Beyond Disparity – Value as a metric of gender inequality in American independent cinema

Statistical studies of female directors in American film have tended to focus on measuring the numbers of women and men working in the industry. Whilst such research has been vital in demonstrating the extent of gender inequality, it provides less information on what may have caused the inequality. This thesis overcomes this limitation by measuring indications of how a director is valued within the funding, distribution, marketing and reception of films. As these are important stages in the release of a film, comparing how female and male directors are valued in these stages provides data on the extent of equality and potential areas where inequality occurs. Combining statistical analysis with more textually based methods, this thesis examines how directors who won the Directing Award or Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival are valued across the release of their films. This thesis is divided into three chapters which each focus on a key stage in a film’s release. Chapter One uses statistical analysis to examine value as indicated in the opportunities experienced by directors in the funding and distribution of their films. Chapters Two and Three combine this approach with more text focused analyses, examining indications of value in film trailers and reviews respectively. From this, I argue that inequality occurs on a deeper, obscured level, with the most visible manifestation of value judgements demonstrating a surprising level of equality in how directors are valued. Building on this, I argue that inequality in the generated data reflects patriarchal ideologies and power structures by positioning men as superior to women. I conclude by discussing how the endemic nature of the inequality in these value judgements, indicates both the extent of the challenge of addressing gender inequality and the need to look beyond the boundaries of the industry to do so.