Female filmmakers get spotlight at Silver Wave Film Festival

November 5, 2018 Latest News

More than 70 films will be screened at the Silver Wave Film Festival in Fredericton next month and organizers say they’re seeing more women involved in the entirety of the filmmaking process, from writing to lighting, than ever before.

Tony Merzetti, executive director of New Brunswick Film Makers Cooperative, called it “encouraging.”

“There’s directors of the films, but also technical roles — a lot of men have occupied technical roles on films over the years and we’ve seen an increase in the number of women who are now camera operators, DOPs (directors of photography), things that you wouldn’t necessarily see before and I think that’s really important and encouraging,” said Merzetti.

In one of the short-film screenings, six of the 10 films to be shown were directed by women.

“I’ve never gone to a shorts screening at this festival and seen that 60 per cent of the filmmakers on stage are women, so I’m really pumped,” said filmmaker Jillian Acreman.

Tony Merzetti, executive director of New Brunswick Film Makers Cooperative, said he’s pleased to see an increased number of women in the filmmaking process.

Acreman’s film, North, will be one of the films screened that night. She attributed the boost to a shift in attitude and culture.

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“When you look at the world around you, that world is either going to give you confidence to do something that you want to do or it’s going to knock you back,” she said. “A lot of the women who are in this program have made several films but also having a few new filmmakers, it’s a testament to the confidence boost.”

Filmmakers say the shift has an impact not just on the types of stories being told, but how they’re being told.

Filmmaker Jillian Acreman attributed a larger female presence at this year’s festival to a shift in attitude and culture.

“It’s very interesting to see films told about women, by women and having the female experience represented in a way that’s not typically showcased at Silver Wave,” said Britany Sparrow, who wrote and directed the short film Friend Zone.

The festival runs Nov. 8-11 in Fredericton.