It is no suprise that an industry that upholds so many patriarchal beliefs in picture/film and content would in fact be so sexist behind the scenes. I have several female friends that work in film and are constantly talking about how they were never taken seriously in their classes and the sexist/patriarchal structure of the industry itself (ie script writing taught to include hero/heroin, hetersexual romance, woman as damsel in distress, man as hero, etc.)

But this year in particular we see women as absent from any of the top nominations. Martha Lauzen from San Diego State's Comm department elaborates.

'Brokeback Mountain." "Capote." "Crash." "Good Night, and Good Luck." "Munich." This year's Academy Award nominees for best picture offer thoughtful contemplations of the world, past and present. A mostly male world, that is.

Why does it matter that female-driven stories are absent from this year's top-nominated films? For one thing, the combined box office grosses of this year's nominated films lag behind any single summer blockbuster, and this could translate into lower ratings for the Oscar telecast. The overwhelming "maleness" of these films might well be a factor.

Beyond this, the nominations matter because they hint at a larger disparity endemic in the film business: the ongoing underrepresentation of women onscreen and behind the scenes.

It is not like there weren't women acting in movies last year (she uses the examples of North Country and Walk the Line). Lauzen continues...

Our research shows a relationship between the use of women writers and executive producers and the percentages of female characters onscreen. For example, when a film had no women writers, 27 percent of the characters were female. With at least one woman writer, 38 percent were female. This is a byproduct of the creative process, as well as a conscious choice made by filmmakers. Women tend to create female characters; men create male roles. Countless screenwriting workshops and manuals counsel potential screenwriters to "write what you know."

Film is an extremely important cultural medium of communication and does in fact reflect the values of the society within which it is produced. And since our current cultural values are *very* indicative of a decrease in women's rights/participation, well that will obviously be reflected in the film industry.

I do however want to make a note that although Brokeback Mountain did not have lead female characters, I considered it to be a feminist movie because it challenged dominant ideas of maleness and sexuality. Do I wonder would it have made it, if it had been about guerilla minded lesbians of colors? Of course.

via Newsday.