I'm a bit late on the curve for this, but it is worth mentioning that at last weekend's DGA awards, while the big press was focused on the film side, with Alejandro Inarritu winning for Birdman, over on the TV side, women swept the categories for directing in television for episodes of Transparent, Homeland and Olive Kitteridge.
- DRAMA: Lesli Linka Glatter, Homeland
- COMEDY: Jill Soloway, Transparent
- MOVIE/MINISERIES: Lisa Cholodenko, Olive Kitteridge
This is very cool, and very significant. I noticed back at the Golden Globes, when Soloway's Transparent and Sarah Tream's The Affair won the top prizes for television, that both shows were created and run by women as well, further speaking to the notion of women's increasing power behind the scenes in television. Of course, none of that translates to film, where women are routinely snubbed for their work, the biggest this year being the exclusion of Ava DuVernay for directing Selma, and even more shockingly, Gillian Flynn's screenplay for Gone Girl, which had won dozens of critics prizes. Some would say you could throw Angelina Jolie in there too for Unbroken's shutout, but in that case the movie sucked, so we're talking about talented people producing quality here, and going ignored for it. It's a shame that women's increased recognition and power in television isn't translating over to film, but it's a good thing for everyone who appreciates good TV- you could include the powerhouse that is Shonda Rimes, and Jenji Kohan's Orange is the New Black and it's clear that TV's moving into what could be a golden age for female storytellers.
