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FemaleDirectors

This past Wednesday director Maria Giese was the first to be interviewed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, kicking off their investigation into the discriminatory hiring practices of film studios, production companies, agencies, and various other areas of the entertainment industry. Giese was interviewed for four hours and had plenty to say about how she and other directors have been treated by this industry.

Like when deals are broken: Giese had once been promised the director’s chair for an episode of a primetime TV show, only to later find the job was instead handed to the stepson of the show’s executive producer. “That wasn’t just sexism,” as Giese told Deadline, “it was nepotism.” I mean, seriously, nepotism is already a difficult obstacle on its own.

But Giese also spoke about general sexist attitudes in the hiring process. Such as being told by different shows that they don’t hire female directors because they had a bad experience with one once, or they don’t hire woman directors because… sometimes just because.

These discriminatory patterns have held for a long time, even when actions have been taken before. Thirty-two years ago in 1983 saw the DGA file a class-action lawsuit against the studios of Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures on behalf of not only female directors, but minority directors as well. Though the case was ultimately dismissed, Giese believes this potential threat showed executives that discriminated workers were willing to hit them where they hurt the most: their wallets.

The ’83-’85 case was pushed into court by six directors: Victoria Hochberg, Lynne Littman, Joelle Dobrow, Susan Bay, Dolores Ferraro, and Nell Cox. These women put their careers on the line for equal opportunity and are now referred to as “The Original Six.” In the ten years following their class-action suit the number of women directors rose from half of a percent to 16%. And as significant of a change as that is, it’s just not good enough.

The current investigation will be searching for hiring patterns and the potential of discrimination therein. The EEOC is looking at the studios, the networks, the guilds, the agencies, and even management/indie production companies to figure out why, even thirty years after the Original Six’s lawsuit, we still find female directors being nearly completely shut out of their profession.

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Andrew Walsh

Andrew Walsh is an independent filmmaker and freelance writer based in LA. He co-directed his first feature in high school, is an avid juggler, and is a descendant of director Raoul Walsh. One of those might not be true.

Follow him on Twitter if that's your deal @AndrewKWalsh