Geena Davis producing a documentary on Hollywood gender inequality

“There’s been no real improvement in the number of female roles since 1946, and there’s still a dearth of female directors”

Jacob Stolworthy
Saturday 11 June 2016 13:18 BST
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UPDATE: It's been brought firmly to our attention that Davis has partnered with CreativeChaos vmg for the project. The Mary Sue spoke with co-founder Ilan Arboleda who will produce the film alongside Jennie Peters and Tom Donahue. Peters explained: “The development of this film happened when I (a co-producer on the project) and Tom Donahue were brainstorming film ideas over breakfast one day. We spent months in development with the team at CreativeChaos vmg, and after we finalised the direction for the film, we collectively approached Geena and the institute about coming on board the project as an executive producer.”

We very much look forward to seeing the finished product.

Geena Davis has embedded herself as a strong ambassador for gender equality within Hollywood, leading many campaigns and symposiums on the subject.

Now, she is to produce a documentary on the matter, one that promises to be a powerful word on a hugely prevalent issue. “There’s been no real improvement in the number of female roles since 1946," the actor said, adding that '...there’s still a dearth of female directors." Male director Tom Donahue will oversee the feature-length film, according to Variety.

It's been since stated that the filmmaker, who has previous filming HBO documentary Casting By, developed the idea himself, bringing it to Davis for all her proactive work in raising awareness of the problem.

Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media has gathered information and statistics that will be used in the documentary.

“I’ve been encouraged by my peers speaking out on gender disparity in recent years, but we still are not seeing the actual number change,” the actor said. “This documentary will allow us to share what has worked, and to highlight our successes and impact on the industry.

The film refreshingly plans to attempt to discover solutions to the issue through the use of testimonials from women working in Hollywood today.

Davis starred in several films throughout the Eighties and into the Nineties, including Beetlejuice, The Fly and Thelma and Louise. Next up, she'll star in a TV adaptation of classic horror The Exorcist and Marjorie Prime alongside Tim Robbins and Jon Hamm.

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