All cinemas in Cardiff should publish “f-ratings” to promote films made by women, according to an independent cinema in the city.
F-ratings are given to films which are written or directed by women, or which feature “significant women on screen in their own right”.
It follows news on Monday that popular film website IMDb would be adding f-ratings to their database.
Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff is one of 40 cinemas around the UK to have adopted the system, publishing it alongside a film’s booking information on their website.
Claire Vaughan, Chapter’s Film Officer, says bigger cinema chains should start using the ratings too: “It takes a lot of time for the big chains to change things, so I can imagine these being big decisions for people. But it’s about time, really.”
A spokesperson for Cineworld says: “Cineworld, amongst other cinemas, comply with the UK Cinema Association who assign certified ratings for films. Whilst we personally think IMDb’s F-rating is interesting, we must follow industry regulations.”
Vue and Odeon have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The F-rating scheme was set up to highlight female-led productions in a supposedly male-dominated industry.
“People need to know it’s not just a boy’s club” – Claire Vaughan from @chaptertweets on the lack of women filmmakers in Wales. pic.twitter.com/P2qVEOc15G
— Jamie Williams (@JamieWilliams1_) March 7, 2017
Inga Burrows, senior film lecturer at the University of South Wales, says she sees the gender difference even among her students: “Generally speaking, female students have to be pushed to step up to those key roles.
“Quite often they have to be persuaded that they actually have got the ability to be successful as young directors.”
Current students at the university have differing views on the extent of the problem.
Chloe Falcon, who’s in her first year of a film degree, says: “You can see with the numbers on my course – there’s a handful who are female, and all the rest are male.
“I think for women you have to push more and say you are just as good, and that you can come up with good ideas regardless of what your gender is.”
But her coursemate Gauri Cammilleri disagrees: “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.
“I don’t know how I’m going to stand out because there are people who have done this for years, but that’s not related to gender – just experience, in general.”
