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Challenges Of Independent Women Filmmakers In Bangladesh
And Potential Solutions
BRAC University
CST307: Art, Community, and The Future
Name: Shuzosh Rahman
ID: 19211001
Section: 01
Instructor:SM Mahfuzur Rahman
24th Of December, 2022
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Abstract
The purpose of this research project is to discuss some challenges of women’s independent
filmmaking in Bangladesh and look into potential solutions as to how we can help the women
filmmakers of the indie filmmaking community. The challenges include generally less funding for
women filmmakers compared to men, and interpersonal relationships and societal circumstances
that heavily discourage women from pursuing filmmaking. Through interviewing multiple indie
women filmmakers, we were able to get some insights into these issues in the context of
Bangladesh. Alongside these interviews as primary research, secondary research had been
involved extensively. To this day, the societal norms of Bangladesh withhold women from
reaching their full potential as filmmakers. As such, potential solutions are suggested to have a
specific funding system for women filmmakers and improve the mentality of the people.
Keywords: Independent Filmmaking, Women’s issues,
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Introduction
When we think of famous indie filmmakers, how many of them are women? When we
look into famous women filmmakers in Bangladesh, very few, if any, come to mind, though they
have been a part of indie filmmaking for a long time. Though no research has been conducted on
the state and challenges of women in indie filmmaking in Bangladesh, the USA and other
countries have extensive knowledge on this topic. Out of many issues, (Smith, 2013) has
explored issues such as inequality in financing, gender stereotypes, and family and workplace
discrimination. The study suggested the use of mentorship and greater financial access for the
women working in the field for greater longevity of their careers. While we are aware of the
situation outside, very little is known about the problems in Bangladesh. Eerily, yet not
surprisingly, similar challenges and barriers for women in the industry have been observed and
upon interviewing with a few women indie filmmakers, a couple of solutions has been proposed
in the paper related to mentorship and gender specific financing programs.
Literature Review
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges of independent women filmmakers
in Bangladesh. We want to look into the challenges that women face when going into
independent film production such as getting less funding for their films, biases against women,
getting by in a male-dominated sphere. We will also look into potential solutions in which we
can close this gap and have a more balanced workforce in this industry. Very little research has
been done on the challenges of independent filmmakers in Bangladesh, let alone women’s
challenges in particular. However, much research has been done on this in the U.S.; mainly, we
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will be focusing on two papers, one from Stacy L. Smith et al, and another from Martha M.
Lauzen.
We first look into a paper from Stacy L. Smith et al in collaboration with Sundance
Institute (Smith, 2013). The purpose of their research has been to see how women have been
doing in the independent film industry and explore barriers and solutions. In general, the
percentage of women working in films was less than men and there is no sustained change in
women’s participation. Men still tend to dominate women in more prestigious categories such as
premiere and niche films. Challenges and barriers to entry for women have been recorded, which
is our main topic of discussion. Many respondents have mentioned a key challenge has been
getting adequate funding for their films as that sector is controlled mainly by men. As the
industry is dominated by men, women tend to have less networking power and physical
connections. Stereotypes and gender biases against women could hamper proper hiring and
balancing work and family. In light of this, potential solutions such as mentorship, better
financial access to women, and raising awareness have been proposed. In addition, they surveyed
51 emerging and experienced individuals in the field to gain insight into the kind of issues
women face in this industry. The authors concluded with the importance of addressing the hiring
and financing practices to enhance career sustainability and “valuing the artistic merit of
female-created stories and recognizing their commercial appeal” as an important step towards a
better future.
However, with the paper being a decade old, the data is likely to change. In contrast to
the previous paper’s findings, a sustained increase in women’s participation in filmmaking from
2008 to 2022 has been observed in a report by Indie Women (Lauzen et al., 2022). Smith’s
research is based on only one particular film festival, so not may be an accurate representation of
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the general state of filmmaking. But Lauzen takes into account 20 high-profile festivals in the
U.S. and gives us more recent data. We once again find less representation of women in the
filmmaking process, albeit smaller than before. However, this paper does not look into women’s
current challenges in the field and no recent research was found pertaining to that matter.
Little to no research article has been found about the obstacles women face in
independent filmmaking in the context of Bangladesh. Despite the lackings of previous papers,
we can use them as a good starting point for our own research and try to assess women’s
challenges in regard to funding, gender stereotyping, and lack of connections in a
male-dominated sector.
Community Mapping
Fig 01: Places of the Indie Filmmakers
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Methods
As mentioned before, little to no research had been done on this topic of indie women
filmmakers’ issues as of now. It is important to understand how the results of the patriarchal
society in this country affect the women in this industry. As such, to conduct this research, we
used qualitative data collection through the use of in-depth interviews (IDIs) with the
participants. IDIs are very much useful in this research as it helps build a good rapport between
the interviewer and the interviewee, making the data less prone to errors (Strengths &
Limitations of the In-Depth Interview Method: An Overview, 2019). In addition, the flexibility
that comes with IDIs helps to find more nuanced answers that increase the overall quality of the
data.
The participants for the IDIs (in-depth interviews) were chosen and asked for the
interviews based on the following characteristics: must be a woman, must be an active filmmaker
in the indie filmmaking industry, must be based in Bangladesh, and have a few years of
experience working in the field. Alongside the primary research, a lot of secondary research has
been extensively done to compare the findings of papers outside of Bangladesh.
We wanted to gain knowledge from our interviewees about two specific challenges that
had been hypothesized beforehand and that we had found during the secondary research phase.
Firstly, we wanted to learn about the funding inequality aspect. And secondly, we wanted to
know the societal norms of this country affect their ability to pursue filmmaking.
Results and Discussions
Upon doing the IDIs, we were able to extract some valuable data on the lives of these
women filmmakers and how they managed to get to where they are today. Of course, as per the
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topic of this paper, we learned a lot about their struggles trying to achieve their goals and the
challenges they are still facing.
Gendered Finance
Whenever we discuss the topic of indie filmmaking, funding, or lack thereof, is always a
big issue. Not being able to acquire the right amount of funding can sometimes ruin a
well-thought-out project. In indie filmmaking, the budget is almost always tight, and the
producers and directors need to cut a lot of corners to be able to get their work done. However, as
it stands, there is a big likelihood for women filmmakers to get the same amount of funding as
their male peers. "Gendered Finance" is what we refer to as inequality in financing for projects.
Based on the gender of the filmmaker pitching the idea, there is a likelihood that women are to
get less funding. In regards to foreign funding, this is not observed and the distribution of capital
is fairly equal. But in Bangladesh, this lack of funding opportunities is observed in rather unique
ways.
According to one of the interviewees, it is extremely difficult to get government funding
for one's project due to a lack of connections. In this country or any country for that matter, one
needs a lot of connections if one wants to lead a less hectic life. "A ton of bureaucracy exists in
the filming sphere" one interviewee added. The interviewee added that it is not possible for her
to just call someone with ties to the main financiers and get them to make the funding process
faster. Given that her family has no ties with the filmmaking sphere, she has almost zero
connections to get the fundings she needs for her projects. Another interviewee agreed with her
sentiment. They added that it is extremely difficult to form new connections and networks for
women in this male-dominated field.
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Firstly, the interviewees talked about how difficult it is for women filmmakers to form
connections with men due to social expectations. “As a woman, it is not expected of me to talk
directly with men. Rather, I should be talking in a ‘cute’ way and asking for favors gently.
However, I can not do that as a filmmaker. When they see me talking directly with them in a
‘male’ way, their expectation is broken, I become an alien to them”, added an interviewee. She
also discussed ways in which men can easily form connections with each other, while it is not
possible for women to do the same. For example, men are allowed to smoke cigarettes outside in
open spaces. She, on the other hand, does not smoke- making her lose one way of forming links.
However, even if a woman smokes, the societal norms dictate that women should smoke inside
without anyone watching- because it is bad for women to do so. They get heavily ostracized for
it. Due to these reasons, women filmmakers are unable to connect with essential figures who
could help them with their funding. In addition, it is also true that the financing world is
extremely male-dominated. And due to biases that exist surrounding women, women tend to not
get trust with money- and as such, get less funding overall. Thus, we find that a general stigma
surrounding women results in them getting less overall funding in Bangladesh, while the system
is fairly equal for foreign funding.
Family Challenges
For almost all children, family is the first line of contact and development. How we grow
up and view the world is heavily shaped by the people around us, whether it's good or bad.
Family such as our parents or siblings or spouse encourage or discourage us to pursue certain
things in life. However, what happens when they try to stop us from pursuing our goals? That is
something that many women working in the indie filmmaking industry face.
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An interviewee told us about how her father heavily disapproved of her willingness to
become a filmmaker. And as such, they had a slight fall out. "Of course", she added, "it is
reasonable to want your child to pursue a more stable job so that they can support their family”.
Most children have an expectation of being able to support their family to some capacity. Either
financially or other means. The financial aspect is usually taken into consideration when it comes
to boys. As for girls, most of them are expected to be housewives, or at most, get some sort of
job as an extra income source for the family. So when girls try to pursue risky endeavors, they
are typically discouraged. Those risks are only permitted for men to take. The general constraint
for girls in this country to be able to take risks and pursue predominantly male-domnated sectors
due to family expectations posing from social norms- ends up being a barrier to entry for many
girls who want to pursue this career.
Another point that the other interviewee pointed out was the difficulty of going into
marriage. As discussed before, the girls of the families have a certain kind of expectation for
what kind of careers they can and can not pursue. And after marriage, they are also expected to
take care of the in-laws. That is the general case we see in this country. As such, many women
are even scared to get into a relationship in the fear that they won’t be able to keep a good
balance between the two and have to choose one over the other. “Some of my colleagues are
scared to get into a relationship even if they are interested in dating and getting married”, said the
interviewee.
Social Alienation
Social alienation is something that was discussed extensively. An interviewee mentioned
that she sometimes feels like an alien to the outside world. As per her job, she would have to
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carry a lot of equipment and find herself as one of the only few women working in the area. “We
don’t see a lot of women going out and working. The ones we see typically wear some sort of
scarf, taking orders from the men of higher position. Whereas I, as a director, need to give orders
and talk in a way that ‘man’ does. That makes me an alien to people around me”, she added.
“When working under someone, women are seen as brainless animals. And so, they are given far
more work than the rest for less pay. Getting singled out for being a woman feels extremely
alienating”.
Another kind of social alienation the interviewee was in regards to the mindset of the
girls around her. She said that many girls do not have the aspirations to pursue something more
than a small job and getting a good husband. “That is the mindset they have grown up with. And
when they found out that I have a different goal, they would see me as an alien”. In addition, she
talked about jealousy and hatred amongst women that she doesn’t see amongst men. “A senior
women filmmaker does not share anything with a junior women filmmaker. From my point of
view, they don’t want the juniors to succeed like they did. They don’t communicate with the
juniors much either. This does not seem to be the case for men, on the other hand”.
Potential Solutions
In light of these issues, we have come up with a couple of solutions that could potentially
help reduce the barriers for women who want to pursue a career in this field and ease the issue of
funding so that we can have an equal opportunity and playing field. The root issue that brings
about all these other issues is biases. “Women can do this, they can’t do that”, we at times put
individuals in certain boxes that may or may not apply to them. As such, the one thing that needs
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to be dealt with is the mentality of the people. But, this is not something that can be done easily.
Even the most free thinkers have biases and prejudice. It is not something that we can wish away.
However, it certainly is possible to try something that may impact the lives of these people for
the better.
Mentorship Programs
Mentorship programs are a great way to connect those in the higher plane to help and
educate the juniors of the field and pass down knowledge. Similar to workshops, but more
interactive. As mentioned previously by one of the interviewees, the seniors tend to not pass
down their knowledge and act as a proper role model for the juniors. As such, having these kinds
of mentorship programs could likely de-mystify a lot of the issues for a beginner filmmaker.
Another thing is that we have to make these mentorship programs more wide-spread, and just
hidden somewhere. The use of social media to spread the news of mentorship programs, and
more specially programs for women, is highly likely to get people interested. Sociology teaches
us about the term “affirmative actions” which refers to an action or protocol to empower the
minority. As such, it is possible to provide financial incentives such as scholarships and funds to
those participating in the programs. If the steps to reach the end are known, then it is easier to
walk those steps. The interviewees all have agreed that if there are more independent filmmakers
who are women, the family members are more assured that it is a viable path for a career and
would not hold them back too much. In addition to career reliability, this is likely to help change
the mentality of the general population that women are not good at filmmaking or can not be
trusted with money- and therefore, overall funding opportunities are likely to increase.
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Gender Specific Funding Programs
On the topic of affirmative action, another example could be gender specific funding
programs. WIF and The Sundance Institute have been working to make equal opportunities for
women filmmakers financially (WIF | The Sundance InstituteFinancing Intensive, n.d.). If such a
measure were to be placed in Bangladesh, the likelihood of women working in the industry may
increase. As one interview put it “All the local buses have 4-9 seats fixed for women. It isn’t
much, but at least there is some sort of system. And so, if the girls have taken the steps of
convincing their family that they really want to work in this industry, this funding system could
help them push a bit further”. There have been several such funding programs with varying
degrees of success.
However, one interviewee did show some level of discomfort with the idea of having
women specific programs as it may devalue the women filmmakers work. “I am not too fond of
the idea of labeling this and that with ‘women’ and making it about that. Rather, why can’t we be
strong? ”
Conclusions
Our goal of this research project has been to identify the obstacles and barriers and indie
women filmmakers face and how they affect them. From our research, it is clear that, in
Bangladesh, it is hard for female indie filmmakers to work properly due to generally fewer
funding opportunities besides outside grant programs, and societal expectations and biases in
regards to women in family and work situations are some of the larger thorns that affect their
potential. Given the general lack of interest for the public in this sector, it is still essential to look
into it and help change the mindsets of the people who intentionally or unintentionally become
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barriers for women with potential to make it as a famous indie filmmaker. The solutions
proposed here are a step in the right direction for a better and more egalitarian future.
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References
Lauzen, M. M. (n.d.). Indie Women: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women in U.S.
Independent Film, 2021-22. Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film.
Retrieved December 24, 2022, from
https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2021-22-Indie-Women-Rep
ort-1.pdf
Smith, S. L. (2013, January 21). Exploring the Barriers and Opportunities for Independent
Women Filmmakers. Women in Film and Television Vancouver. Retrieved December 24,
2022, from
https://annenberg.usc.edu/sites/default/files/MDSCI_2013_Exploring-The-Barriers.pdf
Strengths & Limitations of the In-depth Interview Method: An Overview. (2019, March 30).
Research Design Review. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from
https://researchdesignreview.com/2019/03/30/strengths-limitations-in-depth-interview-m
ethod/
WIF | The Sundance InstituteFinancing Intensive. (n.d.). Women in Film. Retrieved December
24, 2022, from https://womeninfilm.org/programs/financing/
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