Pernilla August recently took the decisive step from being in front to being behind the camera with her film Beyond (Svinalängorna). Photo: Maltese Fabrizio/Scanpix

Bergman, Fellini, Kubrick — almost by definition, demon directors have long been men. But in Sweden the gender imbalance in the film industry has been brought onto the political agenda. In the summer of 2010, the Minister for Culture allocated SEK 1.1 million (EUR 120,000) to women taking their first steps in the male-dominated industry. The semi state-financed Swedish Film Institute (SFI), which promotes films made in Sweden, has also set aside special funding to women directors making their first or second features.

“We’re probably one of the countries with the most women directors — not many countries concern themselves with the issue,” says Charlotta Denward, head of the production funding department at SFI.

“The fact that there is no international statistical data on gender distribution in the film world,” she adds, “speaks for itself.” 

Under the current film agreement, which regulates funding, at least 40 percent of the films granted production funding ought to have women screenwriters, directors and producers among their creators. This target has yet to be achieved, however, especially as regards feature film directors.

A foot in the industry door

The number of women screenwriters and producers has indeed increased, and the interim target has, in principle, been achieved in the case of short films and documentaries. But in the more prestigious feature film category, the majority of directors are men. Only 29 percent of the feature films granted funding by SFI last year were directed by women.

“In Sweden, two worlds are completely closed off to women — commercials and crime thrillers,” says Hanna Andersson, director of the short film Erika and Sally (Erika och Sally) which earned her the newly-created After Bergman prize for Best Film Idea.

“Both are prestigious genres with big budgets. They offer a good wage and give you a chance to try your hand at major projects — you go through a lot of money when you make commercials.”

Nahid Persson has been described by critics as Sweden’s best documentary film-maker. Photo: Hildegunn Holtet/ http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahid_Persson

A report from SFI shows that one of the most important entry points for would-be film directors is in fact the male-dominated advertising industry and not the film schools, which have a gender-balanced admission policy. For women directors, the theatre is a valuable alternative way in.

Andersson herself is in the process of taking a decisive step away from short films. She is currently in Berlin polishing up what she hopes will be the screenplay for her first feature.

“You need to be lucky and meet the right financiers who are open-minded,” she says. “Personally, I’ve been treated pretty well but I’ve overestimated the importance of qualifications and quality.”

“Money, tradition and history”

Christina Olofson has made both documentaries and feature films in the course of a long career and is also a board member of WIFT, an international organization for women in films and television. The problem, she says, is “money, tradition and history.”

“People are accustomed to doing what they usually do. Financiers are reluctant to entrust a woman with a really big budget, regardless of whether it’s a woman or a man who makes the decision. Also, men more often than women make their first feature without any financial support whatsoever, on a minimal budget. This is an attitude that few women share,” Olofson says.

Gunilla Burstedt, head of the School of Film Directing in Gothenburg, says that working conditions are also a factor. The film industry’s hectic rhythm, with its intensive, prolonged periods of shooting, makes life difficult for many women wishing to combine family and career.

“Efforts should be made to find other approaches so that it becomes possible to combine job and parenthood,” Burstedt says.

Among the younger generation of directors, however, both women and men are increasingly keen to break this pattern and strike a better balance between their private and professional lives. Burstedt sees it as a favorable sign that some directors are try to extend their shooting schedules over a longer period with shorter workdays.

Maria Blom always has the gender aspect at the back of her mind when developing ideas for films. Photo: Felipe Morales/Scanpix

Maria Blom, whose first feature, Dalecarlians (Masjävlar), won the approval of critics and audiences alike in 2004, has her own explanation to why women are less likely to be found directing purely commercial movies, which attract more attention and more funding than productions with a narrower appeal.

“Women are seen as more serious, which is a handicap,” she says. “I believe many people think, ‘We can’t ask a woman to do this rubbish film’.”

Women’s manifesto

Women film workers, tiring of male dominance in the industry, joined forces in the late 1990s in the Doris Film network in order to produce short films based on their own manifesto: all primary artistic functions were to be occupied by women. Screenplays were to be written by women, women were to have at least one of the leading roles, and women were to compose any original score used in the film.

In the summer of 2010, the resulting seven shorts produced by the network were edited together to make a feature film shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is now leading a life of its own at festivals all over the world, from South Korea to Egypt.

“Since we started, quite a lot has happened — people are aware nowadays,” says Doris Film board member Annika Hellström, who is now targeting schools with her work. “There’s still a long way to go but things are improving a little every year.”

Skepticism towards quotas

While most people agree that the gender imbalance must be remedied, there is less agreement on how this should be achieved. Many are particularly skeptical of a quota system. Mimmi Spång, producer of Babak Najafi’s film Sebbe (Sebbe), which won the Best First Feature Award at the Berlin Film Festival, is one of many who can’t make up her mind about the benefits of quotas.

“I’m not in favor of gender quotas in art as such, but it might be a good idea to test them for a while, particularly at the educational stage where everything starts.”

Charlotte Denward of SFI is also uncertain: “If you have a quota system, I’m scared that everyone might just sit back and count heads.”

She is cautiously optimistic about the future, however. “There’s a big breakthrough coming,” she says. “Lots of women producers have arrived, and on the direction side there are some really massive talents waiting to get started on their first features: Lisa James Larsson, Kicki Kjellin, Molly Hartleb, Fijona Jonuzi, Amanda Adolfsson…”

Hopefully, a genuine breakthrough for women film workers in Sweden is just around the corner.

Torun Börtz

Torun Börtz is a freelance journalist. After many years spent working out of Paris she has recently returned to Sweden. She writes with Skåne as base even as she continues to keep an eye not the least on the world of French literature.