– This topic has been on everyone’s lips in the industry for such a long time. I’m surprised the numbers are still so bad. – The strange thing is that in the audience in cultural life in general, there is a preponderance of women. This is what actress and former culture minister Ellen Horn says after being presented with a new report from the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI). Actress Ellen Horn misses more stories with female heroes in the lead roles. Photo: Johan Moen / news 100 Norwegian feature films and drama series from the years 2012, 2017 and 2022 have been mapped by Telemarksforskning for NFI. For Norwegian films, the tendency is the same in all three years: – The most central characters are men. The proportion of women increases slightly the less central the character is, says Live Nermoen in NFI. Almost two out of three of the central roles in Norwegian films are played by men. The report thus shows that not much has happened with the gender balance among the actors in ten years. Nermoen clarifies that one must take into account that only three years have been mapped. Lower proportion of women in war films There are consistently more men in the most important roles in all types of films. Some nevertheless stand out as those with the lowest proportion of women. These are so-called “market films”. These are films that an expert panel has assessed will reach a large audience. – There are, for example, a number of films from the Second World War, or other historical events. They probably tend to portray men to a greater extent than women, says Nermoen. The 12th man is one of several Norwegian war films that have been well seen in cinemas. – These are films that have been successful, and which the public would like to see. Then it is easy to make this type of film again. Since “Max Manus” was a smash hit in 2008, more and more Norwegian war films have been made. In the USA, the same tendency is seen as in Norway. Not in ten years have women had as few leading roles in Hollywood as in 2023, according to a study from the University of Southern California. Despite Barbie: Not in ten years have women had fewer leading roles in Hollywood. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk / AP This despite the fact that “Barbie” was the most watched film in cinemas last year. Horn: – Must look for other stories Ellen Horn misses stories about female heroes on film. She believes that it is the same stories that repeat themselves over and over again: – Mostly we are in the boys’ arena with these war films. We have to look for other stories. Horn believes that many in the industry find it difficult to advocate for more “women’s stories”. – Sometimes I think that we women have to turn the mirror on ourselves. Facing women’s issues is somehow a bit petty, she says and explains: – It’s much cooler with male issues and dilemmas. Long-time actress Ellen Horn believed that the gender balance in the Norwegian film industry was better than the report shows. Photo: Johan Moen / news Are there examples of war films about women Despite the low proportion of women, there are war films that also show the women’s perspective. An example is “The Battle of Narvik”, which premiered on Christmas Day 2022. The Battle of Narvik is an example of a war film with both a female and a male lead role. Photo: Eirik Linder Aspelund / Eirik Linder AspelundNordisk Film Distribusjon AS – It breaks a bit with the classic war film perspective by portraying both a man and a woman in the lead roles. Both grades are given equal space and are central, says Nermoen in NFI. NFI says they have worked with equality in the film industry for many years, and that the gender balance has improved among directors. There are war films that elevate the perspective of women, says Live Nermoen in NFI. Photo: David Malmbekk Nevertheless, it is the filmmakers, and not the NFI, who decide the content of the films, explains Nermoen. – But we can create incentives, and we can raise awareness of which choices can be made to make more representative films.
ttn-69
Still clearly more men than women in leading roles in Norwegian films – news Culture and entertainment
