Women cinema takes an important role for feminists today by allowing them to express their feelings into artistic works, to spread their messages to the public. According to WomenArts, a survey study on women in theatre showed that only 17% are female writers and 16% are female directors out of 2000 plays in 2001-2002. It is very difficult for female filmmakers to get involve in such a male dominant occupation and to express their ideas from females' perspective. While I researched upon this topic, I found many brilliant female filmmakers, but this one really captivate me, Mimi Chakarova.
Mimi Chakarova is a photographer and filmmaker who covered global issues examining conflict, corruption and the sex trade. She received her BFA in photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and her MA in visual studies from UC Berkeley. She has had numerous solo exhibitions of her documentary projects on South Africa, Jamaica, Cuba, Kashmir and Eastern Europe (F8Magazine).
One of her most recent work is the film The Price of Sex, it is about young Eastern European women who’ve been drawn into a netherworld of sex trafficking and abuse. These women were offered by jobs such as waitress or receptionists; however, they did not realize the truth until they got in the traps. Photojournalist Mimi Chakarova, filming undercover to expose the dark side of the world of sex trafficking from Eastern Europe to Middle East. This documentary revealed the harsh reality women are encountering today, thus helping us to be aware of the issues occurring nowadays to women.
As an auteur, the purpose to make a film is to express one’s own points of view towards the society. Chakarova once stated, “The real reason for doing the work is the refusal to be complacent or to consume what others serve you. It’s the hunger to be out there and see reality with your own eyes” (F8Magazine). Base on her words, she tried to tell the public that information from mainstream media are often bias, and is not enough and we are not satisfy with this little information. People do have the power to dig for the truth within the society and to inform others, making them aware of hidden issues ongoing around the world. The auteur theory is reflects how each director connects the film to their personal lives as they filming it. From the films, audience are often capable to see what the director is trying to say.
"A major problem even today, is convincing men that films by and about women are important" (Zimmerman, 265). I agree with her ideas, that there are many feminist films out there, but the purpose of these films is to change people's mind, especially men. In Chakarova's website, her films and photos taken from Eastern Europe exposed much information that we wouldn't know before.
Works Cited
CIRvideos. "The Price of Sex (Trailer)." YouTube. YouTube, 09 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZGPEclrEEM>.
"Mimi Chakarova." F8Magazine: Documentary Photography & Photojournalism Magazine. 8 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <http://www.f8mag.com/porfolios/item/mimi-chakarova>.
Zimmerman, Debra. "Women Make Movies." Redding/Brownworth. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 261-265. Print.
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