Women flying the flag for gender equality in film and TV

While the glittering world of film and television is turning its focus on gender inequality in the industry, two RMIT academics are continuing to advocate for greater female participation in the sector.

Award winning producer and Adjunct Professor at RMIT Fiona Eagger, along with business partner Deb Cox, are the force behind the breakthrough television series, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, with the series’ super sleuth now featuring on the silver screen.

Produced by Eagger and Cox, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears has just opened in cinemas nationally following a sell-out world premiere screening at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

With an international fan base, the making of the Miss Fisher productions, based on the Kerry Greenwood novels, has pumped $45 million into the Victorian economy over eight years and $6 million in tourism spending.

From left to right: Adjunct Professor Fiona Eagger, Kerrie Greenwood, Essie Davis and Deb Cox

Starring Essie Davis, Phryne Fisher is a smart, independent female, with Eagger and Cox’s company, Every Cloud Productions, dedicated to putting female characters in front of the camera.

“We need more strong women depicted in film and television, with their stories told by female dominated production teams,” she said.

Female owned and run, Every Cloud Productions employs more than 50% women behind the lens and provides mentor and training opportunities for women across its development and production slate.

A lifetime member of Women in Film and TV (WIFT) and Industry Mentor for the Dame Changer program, Eagger is determined to continue fostering female voices and new talent.

Essie Davis stars as Phryne Fisher in the feature film Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, produced by Every Cloud Productions

Also leading the charge in lobbying for gender equality for women on the celluloid ladder is Dean of the School of Media and Communication Professor Lisa French.

At the forefront of research into the inequitable status of women in the industry, French has been appointed to the refreshed Screen Australia Gender Matters Taskforce.

Taking its name from French’s research, Does Gender Matter?, the Task Force is an advisory body charged with increasing the representation of women in film and television since it was formed in 2016.

A returning Task Force member, French noted that the Gender Matters strategy had had a commendable impact.

“The initiative has created momentum to lobby for women and created greater visibility of their achievements,” she said.

However, the numerical participation had hardly moved in recent years, particularly in directing, according to French.

Professor Lisa French (far left, middle row) has been re-appointed to the Gender Matters Taskforce. Photo credit: Daniel Boud

Last year Screen Australia committed to a new headcount system that will see women take up 50% of key creative roles across all projects that receive Screen Australia development and production funding averaged across three-years.

While an important step, Screen Australia only represents a small component of the $3 billion local screen industry, with French noting there were systematic barriers to female involvement across the industry.

“There are several other challenges for women in Australia: sustainability, career development, the dominance of male gatekeepers, lack of access to financial capital, a history of masculine representation, and getting a first break in the industry,” she explained.

For its part RMIT is actively committed to gender equality in the workplace, recently receiving a Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation for a third consecutive year.

Story by: Diana Robertson

Art, Design and Culture

Society and Environment

03 March 2020

Art, Design and Culture

Society and Environment

03 March 2020

Media & Communication
Industry
Arts and culture

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Women flying the flag for gender equality in film and TV