For decades it has seemed that all of the news coming out of Hollywood has been dominated by the massive social inequalities which are endemic in the film and television industry. Women, ethnic minorities and other marginalised social groups have been chronically under- and mis-represented in films, television and awards shows, and the industry itself is locked into a hegemonic hierarchy; white, straight and male individuals get to the top much faster than women, particularly as part of ethnic minorities or other minority groups. Institutions like the Oscars have been riddled with accusations of gendered and racial inequality, and frequently we see celebrities taking a ‘stand’ on the red carpet, epitomised by Natalie Portman’s Oscars appearance, at which she wore a cape embroidered with the names of female directors whose work has not been nominated by the academy, despite being the only female director employed by her production company. However, it is not all doom and gloom. There is a silent revolution sweeping the film production industry, which involves some very big names, and it is changing the nature not just of Hollywood, but of celebrity culture and social inequality as a whole. This is a revolution which proves that the most important work towards equality takes place not on the red carpet, but in screenwriting meetings and production studios.
In 2000, Reese Witherspoon founded her first film production company, Type A Films, which eventually morphed into Hello Sunshine, founded in 2016 with Seth Rodsky and Otter Media. Throughout this transformation of her company, Witherspoon has always had the same main goal: to put women’s stories and experience at the heart of her work. Despite receiving very little media attention (perhaps indicative of the Hollywood culture in itself), Hello Sunshine in both its present and previous forms has been responsible for some of the biggest films and television shows of the last decade, including Gone Girl, for which Rosamund Pike won an Oscar, and Big Little Lies, the hit HBO show which has already enjoyed an incredibly successful second season. Without a doubt, Witherspoon is demonstrating to Hollywood that women do have stories worth telling, and are capable of telling them.
Enjoying the article? Go to https://www.flipsnack.com/thebrightsidemag/the-bright-side-issue-01.html to read the full version, and see the other articles we have for you this month!
Enter your email in the form below to subscribe to our mailing list and stay up-to-date with all things The Bright Side, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get some behind the scenes insights and sneak peeks!
Thank you!
The Bright Side team
Commentaires