2018 is being a great year for women so far. Time’s Up Movement keeps raising awareness and fighting inequality and sexual harassment in the workplace, companies as influential and seemingly untouchable as the BBC are finally being held accountable for their systematic discrimination (aka pay gap), Saudi women can now officially drive… it is undeniable things are changing, and things are changing – hopefully, knock on wood – for the best. With women advancing in several platforms, women in film and tv are also more prominent!
From the hell that was 2017, female voices in the movie industry have raised stronger and louder than ever, promoting a chain of support among female writers, actresses and directors that is meant to bring us our new favourite series and films. And who are these women? We bring you the ultimate who is who in our list of top 10 women in film and TV that are on the rise!
Director and producer Shonda Rhimes, who has brought us terrific dramas like How To Get Away With Murder and Scandal, has gotten away with (pun intended) creating two successful award-winning series with strong and complex black women as protagonists. Rhimes’s work is a slap in the face to the underrepresentation and misinterpretation of women in the media. She is one of the most successful women in film and tv!
If you’ve cried, felt real anger and yelled at the TV because of The Handmaid’s Tale, then you’ll understand why actress and producer Elisabeth Moss (Offred in the series) is on our list. Even though her roles in The West Wing and Mad Men turned Moss into the critics’ favourite, it’s her bold portrayal of Offred in the dystopian universe created by Margaret Atwood what makes us think of her as a “woman in TV in the rise”; we just can’t wait to see what she’ll be working on next!
Her Majesty Princess Shuri deserves a special mention on this list. After playing smaller roles in Doctor Who and Black Mirror, Guyana-born actress Letitia Wright left the whole world open-mouthed with her performances in Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War as Shuri, the younger sister of the Black Panther, King T’Challa. Wright’s maturity and honest approach are slowly turning her into an icon for the new generation to look up to, especially after opening up about her struggles with mental health. She is one of the most anticipated up and coming women in film!
You may have not heard her name before, but we owe TV producer and environmentalist Orla Doherty the shocking Blue Planet II and the images reflecting the damage plastic disposal is causing to our oceans, which triggered an immediate social response. Ever wondered where did the whole movement promoting reusable coffee cups come from? We have this specialist in deep-sea filming and her team to thank for protecting the sea and its wildlife.
Yara Shahidi began building her name as an actress when she was only 6 years old. Starring as Zoey in ABC’s comedy-drama Blackish, award-winning series known for tackling social issues such as police brutality and the use of the n-word, Shahidi has grown now into a confident and experienced actress. She even has plans of directing her own short-movies. That’s what we call a film industry woman in the rise!
Scottish film director Lynne Ramsay has made a lot of noise with her film You Were Never Really Here at the Cannes Film Festival last year. And by lot of noise we mean a seven-minute standing ovation and the award to Best Screenplay. With critics describing her as the “greatest working filmmaker”, we are excited to know what Ramsay’s next big project will be.
You probably still don’t know which of the many movies coming out this summer will become your ultimate favourite, but we’d advise you to bet all your money on Iranian-American film director Desiree Akhavan’s The Miseducation of Cameron Post, starring Chloe Grace Moretz. The story follows teenager Cameron Post, who has just began discovering her own sexuality when she is sent to a gay conversion camp. A movie that promises strong social messages and, if it stays loyal to Akhavan’s style, lots of bizarre humour.
This American filmmaker’s career is one “to keep an eye on” according to Indiewire. With a lyrical and particularly personal style, Josephine Decker delivers movies that speak about young people and their struggles. Her latest project, Madeline’s Madeline, tells the story of an experimental theatre young actress who finds herself conflicted between the roles she plays and her real life.
Who are we to thank for a series starring an obese woman ready to take down body shaming and sexual harassment in the fashion industry? No other but the genius writer and producer Marti Noxon, whose work you may already know from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. We might be imagining it, but we see a pattern between Marti’s female protagonists: they’re labelled as an outcast, they’re beautiful and they take shit from no one. That’s what we call a woman in film on the rise!
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the creator and star of BBC Three’s hit: Fleabag, which follows the life of a young woman in London. The critics love it already, but if you missed it fear not: Waller-Bridge has still lots to offer and it seems we will be seeing more of her work on our screens. Her latest series, a spy-thriller for BBC America titled Killing Eve, has already been renewed for a second season.
It is undeniable something is changing in our society, and from seeing this fantastic women writing and portraying female roles that feel real and authentic, we have many reasons to think that reality will soon imitate fiction.
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