019, focused on the circumstances of working women. Her college project, "Growing Up Female" (1971), is considered the first documentary to record the second-wave feminist movement in the U.S. The film explores women's social status and identity recognition through interviews with multiple women, highlighting the traditional and limited imagination of women's roles. Her use of a female narrator also subverted the traditional male narration in documentaries.

In the UK and Europe, influenced by scholars like Althusser, Roland Barthes, and Propp, women directors tended to use avant-garde and experimental film forms for their creative practice. Chantal Akerman, hailed as "Belgium's most famous female director," made numerous experimental films and documentaries focusing on women's existential conditions and emotional predicaments, using a restrained and calm camera to outline the truth. Her film "Jeanne Dielman" (1975) painstakingly detailing the mechanized life of a housewife over 3.5 hours, allowing viewers to experience the monotonous, menial, and repressed life of a homemaker.

Delphine Seyrig, the actress of Akerman's "Jeanne Dielman," also advanced the development of feminism through documentary imaging. Seyrig, with her friend Carole, took a camera to Hollywood and spent two years filming the documentary "Sois belle et tais-toi" (1981), interviewing 24 female colleagues including Jane Fonda, Juliette Binoche, and Maria Schneider, about their industry experiences. The dialogue between women, starting from the most intuitive personal feelings, then shifted toward reflection on public domains and social issues.

「Multifaceted Feminism」- Looking for “Hers”

The third wave of feminism, which took place in the 1980s and 1990s, differs from the previous waves by emphasizing the focus on the plurality of women, addressing not only gender but also class, race, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation.

The documentary "Women" (2019) presents a vast and soul-stirring self-portrait of womanhood through interviews and narrations of 2,000 women from 50 countries. It features women of different ages, skin colors, and ethnicities talking about education, love, marriage, childbirth, work, violence, illness, and aging, sharing their joys, fears, anger, sorrow, and inspirations. The myriad stories unveil the diverse and full spectrum of women's lives, prompting viewers to reflect on the common existential and developmental challenges women face, while encouraging women to become distinct individuals united in shaping a force to change the world.

Seeing the plurality of women means acknowledging diverse female stances, experiences, and perspectives. Consequently, women's cinema should also encompass a multitude of viewpoints, a variety of themes, and a richness of expression. "Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema" (2018) covers 40 different thematic chapters, including openings, tones, set designs, scheduling, and editing. Through detailed comparative analysis of the work of 133 female directors over 14 hours, it engages in a century-spanning dialogue with women's cinema, offering a comprehensive "road trip" through the history of women in film. Although labeled "women filmmakers," the film transcends gender boundaries, avoiding the trap of defining "women's cinema," suggesting that cinema is not about gender, but a form of art for all humanity.