Seed & Spark: A Balancing Act: A Year of Film

At the same time I’d been reading a lot of reports about how underrepresented women filmmakers are. I’d seen a lot of fabulous films directed by women, but I recognized that there were many more women-made films I had yet to see. I actually had NO IDEA how true that was until I launched into this process, but that insight sparked my idea to create a year of film watching that focused on films made in the past ten years, and gender balanced my viewing. So here’s the vision: over the course of a year I’d watch films directed by women and men in equal number. Every day I’d see at least one feature film and one short. I chose to put my attention on films from the past decade, so I could tune in to the powerful energies of film creation arising on the planet at this time.

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This is a guest post by Barbara Ann O’Leary.

I’m having a great year in film viewing.  I attribute that in large part to my choice to take conscious charge of what I see. It’s a process, rocky at times, but it’s been an amazingly eye opening adventure.  I call it A Yearlong Film Viewing Balancing Act.

Yes, that’s a clunky name with a cryptic hashtag #yfvba, but I rather like it.  It’s a little strange and obsessive. I think I’m on to something.

I’m an enormous lover of film.  I watch a LOT of films, but I’d started questioning what my film viewing choices were based on.  Media hype?  Friends’ suggestions?  Whatever just happened to be showing at the local theater?  Pressure I put on myself to be able to say I’d seen all the so-called great films?

At the same time I’d been reading a lot of reports about how underrepresented women filmmakers are.  I’d seen a lot of fabulous films directed by women, but I recognized that there were many more women-made films I had yet to see.  I actually had NO IDEA how true that was until I launched into this process, but that insight sparked my idea to create a year of film watching that focused on films made in the past ten years, and gender balanced my viewing.  So here’s the vision: over the course of a year I’d watch films directed by women and men in equal number. Every day I’d see at least one feature film and one short.  I chose to put my attention on films from the past decade, so I could tune in to the powerful energies of film creation arising on the planet at this time.

Why not just dedicate myself to watching women-made films for a whole year?  That would be a great project too.  That might be what someone else needs to do, but for me it’s about inviting harmony. It’s about fostering balance in my own film-loving life, and it’s about recognizing that as an individual I have the power to impact the entire world of cinema through my film viewing choices.

What?  Change the entire world by film watching?!  Yes.  I really think so.

When I launched A Yearlong Film Viewing Balancing Act on May 4th, which was the day the idea struck me, I created a manifesto of sorts.  It started off like this:

“Today I begin a yearlong film viewing balancing act… where I dedicate myself to inviting authentic creative expression to flourish in the world in a balanced and harmonious way by bringing my attention to–and opening to receive–the creative motion picture outpourings of women and men filmmakers in equal measure.”

To me this was an act of power, a fierce awakening.  What we put our attention on grows in our own lives and in the world at large.  I’ve experienced that over and over again in my life.  When I ask myself what I want to see flourish in the world I get this crystal clear answer:  I want to live in a world where everyone’s authentic creative expression is honored, supported, and received fully.  Film is my favorite form of artistic expression, so it’s a natural place for me to bring my awareness.

Through A Yearlong Film Viewing Balancing Act I’m making an unshakable commitment to be awake to what films I’m experiencing.  I’m noticing and honoring who made them.  The film world responds to viewer demand–not instantaneously, but over time–and I’m doing my part to call forth balance.  Gender balance is not the only balance I value, but I’m inviting it to serve as a grounding force for balance in all other aspects of life.

Even if no one else is changed by this process, I know I will be.  I already am, and I’m only halfway through the 365 day process.  As I’ve been blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, and talking about the adventure with others, I am noticing that things are starting to shift in the wider world, so I’m gaining confidence that my actions are making a difference.  That’s delightful to me.

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Here are a few things that have already shifted in my life, because of this experience:

 

 

  • Starting out on this adventure I’d feared that to keep my theatrical film viewing even I would have to struggle, but although women-made films are underrepresented in theaters, I have been able to go out to see an even number of movies directed by women and men without difficulty.  Yes, it’s taken some focus and planning, but by combining multiplex, art house, and film festival viewings, I’ve been able to stay even.  As of today I have seen 23 man-made films, 24 woman-made films, and 4 films by mixed gender directing teams out at theaters.  Including films I’ve streamed, watched on disc or on TV, I’m up to 219 features. Men- and women-made films are running neck and neck.

 

  • It’s ridiculous to generalize about filmmakers by gender.  Each filmmaker is unique and expresses her or his own vision of self and world.  For instance, I’ve found both woman- and man-made films to be tender explorations of love and family. Jeff Nichols’ Mud, David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere, and Lake Bell’s In a World… come to mind.  And women-made films can be as harsh as any man’s.

 

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/Vatw1xlgZJM” title=”Ava%20DuVernay%27s%20Middle%20of%20Nowhere%20trailer”]

Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere trailer

 

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/b_gGlYCMye4″ title=”David%20Lowery%27s%20Ain%27t%20Them%20Bodies%20Saints%20trailer”]

David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints trailer

 

  • I feel more centered and grounded when I’m saying YES to authentic creative expression that arises in a balanced way.

 

The journey is ongoing.  If you’d like to join me, I’d love your company.  Come find me at O’Leary’s Reel Life on Tumblr, Twitter, or Facebook , etc.  Tell me how your film viewing adventures are unfolding. And stay tuned for my new podcast–under development.

 

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Barbara Ann O’Leary, Indiana University Cinema’s Outreach Specialist, loves to help people engage authentically. Recent projects include: Every Everything: The Music, Life & Times of Grant Hart (Executive Producer), Indy Film Festival (Screening Committee), Indiana Filmmakers Network Made in Bloomington Film Series (Programmer), Bloomington Screenwriting Community (Founder/Facilitator). A Film Explorer/Blogger, Barbara shares her adventures in film and reports on her initiative A Yearlong Film Viewing Balancing Act at O’Leary’s Reel Life: http://olearysreellife.tumblr.com/

 

5 thoughts on “Seed & Spark: A Balancing Act: A Year of Film”

  1. I enjoyed the film “Middle of Nowhere” by Ava DuVernay. Very beautiful film. Have you seen Ela Thier’s “Foreign Letters”? She resides in New York. My twin sister and I have flown to NYC twice from South Carolina to take a Producing and Screenwriting Class by Mrs. Thier.

    1. Thanks, Sharee. I’ll look for an opportunity to see Foreign Letters. I see it is distributed by Film Movement. I’m a member! I’ve added Ela to my IMDb list and Twitter list… though it looks like Ela’s been quiet on Twitter this past year!

      I’ve added you as well. Where can I see your films?

      1. This is Rhonda (Sharee’s twin). I actually wrote the original post above. My sister wrote 4 short films. Neither of us have majored in Film/journalism or Film School at all. We learned by attending workshops and looking at the “making of” on DVD movies. You can go to http://www.youtube.com/weconnectedprod to watch not on the 4 films, but our travel videos to Italy and China as well and other events we have attended.

        1. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for enjoying my blog post. This is my first one here… and I hope to be part of this vibrant space going forward.

          I’ve subscribed to your youtube channel. Was that your interview with Ava DuVernay at the pre-Oscar party? Ava came to IU Cinema this fall to screen some of her films and deliver a interview/conversation style lecture. We loved her visit. And her filmmaking is amazing. Middle of Nowhere blew me away.

          No need to go to film school to make films!

          Glad to have met you. See you on Twitter, etc.

      2. Thank you for the support. Another woman writer, director my sister and I were Blessed to have met was Erin Dalin from the Chicago area. We met in May 2012 at the Glory Reelz Christian Film Festival where We Connected Production’s “That’s Bull: Elijah and the Prophets of Wallstreet” won Best Short film and Erin’s “Broken & Beautiful” won Best feature film. We met again this past September for a Christian Film festival in Chicago that feature WCP’s “Take A Leap: Italy” documentary. Our post about Erin & trailer of “Broken & Beautiful”. http://wcptakealeap.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-is-my-passion-thursdays-meet-erin.html She is active on Twitter. Thank you.

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