When asked about her wishes for 2012, one of Lynne Ramsay’s requests was that she "never [be] asked ever again what it feels like to be a female director!" But the statistic remains that only 14% of British movies released in the UK are helmed by women. Hence this month sees the BFI’s first annual Made In Britain series dedicated to contemporary homegrown cinema, with its focus "on women filmmakers with a bold approach to cinematic form and a tangible, demonstrated vision."
There’s another chance to see Ramsay’s trio of features to date – the still extraordinary Ratcatcher (1999), Morvern Callar (2002) and last year’s widely discussed We Need To Talk About Kevin (pictured) – as well as three films by children’s TV presenter turned Oscar-winning auteur Andrea Arnold: 2006’s Advance Party project Red Road, the BAFTA and Cannes award-garlanded 2009 drama Fish Tank and 2011’s multi-racial Wuthering Heights adaptation. There will also be a special programme comprising both directors’ earlier short work.
Further highlights include a wide selection of documentaries by Lucy Walker – among them the Oscar-nominated pair Waste Land (2010) and The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom (2011), about a Brazilian garbage artist and the Japanese tsunami respectively – plus a Carol Morley retrospective featuring 2000’s factual-autobiographical The Alcohol Years (screening alongside the shorts Everyday Something and The Madness Of The Dance), her 2010 fiction debut Edge (released on DVD soon; stay tuned for tQ’s review) and the heartbreaking recent ‘lost person’ investigation/identity reconstruction Dreams Of A Life. Running until April 30, Made In Britain is co-hosted by Birds Eye View, who will also be curating a showcase of upcoming ‘Next Gen’ filmmakers. For more information check the BFI website.
