A recent dip in female-led theatrical releases in the UK - back to 2018 levels of 26% reminds us that our work is far from over; that we cannot be complacent.
Below you can read about the research we conduct into gender representation in film and the wider industry, tracking the release landscape to present an accurate picture of investment in films by filmmakers of marginalised genders.
Here you can also find out about news and opportunities at Reclaim The Frame, along with curated film recommendations, filmmaker interviews, and creative responses.
Updated: May 1, 2024
Although Labour Day or International Workers’ Day isn't traditionally celebrated in the UK, it holds significance in over 160 countries worldwide, championing the working classes and their rights for nearly a century and a half. In light of this, this programme aims to prompt reflection on the essence of being a worker. This curated journey will spotlight the triumphs of workers' rights and union achievements, while also underscoring the persistent need for further progress.
Women have always been at the forefront of the labour movement. From Rosie the Riveter to the Willmar 8 to the real-life secretaries working 9 to 5, women in the workforce have fought hard to make their voices heard. But what about the stories that don’t get amplified by Western media? This International Workers’ Day, we're platforming stories of marginalised workers from around the world, as told by marginalised gender filmmakers.
Central to the programme is a recognition that workplace rights are not universally guaranteed. Illustrating this is a diverse selection of films that provide a global perspective, allowing us to transcend our individual experiences. From nurses' strikes in 1960s Charleston to the advocacy of garment workers' unions in Bangladesh, from South Korean retail workers protesting unfair treatment to the poignant struggles of a young girl striving to support her family amidst conflict-ridden Afghanistan, this lineup paints a diverse picture of labour realities worldwide.
Directed by Madeline Anderson, celebrated as the pioneering African American woman to direct a televised documentary, I Am Somebody chronicles the courageous narrative of 400 Black and Brown nurses who initiated a historic strike in 1969. In the wake of their bold action, thousands rallied in solidarity, igniting a wave of protest that echoed far beyond Charleston.
This documentary not only captures the struggles faced by nurses in 1969 but also draws striking parallels to the ongoing mistreatment of nurses across nations and throughout history. It shows the profound impact that collective action can wield, resulting in meaningful change.
Through Anderson's lens, viewers are confronted with the timeless truth that the fight for justice and dignity knows no bounds of time or geography. I Am Somebody stands as a testament to the resilience of those who dare to challenge systemic injustice and a reminder of the transformative power of solidarity. Available to watch on Vimeo
Over half a decade, directors Hannan Majid and Richard York document the fight of garment workers in Bangladesh and the women at the forefront of the campaign for workers’ rights.
In the face of physical abuse, illegal sackings and unliveable minimum wages, the workers remain steadfast in their cause, committed to educating colleagues about their rights and the importance of a unified front. For them, it is often a case of life and death: the unimaginable tragedies of the 2012 Tazreen Fashion factory fire and the 2014 Rana Plaza collapse are not unfamiliar prospects for the millions forced to work in perilous conditions.
As well as examining the vicious cycle that traps generations of women and girls in a lifetime of unsafe, underpaid work, this revealing documentary impels its audience to consider their own role in this system. What is the true price of our consumption? Avialable to watch on YouTube
Sun-hee (Yum Jung-ah), a mother of two, is told she will be getting a full time contract after five years of hard work, before the company instead announces that they are letting her and the other all-female temporary workers go. Confused, angered and in desperate need of their jobs, the women band together to protest the firing and fight for justice.
Cart is inspired by true events. In 2007, a new law was passed requiring that employees be given regular worker status after a certain period of employment. However, a supermarket chain laid off its predominantly female temporary workers to avoid complying with this law. The ensuing strike in front of the supermarket of both the laid-off staff and the labour union lasted 512 days. This incident and the film it inspired highlight the lengths corporations will go to to cut corners, and the need for laws to protect workers. Available to watch on AppleTV
Dolores Huerta is an activist and labour organiser fighting for agricultural labourers’ rights, women's rights, and working to end racism. Throughout her life she has faced both racism and sexism as a Mexican American woman in a male-dominated working world.
In this short film, Dolores discusses the sexism and sexual harassment she and other women have faced in the workplace, from payment being withheld for work done unless sex is provided, to being cornered in an office and sexually harassed, to having men take credit for her work. Hannah McNally’s beautifully animated short shows only a snippet of the workplace discrimination Dolores and other women must face on a daily basis. Dolores continues to campaign for equal pay for women, health care for all and social justice. Available to watch on Vimeo
In The Assistant, Julia Garner portrays a young woman navigating the cutthroat world of entertainment, working as an assistant for a formidable industry mogul. Her job is a gruelling and dehumanising experience, marked by incessant belittlement and the unenviable task of cleaning up her boss's mess, both literally and figuratively.
When she suspects her boss to be abusing his power, she courageously attempts to inform her superiors, only to find herself obstructed by a culture of complicity that pervades the entire industry.
Against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement, The Assistant emerges as a poignant and timely portrayal of the toxic underbelly of the entertainment industry. Through its understated narrative, the film powerfully underscores the devastating consequences of unchecked abuse and the insidious effects of silence. It serves as a sobering reminder of the urgent need for systemic change and accountability. See JustWatch for where to watch.
This short documentary offers a glimpse into the working lives of four Palestinian women as they navigate careers both in male-dominated spaces and on occupied land.
Hanan Al-Sharef, The Filmmaker, works to maintain integrity in her profession within the bounds of her religion. Majda Al-Bahr, The Cabbie, wears her headscarf in the Jewish fashion and speaks Hebrew to assuage her Israeli settler customers’ discomfort over being driven by a Muslim woman. Niveen Al-Sawi, The Cop, finds pride in being one of the few women in the police academy, able to carry out duties her male counterparts cannot. Yusra Mansur, The Mechanic, studied the man who used to fix the machines from the sidelines until she was able to take over the job herself; now she must withstand daily harassment from settlers as she transports her goods.
As prejudice and oppression persist in these four different fields, so do the women’s bravery and resilience. Available to watch on Unplugged.com
The journey from Mongolia to China is bleak and hazardous. Maikhuu, a truck driver, delivers coal from the Mongolian basins to the Chinese border. This stark, visually striking documentary shows the loneliness and isolation of life in her profession; Maikhuu yearns to be at home with her family but has chosen a job in a male-dominated industry to provide for her children.
Filmed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film highlights the impossible conditions the drivers had to endure while waiting to continue their journey. Maikhuu remains steadfast as the only female driver, showing strength and resilience, living out of her cab for weeks at a time. Her husband, also a truck driver, joins her for a meal - a brief but poignant date on an arduous journey.
Maikhuu is sensitively portrayed in a beautiful film set in a remote part of the world often overlooked by Western filmmakers. Available to watch on YouTube
Author Deborah Ellis spent months interviewing women and girls in Afghan refugee camps. The stories she heard became the basis and inspiration for her bestselling novel and the animated film The Breadwinner. Parvana is an 11 year old girl growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2001, after the Taliban have taken over. When her father is wrongfully arrested, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy in order to support her family.
Stories are a theme throughout and stories are an escape, a powerful tool to light the family through dark times. The telling of stories inside the main narrative, separated by masterful stop-motion styles, builds a beautiful, imaginative world. An early scene showing the centuries-long colonisation of Kabul with the different colonisers on horseback sets the tone of a powerful, exciting film aimed at a younger audience that will appeal to everyone. See JustWatch for where to watch
The Stroll explores the untold stories of Black and Latina transgender women who navigated the challenging world of sex work during the 1980s and 1990s in New York’s Meatpacking District. Director Kristen Lovell’s own story mirrors that of many shown in the film, forced into sex work after being fired from her job due to discrimination.
Through a powerful blend of archival footage and photographs as well as interviews, the film shines a light on an important moment in trans history. In these interviews, women share their harrowing experiences, offering a raw look into their lives during these times.
This film serves as a poignant reminder of the discriminatory barriers that have historically limited the options available to trans people, forcing them into dangerous circumstances such as sex work. These injustices still occur today, and The Stroll highlights the need for continued advocacy and action for trans rights, especially in the workplace.
See JustWatch for where to watch.
We would like to thank Jessica Campbell (she/her), Mae Roberts (she/her), Sarah Curtis (she/her), and Olivia Frazer (she/her), final-year Film students at Sheffield Hallam University, for putting this programme together, and sharing their passion for women and marginalised-gender-led stories and working-class representation in film.
Happy #InternationalWorkersDay, everybody!
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Updated: May 10, 2023
[Top L-R: Jaq Chell, Julie La’Bassiere, Lisa Balderson / Bottom L-R: Nidhi Gupta, Stephanie Hayward, Tara Brown]
We are thrilled to introduce new Trustees for the charity. Following an open call, the charity is pleased to announce six new appointments:
Jaq Chell (she/they) – Cinema Exhibition, Distribution and Advocacy Leader (currently Head of Programme & Business Development at Cinema for All)
Julie La’Bassiere (she/her) – Awards, Publicity & Marketing Strategy Consultant (currently managing UK Awards campaigns for Apple Worldwide Video and Board Member of The Future of Film is Female)
Lisa Balderson (she/her) – HR & Wellbeing Consultant (freelance, formerly at BAFTA, BFI, BBC)
Nidhi Gupta (she/her) – Filmmaker, Entrepreneur & NHS Doctor (Founder & Creative Director of Busy Doctor Films)
Stephanie Hayward (she/her) – Barrister (leads Behind the Gown campaign)
Tara Brown (they/them) – Film Curator and Creative Evaluator (currently Programmer at Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Festival, formerly at BFI Flare Festival)
With expertise across health, wellbeing, activism, and advocacy as well as filmmaking, curation, community cinema, communications, strategy and evaluation, the six new Trustees join us from September in our mission to broaden perspectives of the world through cinema, to champion women & non-binary filmmakers and to build community for them.
Our existing Trustees include sales agent Alison Thompson (she/her), sales professional Barbara Dias Otao (she/her), distributor Lea Devlin (she/her), strategist Peter Buckingham (he/him), film publicist Sophie Glover (she/her), and data researcher Stephen Follows (he/him).
The call for Trustees was issued six months into an on-going period of self-reflection into how the charity can actively become a non-patriarchal and even more collaborative organisation. Through this work, we published our organisational values, alongside setting out how Trustees and team aim to incorporate the shared values in all decision making. As part of an ongoing process to de-hierarchise the Board, each Trustee will take turns as rotating facilitator in lieu of a fixed Chair.
Director Melanie Iredale said:
“It’s such a privilege to weIcome our six new Trustees on board at Birds’ Eye View and I’m really excited to get to work with each and every one of them. Everyone at Birds’ Eye View will be able to learn from their incredible wealth of professional and lived experience and will help to guide the work we do, in line with our values. Their expertise across cinema and social justice will help us take significant steps forward in our mission for equity in all film spaces and growing ever-greater audiences for marginalised filmmakers. I want to thank them all in advance for the energy and generosity they have committed, and for the care they bring in responding to the needs of the charity at such an exciting time in our development.”
In a joint statement, the Board of Trustees added
“The Board are delighted to have such a fantastic group of people join us as we navigate Birds’ Eye View’s future and to help us continue the work to make the Film Industry a more equal and positive environment for marginalised film-makers. We can’t wait to get started!”
In addition to new Trustees, we will soon announce the founding members of our inaugural Advisory Group.
An open call for a Treasurer as part of the Board of Trustees, with finance / accounting expertise, remains open, with a deadline of 23 September 2022, for more information, please see here.
Birds’ Eye View incoming Trustee profiles
Jaq Chell (she/they):
Jaq is a cultural leader with 17 years’ experience in cinema exhibition, distribution and advocacy. They are currently at Cinema For All as Head of Programme and Business Development, supporting the 1500+ volunteer-led cinemas in the UK. Jaq is a Clore Leader, the co-host of the Cinema For All Podcast and was the recipient of the Roebuck Cup in 2012 for helping to shape a sustainable community cinema movement. Outside of film, they are a contributor to cultural website Our Favourite Places, sings as part of a modern choir, Neighbourhood Voices and is a wild mushroom forager.
Jaq said
“I am so excited to be joining Birds’ Eye View/ Reclaim the Frame in its mission to highlight films by women and non-binary creatives, and to create safer and more accessible spaces around film. I deeply believe in the power of film to build connections, and it’s more vital than ever that people can find community at the cinema.”
Julie La’Bassiere (she/her):
Julie is an Awards + Publicity + Marketing Strategy Consultant based in London where she manages Awards campaigns in the UK for Apple Worldwide Video. Prior to her move back to the UK, where she was born, she was the Head of Special Projects at Obscured Pictures where she led the charge on marketing and promotional outreach campaigns, strategic partnerships, awards campaigns, and special events for both studios and streamers. La’Bassiere is a film industry expert who has been at the forefront of innovative 360° entertainment strategy internationally for over two decades and is a sought-after creative strategist and lecturer with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and strategic brand development for filmmakers. She serves on the BAFTA Film Committee, is an advisor for Future of Film and a mentor for We Are Parable’s Momentum Program. She is a graduate of Stanford University.
Julie said
“I have been following the incredible work that Bird’s Eye View has been doing for years championing the work of women and non-binary filmmakers making their work accessible to as many audiences as possible. With an ever-changing industry and as a career marketing strategist whose lifeblood is audience, it is hugely exciting to help shape Birds’ Eye View’s future helping to bring activist and cultural change to the way we make, see and talk about film.”
Lisa Balderson (she/her):
Lisa is a CIPD qualified HR Consultant, providing freelance support to Film and TV Indies, with the aim of helping transform industry working practices for the better. With more than 15 years’ experience in Film and TV in various roles; Lisa has experience of HR from both sides, including within a production environment, and is extremely familiar with the culture of these industries and how they work. This experience provides a unique and valuable perspective when dealing with HR challenges in creative environments. Lisa has previously worked for organisations such as; BAFTA; BFI (including the London Film Festival/BFI Flare and TV Programming dept.); BBC; and Lion Television. She is a certified Mental Health First Aider, CPD accredited i-ACT Manager – for positive mental health and WELLbeing, and 6ft From CIC trained Wellbeing Facilitator.
Lisa said
“I’m incredibly honoured to be joining Birds Eye View as a Trustee, and looking forward to using my skills and knowledge to build on BEV’s previous work, and continue to help create positive changes in the industry.”
Nidhi Gupta (she/her):
Nidhi is a multi-award winning Filmmaker, entrepreneur as Founder and Creative Director at Busy Doctor Films and NHS doctor. Nidhi has transitioned from medicine to a portfolio career, and has been supported by Film London, Arts Council England and Creative UK.
Nidhi is passionate about supporting under-represented creatives and has mentored women emerging filmmakers as part of the Watersprite Student Film Festival. All of BDF’ production have a minimum 60% women and 40% from BME backgrounds. Nidhi currently has two feature films in production (Human 2.0 and Start. Stop. Repeat.).
Nidhi said
“I’ve seen Birds’ Eye View grow from a female-focused small film festival to a powerful voice in the industry promoting equality and diversity. I am honoured to be associated with such a great organisation and look forward to working with these extraordinary trailblazers.”
Stephanie Hayward (she/her):
Stephanie is a barrister with a decade’s experience practising criminal law. She leads “Behind the Gown” – an organisation founded in 2017 in the wake of global movements: #MeToo and TIME’S UP. Stephanie harnesses the creativity within audio and visual platforms to deliver Behind the Gown’s message: she has recorded and presented podcasts, interviewed multiple high-profile individuals, and produced, scripted, and presented a film documenting the obstacles inhibiting the retention of women. Focusing on gender in particular, Stephanie spotlights issues affecting equality, inclusion, and fairness in her profession. She was instrumental in shaping regulatory sanctions guidance for bullying and sexual misconduct, and following a stage performance of critically acclaimed play ‘Prima Facie’, spoke about the problems with, and potential reforms to, the adversarial trial process for rape and sexual assault.
Stephanie said
“I’m inspired by film and its ability to mobilise change. I’m delighted to be joining Birds Eye View – to support them in championing underrepresented filmmakers from across the world, and nurture conversations generated by their work.”
Tara Brown (they them):
Tara is a Black Queer Disabled Fat Non-Binary Trans Femme. Tara’s main goal with curating is to make cinema as accessible, diverse and brilliant as possible! From a background working in community events and art education, Tara has developed a passion for DIY film and a curating style that heroes film centring marginalised communities. Their film curating career started as Co-Director of Wotever DIY Film Festival from 2014 to 2016. From there they have been Film Officer for Bernie Grant Art Centre, Assistant Curator for BFI Flare 2020-2021 and Fringe! Queer Film + Arts fest programmer since 2018 and programmer for London Indian Film Festival since 2022. Tara has also worked as a creative evaluator/critical friend with Nicola Sim within a disability justice framework. Our projects so far have included working with Wellcome Collection, vacuum cleaner, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Chisenhale Gallery and Manchester International Festival.
Tara said
“I want to be part of Birds’ Eye View trustee board to lend impact and authentic change from my lived experience and enthusiasm for holistic film events.”
