Women in Entertainment

“I always knew where I wanted to go. How I was going to get there – I wasn't sure.

“A production designer has to deal with all the central pivotal aspects on a film; construction rigging, lighting, huge special effects, everything – and it is male dominated”, explains Oscar nominated production designer (Anna Karenina – 2012) Sarah Greenwood, one of the few women flourishing in this field. “The hours are about 8 a.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from – if you barely speak the language, or genders – it all comes down to the work done at one's desk and what you have to offer”, asserts Carolina Lopez Dau about working in the male- dominated field of animation. One of the growing number of women in the industry, the Pixar employee grew up watching cartoons and playing video games with her brothers and their friends in her native Spain.

We are all familiar with the statistics: 8% of first time directors are women. 5% of films made are by women.

The sun came out and smiled: Cannes was dominated by women, even if for a moment. As the 69th edition of the festival comes to a pivot point - the halfway mark, the critical first weekend when trends and favorites begin to pop up - one title was on everybody's lips: American Honey, a long (162 minutes), dazzling exploration of millenial angst on the roads of America, served straight up from the mind of director Andrea Arnold, a two-twice Jury Prize winner in Cannes.

“People presume that because of the relatively small number of women who are directors, when a woman directs it's a sexist set,” says Liza Johnson, the director of Elvis & Nixon. The very funny movie depicts the actual meeting of the King and the 37th president and stars Kevin Spacey and Michael Shannon.

Costume designer Peggy Schnitzer delved into old news footage, magazines and photographs of the sixties and early seventies from Washington D. C.

“No, being a woman does not make it more difficult to direct action sequences,” laughs Susanne Bier, dismissing the possible explanation for why studios and production companies fail to give tentpole projects to women directors. “Directing an action sequence is no different than any other part of visual storytelling.

Intrigue. Passion.

If you have seen The Hunger Games, Beasts of No Nation, Selma or the television show Outsiders – which was just renewed for a second season on WGN America – then you have experienced the work of Tracy McKnight. The prolific Music Supervisor and Executive Music Producer’s work includes documentaries, television and features (blockbuster tentpole fare and independents alike).