In Debra Zimmerman
and Women Make Movies by Judith Redding and Victoria A. Brownsworth, in
quote, "a major problem, even today, is convincing men that films by and
about women are important" (265).
As I am progressing
in this class, Women and Media, I have realized this very quote is essential to
implementing change. The first order of business is to acknowledge the
problem; mass media is filled with ideas of men, controlled by men.
Because of this male dominance in mass media particularly in films, there
appears to be no need for films about women and by women. Why? Because the
story of the MASS is already being told.
Sadly, women are not
the only ones who get the sour end of the stick, "minorities” are not
considered in the loop of films neither. Instead of fulfilling a status
quo, or including "blackness”, Bell Hook's in Reel to Real, suggest that filmmakers think in constructive ways
about how black characters are represented (7). In particular, she says
"while these filmmakers made use of border crossing and themes of cultural
hybridity, they do not do so in any way that was particularly subversive and/or
enlightening.... the ways transgressive imagery of a nonwhite "other"
is used in the work of these filmmakers without challenging stereotypes or
existing structures of domination" (8). What Bell Hooks is
challenging is not the exclusion of blacks but the lack of giving depth to
black characters as well as perpetrating stereotypes of black people.
The truly sad fact
of the matter is the disconnect from some male filmmakers with their work,
Bell Hooks explains how Spike Lee removes himself from his ‘artistic accountability’
as just documenting life ‘as is’ (9). Is this true? Should male
filmmakers be allowed to portray images of women and ‘minorities’ on screen as
documenting life ‘as is’ with no accountability, or is this a male cop out? In Debra Zimmerman and Women make Movies by
Judith Redding and Victoria A. Brownsworth, they include a quote from Catherine
Saalfield, “For me, film making is one of the most efficient, creative and
satisfying form of activism” (66). Here you see Catherine taking
accountability for what her films display.
In Author/Auteur: Feminist Literary Theory and
Feminist Film by Maggie Humm, Humm focuses on Marleen Gorris's films;
particularly examining the authorship in her films. Humm’s includes a
quote from Gorris which suggest her connection with her films, “Gorris argues
that with A Question of Silence she started writing something which turned out
in the end to be a film script… I just started writing to myself” (101).
As you can see from both women filmmakers, they have a voice in their films and
I think Spike Lee is no different.
Over the spring break,
I had the pleasure of viewing an American drama film called Stoning of
Soraya M. directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh.
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| http://www.thestranger.com/binary/1867/Film_TheStoningOfSorayaM-570 |
I was referred
to watch this movie but was advised to be aware of the graphics displayed in
the film. The film takes place Iran. Without giving away the movie, the
plot involves a murder of an innocent woman, a woman who is also a wife and mother of four. What makes this movie so compelling is that it's based on a
true story about a book entitled La Femme Lapidée which is banned in Iran
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stoning_of_Soraya_M.).
What also makes this
movie so controversial is its director, Cyrus Nowrasteh. Cyrus Nowrasteh
is widely known for his involvement in the docudrama The Path to 9/11 which
places blame on the Clinton administration for the events that led up to 9/11 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_Nowrasteh).
Therefore, he is no stranger to controversy; creating films that bring
awareness to issues that affect us all. Although this movie is
directed by a man, it is a story about a woman, a woman was shown injustice and a woman who could have been our mother, daughter or sister.
Also important to note, the film was written by his wife, Betsy Giffen
Nowrasteh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_Nowrasteh).
I have chosen this
film as my alternative media because it is a film that has made a
difference. The Stoning of Sonaya M. caused such an uproar that
the Iranian government had considered a ban on stoning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_Nowrasteh).
Today, stoning is banned in Iran but there are still some loop holes (http://digitaljournal.com/article/319593).
Consequently, it took the courage of one woman to share this story with the
world. In this small village, controlled by men, she dared to speak when
the men shunned her and today we have the privilege of seeing the results..
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| http://angrywhitedude.com/wp-content/uploads2/2011/04/The-Stoning-of-Soraya-M..jpg |
Lastly, as I
watched this film via Netflix, I thought of the voices of many women and
"minorities" that are minimized each and every day. It also
bothered me that this movie was not advertised widely, constantly or rapidly. I want to encourage everyone to watch the film, and suggest others
to watch it as well.
The voice of one woman made a difference, how much more can our voices force a change not only in film and mass media but the WORLD!
Here is
the official trailer of the movie http://youtu.be/1aRQlb6lGLc
For those who are interested in watching commentary about the film and the reactions it caused as well some knowledge about Iran and its stoning, I have placed a video down below, please note the video is 2 years old and things have progressed since then.
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