Grrls make movies: the emergence of women-led filmmaking initiatives for teenage girls

Afterimage, Nov-Dec, 2005 by Kathleen Sweeney

GIRLSFILMSCHOOL

In 2001, Fort, then a film professor at College of Santa Fe, decided to create a summer film program for teenage girls when she noticed that the majority of her undergraduate students were male. Spurred by studies indicating that girls learn better in single-sex environments, Fort established the GirlsFilmSchool to address the gender disparity in film departments and by extension in the industry. Despite some girls' initial reticence to learn filmmaking in a female-only setting, by the end of the program they often realize that the boys' absence allowed them to apply themselves more fully to the technology. "The girls will tell you that it works," Fort says. "I believe them. I've seen it." Fort would like to see the girls-only trend in technology education continue but is aware that "a lot of men, who are still in the majority in film programs, don't understand why it is important to have a single-sex environment. Fortunately my colleagues and the administrators at College of Santa Fe do understand." In addition, at the college level, Fort noticed that "the work of my female students is generally very different from that of my male students. The women tend to be much more interested in social issues.... The girls are generally more mature than the guys and you see it in their work. I almost never see drinking, pissing, fighting, guns, fast cars, sight gags, etc., in work by women students."

Fort perceives the collaborative tendencies of girls as a professional asset, because ultimately a film set requires teamwork and pooling of resources. "Many are techno-phobic when they arrive but once they get involved in their projects, even the most skittish overcome their fears. The small group mentoring definitely helps, as does the emphasis on community and collaboration."

While GirlsFilmSchool's two-week summer camp format focuses on digital video, self-portraiture, and animation, they also produce a narrative 16mm project, complete with sync sound, using dollies, audio equipment, and lights. Fort explains, "all the girls rotate though all the positions on the set.... It is one of the favorite activities because it is like a 'real' film set." Their alliance with College of Santa Fe affords them access to a variety of film formats, which sets them apart from other programs which use only digital video.

Graduates of GirlsFilmSchool have so far enrolled in film programs at College of Santa Fe, New York's Sarah Lawrence College, and New York University. Says Fort, "I write letters of recommendation for five or six girls a year.... The program is too young to see any real long-term effects, but we will." GirlsFilmSchool makes a huge effort to maintain a diverse student body, which means their funding efforts include offering one large scholarship. "New Mexico has a strong Hispanic and Native American population so we make an effort to get New Mexican girls who represent that demographic," says Fort.

GIRLS-EYE VIEW

Slagus developed Girls-Eye View at Eyebeam Atelier as a means of engaging middle-school girls from underserved populations in the practice of creating new media. Through a competitive application process, female teaching artists apply to work at Eyebeam to develop individual and group projects investigating media's influence on female identity. Since 2002, projects have included digital photography self-portraits, Web-related projects, and multimedia.