Why We Need Female Representation In Film

The latest Refinery29 original series is 12 short films created by women directors and writers. And there's one thing you need to know about it: We're not here to make you comfortable — we're here to tell the true stories of power and loss from our own point of view. According to USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, almost 4,000 short films were shown at festivals in the U.S. between 2010 and 2014, and only 32% of them had female directors. It's time to make a change and shatter any obstacle in our way. Welcome to Shatterbox Anthology. Helmed by first-time and veteran filmmakers alike, such as Gabourey Sidibe, Jessica Dimmock, Chloë Sevigny, Pamela Romanowsky, Meera Menon, and Kristen Stewart, these films deal with gender, sexuality, choice, and power from the rarely seen female gaze. We are giving 12 female directors the chance to spark a change in the industry. Our hope is that this will inspire others to support women-led projects featuring women writers, directors, gaffers, stylists, and fully representative casts. Women accounted for only 13% of the directors on the 700 top grossing films in 2014 — and only 7% of the top 250 films. Refinery29 wants to change this by giving 12 female directors a chance to claim their power. Our message to Hollywood? You can't win without women. Watch new films every month on Refinery29.com/shatterbox