rundown
Kristen Stewart spoke out about gender inequality in Hollywood during her keynote address at the Academy Women’s Luncheon. Actress and director Kristen Stewart, who directed the upcoming film The History of Water, said the film industry is in a “state of emergency” and urged women in the industry to reclaim their voices and pave the way for up-and-coming creators.
On November 4th, Kristen Stewart delivered a powerful message at the Academy Women’s Luncheon hosted by Chanel and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The actress and filmmaker, whose feature directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, is scheduled for release on December 10th, gave a keynote speech in which she bluntly warned about Hollywood’s rollback in gender equality, calling it a “state of emergency.”
Looking back on the years since #MeToo, she recalled the moment when women finally felt like they might be free to tell their stories without apology. “In the post-#MeToo moment, it seemed like stories created by women, for women, could finally be valued, and we could be allowed or even encouraged to express ourselves, our shared experiences, all of our experiences, without filters. ” she began, addressing the audience that included director Patty Jenkins, Kate Hudson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Felicity Jones, Tessa Thompson, Alicia Silverstone, Ruth E. Carter and Stewart’s wife. Dylan Meyer.
“But we can now prove that bare-knuckle fights fall on all frames when the content is too dark, too taboo, and when frank discussion of experiences that women go through on a daily basis often provokes disgust and rejection.”
Ms Stewart, who is in a “hormonal state”, acknowledged the discomfort that comes with calling out inequality, but added: “For some people, talking about inequality is uncomfortable, but it’s even more uncomfortable when the nature of the inequality is temporary,” she says. “We can talk about wage inequality and taxes on tampons, and we can measure it in different quantitative ways, but we’re silencing the violence. It’s like you can’t be angry. But I can eat this podium with a fork and knife. I’m so angry.”
She pointed to how opportunities for women directors are diminishing, saying, “The backlash of our momentary progress is statistically devastating. It’s devastating. There’s been such a disastrous number of films made by women in the past year.”
The Twilight star thanked all the women in the room before taking aim at the “boys club business model that pretends to want to hang out with us while siphoning our resources and belittling our real perspectives.”
Stewart went on to describe the challenge of making authentic art amidst what she calls a “cacophony of misogyny.” “Every man, woman and child should be supported to express their true selves, no matter what that may look like,” she said. “Every woman has the right to use her authentic voice, not someone else’s cherry-picked voice.”
She concluded with a call to action. “Those of us who were fortunate enough to be able to make movies have a responsibility to the people who will make them in the future.”
