S2 Ep1: Always on: The History of Women in Film

Welcome back for Season 2! We’re so happy to have you with us for another season. To kick things off, Immi, Kitty and Lou are taking you through some of the key female figures who have shaped the film industry, from Alice Guy-Blaché, widely recognised as the first recorded female film director, and her groundbreaking film La Fée aux Choux (The Cabbage Fairy), all the way to Kathryn Bigelow’s history-making Oscar win and the influential women making their mark today. We’ll be exploring their stories, achievements and the barriers they broke along the way, celebrating the women who have helped shape film as we know it. Watch La Fée aux Choux (The Cabbage Fairy) here: https://youtu.be/-Ewo-jcNYRI?si=QClFB__SA7sUDlkn , and find our research resources below: Immi’s Section: BFI Article https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/female-gaze-100-overlooked-films-directed-by-women? AFI Article https://www.afi.com/news/alice-guy-blache-afi-catalog-spotlight/  Harvard Gazette Article  https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2003/11/radcliffe-fellow-explores-early-female-film-pioneers/?  Science Institute Article  https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/where-are-my-children-public-health-in-the-movies/?  AFI Catalog  https://catalog.afi.com/Film/14392-WHERE-ARE-MY-CHILDREN?cp=1&pos=0&sid=ee081118-cfbe-423f-86f6-f88b70537736&sr=4.887564& BFI Article  https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-with-early-women-filmmakers? BFI Player https://player.bfi.org.uk/rentals/film/watch-the-marvellous-mabel-normand-the-leading-lady-of-film-comedy-2018-online  AFI Article  https://www.afi.com/news/mabel-normand-afi-catalog-spotlight/?   UCLA Article  https://cinema.ucla.edu/touring-series/directed-by-dorothy-arzner-tour-2003/  Harvard Article  https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2003/11/radcliffe-fellow-explores-early-female-film-pioneers/? Kitty’s section: Bechdel Test Online  https://bechdeltest.com Alison Bechdel interview on the origins of the test https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/02/alison-bechdel-test-dykes-to-watch-out-for-cartoonist-interview Lou’s section: The Celluloid Ceiling - 28th Edition  https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-Celluloid-Ceiling-Report.pdf  USC Annenberg - 2024 was a historic year for women in film https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/2024-was-historic-year-women-film  USC Annenberg - DEI is DOA: Hollywood’s lack of progress toward inclusion https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/dei-doa-hollywoods-lack-progress-toward-inclusion  USC Annenberg - Was 2023 the year of the woman director? Survey says… no https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/was-2023-year-woman-director-survey-says%E2%80%A6-no