thelma adams: “what’s wrong with this picture?”

An email from film critic Thelma Adams earlier this week (published below with her permission), reacting to the recent Sundance Film Festival panel, “Critics Cornered,” featuring Owen Gleiberman (Entertainment Weekly), Scott Foundas (LA Weekly), Sean Means (Salt Lake Tribune, Mark Bell (Film Threat), and myself…

photo via wireimage.com

From:  (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Subject:  critics cornerered: what’s wrong with this picture?  answer: it’s raining men!
Date:  January 27, 2008 8:08:16 AM EST

sorry, but the above picture says it all.  every year when I host a panel about amazing women in film at the Woodstock Film Festival, we discuss male critics being the final gatekeepers for women’s features entering the marketplace.  As someone who has attended Sundance since 1986, and a working critic since 1989, who knows and enjoys the company of Mark, Owen and Eugene, and proudly saw the female-led Frozen River win the Grand Jury Award for Dramatic Feature, I’ve got to ask you with both respect and passion: how does this all-male image of a Sundance critics’ panel strike you?

your colleague,

Thelma Adams
Film & Dvd Critic
Us Weekly
Member, New York Film Critics Circle since 1995 and two-time chairman of that group

eug posted to diversity on January 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Comments

how can 49%  speak from a position of authority for 100% of the population?
maybe math classes in our country are teaching to the skew, but this equation doesn’t make sense anywhere.

By nicole quinn on January 31, 2008

Funny, the AMAZING WOMEN IN FILM panel was created at the Woodstock Film Festival specifically in order to spotlight, annually,  the accomplished works of a diverse group of women in the industry, and indeed, it is always fabulous. Not sure how or why the panel Thelma is referring to did not include any women, specifically since there is a good number of very strong women film critics out there, Thelma being only one of a large and vocal group.  As the one who puts together most of the panels at Woodstock, I’m always very aware of having a good mix from both genders. Granted, it is not always as balanced as I would like to, but I do try.  Perhaps it is because I am a woman?

By Meira Blaustein on January 30, 2008

While I missed the Sundance “Critics Cornered” panel at Sundance, I did have the great fortune to be at “The Amazing Women in Film” panel that Thelma is referring to at Woodstock. My notes here:
http://www.thefilmpanelnotetaker.com/2007/10/2007-woodstock-film-festival-amazing.html

I am always for a diverse as possible spectrum of panelists for multiple points of view.

By Brian on January 30, 2008

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