By Claire

As a feminist, and a recent one at that, I am constantly learning. After years of living in this gosh darn patriarchal society, as a woman I have learnt to think in a certain male-dominated point of view, especially when it comes to careers. Girls are too often taught that we are lesser beings, and for that we have to work harder to achieve our goals, to be recognised and respected.

Even as I write this, I think about how CRAZY INSANE this all is. Women are lesser than men? For no valid reason at all? Who the hell decided that, and what kind of dystopian world are we living in? 

Firstly, we need to stop ingraining in girl's minds that being a girl makes you less of a person, that men are strong and powerful and it is our job to support them, to take a step back so they can stride ahead. And this is all subconscious. We aren't fully aware that we do all of these things, have all of these thoughts that leave women with the desire to prove ourselves, whereas men do not. Popular culture and the media do play a major part in this, but everyone is learning. Women are waking up out of the patriarchal haze once again, and this time we will get more change. 

A couple of weeks ago at a Women in Film panel I had the pleasure to attend, the discussion of actions and quotas were discussed. Fueled by passion, anger at this damn patriarchal industry/world, and I will admit, tiredness, I raised my hand and argued something that I, at the time, thought was perfectly logical: quota's in the film industry to have a 50/50% divide of male and female led films/productions would not be effective, because in order to fill the quota you may be forced to take on a project that fails. 

I thought that while men make bad films all the time, as an emerging group, no matter how many great female-led films there are, one bad film by a women may be used as an argument on why women shouldn't make films. 

At the time I couldn't understand why the argument was received badly, as I thought to myself: I need to learn to stop apologising and stick to my beliefs. 

However, I am apologising and retracting this statement today, but this is because I have seen the errors of my ways. On Friday I attended another Women in Film panel with Rebecca Harkins-Cross (film editor of The Big Issue) and Brodie Lancaster (founding editor of Filmme Fatales), and they made me realise how stupid I was being.

Here's the thing:

WHO CARES IF WOMEN MAKE BAD FILMS FROM TIME TO TIME? Who cares if a women filmmaker has a flop, or "fails" once in a while? We (Women in film activists, I guess you could say) are not in the business of supporting women to make films, only if their good. It's about increasing the amount of women who are given a chance to make films.

Full stop. 

Male filmmakers do not have the pressure to make stunning film after film. If a male filmmaker approaches a producer and says "I want to make this film", more often than not, they will get their funding. There will definitely be another Transformers movie, but it is harder for female-led projects to be taken on board. This is because female filmmakers are seen as too risky to invest in. 

To risky?! 

Women have so much pressure placed on them to constantly be doing good. And if they make a good film, it's even harder for them to e trusted again. Case in point: at the panel on Friday, Brodie Lancaster pointed out that Catherine Hardwicke directed the first Twilight movie, but the rest of them were done by men: Chris Weitz, David Slade and Bill Condon. This gives the impression that women are not to be trusted, especially with large-grossing blockbuster film franchises. 

Salma Hayek said at a talk held by The Hollywood Reporter at Cannes that for female productions to be taken on, we must "show them the money."  Show these executives that female made productions will sell, will be consumed, because women are powerful consumers and will watch this content. But does it really have to come to that?

In short, I now understand why my first statement was so wrong. It shouldn't matter if quotas may or may not mean the occasional bad film by a woman is made: As long as films by women are being made. The closer we can get to a 50/50 divide, the better. 

Hopefully one day, this can occur without a quota even being needed.

By Odalis 

Seeing a notification on my phone about the Emmy nominations excited me immediately. I scanned through the main list quickly, nodding whenever there was a nomination I strongly agreed with.

It wasn’t until I saw a BuzzFeed article which bore the subheading “No Jane the Virgin?!...” that I became slightly ticked off.

I went back through the Emmy nominations and sure enough there was no mention of the show or of its outstanding leading actress, Gina Rodriguez. I immediately took to Twitter (as one rants) to express my disappointment—as best as one can do in fewer than 140 characters.

Jane the Virgin seemed silly at best when I first heard about it. A frilly comedy, from the CW no less, about a Latina woman who gets pregnant even though she still remains a virgin all because she was accidentally artificially inseminated. To my ears it sounded like the worst possible idea. Every Latina/o person I know, myself included, were wary and very aware of all the possible bad turns the show could possibly take.

I think it’s more than fair to say that everyone was in for a shock once the show premiered.

Andrea Navedo and Gina Rodriguez in Jane the Virgin

I remember watching the first episode and falling in love with the seeming innocence this show carried. The bright colors, the ridiculous “cannot be real” scenarios, and the dramatic telenovela narrator all found a place in my heart.

So much more than all aesthetic aspects that attracted me to this wonderful show is the wonderful actress, Gina Rodriguez. Born and raised in Chicago with Puerto Rican parents, Rodriguez is a testament of the immense talent Latinas have brought and are still bringing to the screen. Gina Rodriguez is an absolute vision as Jane Villanueva.

The most important aspect I found in the show is the casting of Miss Rodriguez—and the fact that a character with such depth as Jane was written as a Latina woman. Jane is a young woman who lives with her mother and abuela (grandmother), engaged with a lovely fiancé, and has definite goals for her future, which drives her every decision.

Ivon Coll, Gina Rodriguez and Andrea Navedo in Jane the Virgin

Unlike every other Latina character I have encountered on television Jane is not oversexualized, instead she is the one that is in complete control of her body—and none of the male characters have a say whatsoever.

Moreover, the show exemplifies the strength that is to be found amongst women. That while there are love triangles, love squares and love hexagons (after all, this is a take on a soap opera) the most important love comes from that of Jane’s mother and abuela. They are her support system in every sense of the word.

Even the seemingly villainous Petra finds a source of comfort through her mother, and at times Jane.

Finding representation like that is hard to find in this community, where the Latina characters are the maids, the secretaries, the Other Women, but they are never their own.

Jane the Virgin also isn’t afraid to tackle issues that Latina/o(s) deal with on a day-to-day basis in this country. One of those being immigration and immigration reform, the moral and religious basis of Latino households—and how to deal with that in a modern world, and the rather specific issues that come from being raised in a Latina/o family that you love no matter what.

The show is unlike anything I have every encountered in my many years of over-the-top TV watching.

Jane is much unlike Sofia Vergara’s character, Gloria Pritchett, in Modern Family (which stands at 6 nominations this award season) who is basically a caricature of the Latina woman. And yet, that is what people find funny—that’s the only way they find us funny.

Latina women can be funny and strong at the same time. Latina women can and are complex, and deserve more than just one identity. Yet consistently we are placed in a box, and not allowed to explore and expand.

I know it’s late to change any Emmy nomination (and really, who am I to do that?), but hopefully the voters, the board, anyone out there that has any kind of sway will realize for next year that not only does Jane the Virgin deserve all the acclaim it gets and more, but being honored with an Emmy could inspire many others in the Latino community to pursue their dreams. 

Odalis lives in Miami, FL and studies Journalism at The New School in New York. 

Cause a Cine do not own any images used in this post. 

By Claire


Filmed in 8 different countries, over 150 talking parts, an equal divide of male to female lead roles and a killer soundtrack, Sense 8 is the next Netflix original series to prove that diversity in a TV show is not that hard to do. 

The show focuses around a group (“cluster”) of 8 people from all around the world and their unique connection via senses. Also known as sensates. 

Sense8 is great for a number of reasons. First, it is filmed on location all around the world- in Mumbai, Nairobi, Berlin, Seoul, London, Reykjavík, Mexico City, San Francisco and Chicago- which is beautiful. This is no green-screen stylised culture: it’s the real deal. In each country, the show has used local crew and cast in order to capture the essence of each location. How cool is that?

Secondly, THERE ARE THE SAME NUMBER OF FEMALE LEADS AS THERE ARE MALES. WHAT?!

How often does a show have the same amount of female to male leads? Not very. 

Along with the four male leads (Mexican telvenova actor Lito, Chicago cop Will, Kenyan bus driver Capheus, and German jewel thief Wolfgang) there are four well-rounded and diverse women. 

Kala in Mumbai, a pharmacist who is devout to the Hindu god Ganesha. 

Riley, a DJ from Iceland (living in London), with a heart-breaking backstory. 

Sun, a business woman from Seoul and amazing fighter.  

Nomi, a hacktivist and transgender woman played by a transgender actress. 

These women are complex. At face-value they may seem like cultural stereotypes (Kala struggling with whether to go through with her wedding or not; Sun, the passive daughter willing to put her father and brother before herself) but it is the way the stories are built upon and developed that moves beyond these stereotypes.

Along with the diverse characters, the show also explores sexuality in a positive way. While it has been reported that every character should be seen as pansexual, Lito and Nomi are both in loving, committed, same-sex relationships. 

Lito's boyfriend Hernando and Nomi's girlfriend Amanita are 100% devoted to their SO's, and support them all the way. Loving, same-sex relationships that aren't destructive and have little drama are hard to come by on screen, but Sense8 makes it seem effortless, and yet engaging.

Another win for women in this Sense8 is the show is written and directed by the Wachowski’s (Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending). Andy and Lana Wachowski are a brother-sister duo, meaning, along with the equal divide of cast members, half of the writing/directing team is also a woman.

The show is confusing at first (when you watch it for the first time, there are a lot of WHAT THE HELL? moments, but it is fase paced, and beautiful. You get to experience so many different cultures in an authentic portrayal. 

Men feeling the effects of a period, a killer international/psychological karaoke session, teamwork, kick-ass fight scenes, a bazooka???, a Bollywood dance sequence, smart-car stunts... Sense8 is insanely culturally enriching, and engaging. 

You will be hooked. 

(I may or may not have watched the 12 x 60min series three times in three weeks...)

Have you seen the show? What do you think? I’m interested to hear your thoughts!

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Sense8 and the behind the scenes documentary, Sense 8: Creating the World are both available now on Netflix. A second season has also been announced.

Ever since I saw her as Mona Lisa Saperstein (aka, the WoOoOoOoOorst) on my favourite TV show, Parks & Recreation, I have loved Jenny Slate. She is just so chill and snappy and I don't know what else to say other than LOVE. So when I saw her new film Obvious Child was on Netflix, I immediately dropped everything and watched it. And it's fantastic.

Written and directed by Gillian Robespierre, Obvious Child is the story of Donna Stern (Slate), a stand-up comedian trying to figure out life (as we all are) in New York City (ok, maybe not all) after being dumped by her boyfriend. The second hand bookstore she is working at is scheduled to close, and in effect her income will soon cease. So life seems to be pretty much going downhill. Then Matt comes along.

Seems like your typical rom-com, right? But what is special about this film is that it is subversive, raw and hilarious in the way that has become so successful with the TV show Girls and Broad City. Slate, and the film, is 100% honest and unapologetic about what it's like to be a woman, and she, like the characters on Girls or Broad City, are relatable. Even to me, a 19 year old, can relate to Donna's late-20's struggles of money, careers and pursuing your dreams, meeting a nice guy and not knowing what to do with yourself.

This is no idealised manic-pixie-dream-girl in fairytale New York. It's real, flawed, multifaceted and accurate. Word up. What is most beautiful about this sort of content is it demonstrates that women are funny. And successfully so. The amount of pioneering unapologetic comedic women in prominence at the moment is wonderful. Of course, they have always been around.

Women being funny isn't a new thing. Not even sitcoms directed or produced by women. Let's not forget the incorruptible Lucille Ball, who, when industry execs told her no, funded I Love Lucy all on her own, on her own terms. Can I get a hell yeah?

Obvious Child, while being "subversive" in the fact that women are being women (the horror!) it is not cringeworthy. This is because the film is written and directed by Gillian Robespierre. This is a female, telling the female story, for other females. Which is why women directors are so important. Men often cannot accurately portray the female story, and instead alienates us. This film, however, does not. Because it’s our story. Especially when the opening dialogue is Donna doing a standup set, talking about white marks on our underwear (because men are never going to talk about that, but we all know and live it). So thank you Gillian, for giving us a story we can relate to.

Overall, a delightful film, and definitely a must for fans of the modern comedienne.

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By Claire. 

Obvious Child is available on Netflix / Cause a Cine do not own any image nor the trailer used in this post.