1 00:00:07,855 --> 00:00:11,847 As you might have guessed, I watch a lot of movies, my favourites are science fiction 2 00:00:11,847 --> 00:00:17,655 but also action, dramas, and thrillers and I'll even admit the occasional romantic comedy. 3 00:00:17,655 --> 00:00:22,134 If you go to the movies a lot too you may have noticed something that the vast majority of these films 4 00:00:22,134 --> 00:00:25,845 have in common, most of the movies seem to be stories about men. 5 00:00:25,845 --> 00:00:32,438 One of the primary reasons Hollywood continually churns out films about men is because we live in a male centered society. 6 00:00:32,438 --> 00:00:37,215 Most simply, male centeredness is an aspect of patriarchy that shows us that we place and prioritize 7 00:00:37,215 --> 00:00:43,064 our attention on men, men's stories, the things men want to do and the things men don't do. 8 00:00:43,064 --> 00:00:46,948 As a result, the images we see in the media often focus on male-centered stories. 9 00:00:46,948 --> 00:00:50,792 One way to demonstrate male centeredness is not only to look at the films being made 10 00:00:50,792 --> 00:00:53,734 but which films are most celebrated and honoured. 11 00:00:53,734 --> 00:00:58,413 To do this, I looked up the films that won the Academy Award for best picture over the last 50 years. 12 00:00:58,413 --> 00:01:01,221 Let's see whose stories are being told? 13 00:01:01,221 --> 00:01:05,405 Starting in 2009 is The Hurt Locker which although directed by a woman is still all about men. 14 00:01:05,405 --> 00:01:07,410 Slumdog Millionaire - men 15 00:01:07,410 --> 00:01:10,318 No Country for Old Men - need I say more 16 00:01:10,318 --> 00:01:11,822 The Departed - is about men 17 00:01:11,822 --> 00:01:13,694 Crash - is an ensemble 18 00:01:13,694 --> 00:01:18,146 Million Dollar Baby - is interesting because it's pretty equally a story about a man and a woman. 19 00:01:18,146 --> 00:01:19,788 Lord of the Rings - men 20 00:01:19,788 --> 00:01:21,890 Chicago - is woman centered 21 00:01:21,890 --> 00:01:23,795 A Beautiful Mind - men 22 00:01:23,795 --> 00:01:26,102 Gladiator - is about a man who fights other men 23 00:01:26,102 --> 00:01:27,472 American Beauty - man 24 00:01:27,472 --> 00:01:29,277 Shakespeare in Love - man 25 00:01:29,277 --> 00:01:31,517 Titanic - is from a man's perspective 26 00:01:31,517 --> 00:01:32,787 The English Patient - man 27 00:01:32,787 --> 00:01:33,925 Braveheart - man 28 00:01:33,925 --> 00:01:34,998 Forrest Gump - man 29 00:01:34,998 --> 00:01:36,268 Schindler's List - man 30 00:01:36,268 --> 00:01:38,441 The Unforgiven - is about men on horses 31 00:01:38,441 --> 00:01:42,105 The Silence of the Lambs - is about a man who eats people, and this is interesting because although 32 00:01:42,105 --> 00:01:47,165 Jodi Foster's character plays a pretty big role in the film, you would never describe it as a movie about 33 00:01:47,165 --> 00:01:52,186 an FBI agent who... you would describe it as a movie about Hannibal Lecter. 34 00:01:52,186 --> 00:01:53,656 Dances with Wolves - man 35 00:01:53,656 --> 00:01:55,963 Driving Miss Daisy - is about a man and a woman 36 00:01:55,963 --> 00:01:58,027 Rain Man - is about a man and his brother 37 00:01:58,027 --> 00:01:59,792 The Last Emperor - man 38 00:01:59,792 --> 00:02:00,776 Platoon - man 39 00:02:00,776 --> 00:02:03,016 Out of Africa - is woman centered 40 00:02:03,016 --> 00:02:04,759 Amadeus - is about a man 41 00:02:04,759 --> 00:02:06,898 Terms of Endearment - is woman centered 42 00:02:06,898 --> 00:02:10,074 Gandhi - is about a man, albeit a pretty extraordinary one 43 00:02:10,074 --> 00:02:12,012 Chariots of Fire - men 44 00:02:12,012 --> 00:02:13,617 Ordinary People - is about a family 45 00:02:13,617 --> 00:02:15,723 Kramer vs Kramer - is about a couple 46 00:02:15,723 --> 00:02:17,494 The Deer Hunter - men 47 00:02:17,494 --> 00:02:19,166 Annie Hall - is about a man and his love life 48 00:02:19,166 --> 00:02:23,250 Rocky - is about a man who fights other men, again 49 00:02:23,250 --> 00:02:25,490 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - man 50 00:02:25,490 --> 00:02:27,562 The Godfather, Part II - men 51 00:02:27,562 --> 00:02:29,300 The Sting - is about two con men 52 00:02:29,300 --> 00:02:31,239 The Godfather, Part I - men 53 00:02:31,239 --> 00:02:33,211 The French Connection - is about men 54 00:02:33,211 --> 00:02:34,281 Patton - men 55 00:02:34,281 --> 00:02:36,024 Midnight Cowboy - is a man 56 00:02:36,024 --> 00:02:37,963 Oliver! - is a boy 57 00:02:37,963 --> 00:02:39,835 In the Heat of the Night - is about men 58 00:02:39,835 --> 00:02:42,108 A Man for All Seasons - man 59 00:02:42,108 --> 00:02:44,314 The Sound of Music - is woman centered 60 00:02:44,314 --> 00:02:48,960 My Fair Lady - is another interesting one because it's pretty equally about both a man and a woman's story 61 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:50,704 Tom Jones - man 62 00:02:50,704 --> 00:02:55,016 Lawrence of Arabia - is so male centered that there aren't even any female speaking roles in it 63 00:02:55,016 --> 00:02:57,690 West Side Story - is about both a man and a woman 64 00:02:57,690 --> 00:03:02,203 And finally in 1960 is The Apartment which is from a man's perspective 65 00:03:02,203 --> 00:03:07,292 So only 4 out of 50 of these films are exclusively centered on women's lives. 66 00:03:07,292 --> 00:03:12,537 The vast majority are films about men and their lives and although there are some ensemble casts 67 00:03:12,537 --> 00:03:15,136 women often play secondary or stereotypical roles. 68 00:03:15,136 --> 00:03:19,723 Year after year we see men's stories being created, produced, celebrated and honoured 69 00:03:19,723 --> 00:03:22,872 while women's stories take a back seat or aren't even represented. 70 00:03:22,872 --> 00:03:25,880 And it's also behind the scenes in Hollywood that is dominated by men. 71 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:31,061 It's astonishing that Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to have ever won an academy award 72 00:03:31,061 --> 00:03:35,206 for best director in it's 83 year history, and she won for "The Hurt Locker" in 2009, 73 00:03:35,206 --> 00:03:37,919 which is most definitely a male-centered film. 74 00:03:37,919 --> 00:03:41,562 In fact only 4 women have ever even been nominated for best director. 75 00:03:41,562 --> 00:03:46,443 And what's more startling is that women only account for 7% of all Hollywood directors. 76 00:03:46,443 --> 00:03:51,097 Hollywood executives, production companies, financial investors and backers are most interested 77 00:03:51,097 --> 00:03:55,765 in marketing to young men and funding stories that they, as men, can relate to. 78 00:03:55,765 --> 00:04:00,588 Thus they fund and produce the majority of Hollywood films to appeal to this demographic. 79 00:04:00,588 --> 00:04:04,532 Obviously, I want to see a many, many more films that are centered on women's lives, 80 00:04:04,532 --> 00:04:09,522 however it's important to note that just because a film is women centric films doesn't mean it can't still be sexist. 81 00:04:09,522 --> 00:04:15,087 For instance, in so called "chick flicks" women are often depicted in stereotypical gender roles 82 00:04:15,087 --> 00:04:18,911 being obsessed with shopping, love and finding "Mr. Right". 83 00:04:18,911 --> 00:04:21,721 I want to see more films that depict women as full and complete human beings 84 00:04:21,721 --> 00:04:23,955 not stuck in stereotypical gender roles. 85 00:04:23,955 --> 00:04:29,346 And just so we are absolutely clear... I'm not saying men's stories aren't good, important or interesting, 86 00:04:29,346 --> 00:04:34,093 but I want to point out that they are disproportionally valued and most rewarded in our society. 87 00:04:34,093 --> 00:04:37,435 Here are a few simple questions you can keep in mind next time you're watching a movie, 88 00:04:37,435 --> 00:04:40,785 to help you identify whether a story is male centered or female centered. 89 00:04:40,785 --> 00:04:43,028 Who has the most screen time? 90 00:04:43,028 --> 00:04:45,362 Whose perspective do we see the scene from? 91 00:04:45,362 --> 00:04:48,505 Whose story arc does the plot revolve around? 92 00:04:48,505 --> 00:04:50,978 Do we see them make decisions? 93 00:04:50,978 --> 00:04:53,361 Who do we most identify with?