On Sunday in Los Angeles, the Governors Awards’ eleventh ceremony was held to honour the stars who have brighten the film industry by leaving a mark throughout these years, with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honouring filmmakers David Lynch and Lina Wertmüller, actor Wes Studi, and humanitarian-award winner Geena Davis.
One of the most important people being award was Lina Wertmüller, the Italian screenwriter and director who, in 1975, was the first woman director nominated for an Oscar award, for Seven Beauties, starring Giancarlo Giannini. Not only did she make history “by being herself,” as Sophia Loren said, but also by giving a relevant example on gender parity which will represent a turning point for a social reality that, particularly in the field of cinema, is not focused enough on this issue.
Indeed, she was introduced on stage by Greta Gerwig and Jane Campion, who came out to emphasize the disparity between men and women. “How do you correct centuries of patriarchal domination?” Jane Campion asked. “It started with Lina Wertmüller.”
As the director accepted the recognition, she said “I would like to change the name Oscar to a feminine name — Anna.” She lived the history of cinema, which through the years faced many changes, most important of them are happening now, with the promotion of gender equality in the world of Hollywood’s exclusionary traditions.
The humanitarian recognition was awarded to the actress Geena Davis, who joined the gender parity debate by saying “The message we are sending [in society] is that men and boys are far more valuable to us than women and girls, Whatever you’re working on right now, boost the number of female characters”. During her career, she fought the gender gap as founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media which she established in 2004.
#Peace.Love.GenderParity
