This documentary on climate change and its causes focuses largely on stories of human connection to the land, some who try to control the land, while others who see humans as temporary stewards of the land to pass to future generations. DAVIS: Yeah, it's very centering and focusing. We havent made significant progress, Klein argues, because weve been expecting solutions from the very same institutions that created the problem in the first place . She's best known for her starring roles in "Thelma & Louise," "A League Of Their Own," and "Beetlejuice." Its always been that way. I'm Terry Gross. You had a small role. Lithuanian MARTIN: So the title of the film, we start with that, This Changes Everything. This is something that you say in the film. Things were looking good for you after film school. You putting men in charge basically driving women and people of color out. In 2014, the book won the Hilary Weston Writers Trust Prize for Nonfiction, Canadas most prestigious award for non-fiction. To have these conversations with men, youre saying like, well, I dont think you should depict it that way and I think you should depict it this way. I knew I wanted to be in movies, as opposed to theater. GROSS: And you even competed to be on the Olympic archery team. And that in turn should give us hope, because it means the fight for a just world is the same as the fight for a livable one., This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate is a book of such ambition and consequence that it is almost unreviewable . This Changes Everything Directed by: Tom Donahue Produced by: Ilan Arboleda, Kerianne Flynn, Tom Donahue Executive Producers: Geena Davis, Steve Edwards, Regina Scully, Simone Pero, Madeline Di Nonno, Jennie Peters, Patty Casby, Ku-Ling Yurman Co-Producers: Jessicya Materano, Robin Kelleher Production companies: CreativeChaos vmg, New Plot Films You used to make a movie a year. Turkish DAVIS: Well, you know, we found that for every two speaking male characters, there's one female speaking character, and that there's an appalling amount of hypersexualization of female characters, even in G-rated movies, and the female characters are very often narrowly stereotyped, hypersexualized or not really integral to the plot. Tom, do you want to add to that? This Changes Everything is a 2018 American documentary film, directed by Tom Donahue. So I did. DONAHUE: I started the film a year before I actually asked Geena to come on board. And I was like, you know, I was a huge fan of "GLOW" and very much wanted to do it. In fact, all around the world, the fight for the next economy and against reckless extraction is already succeeding in ways both surprising and inspiring. By what name was This Changes Everything (2018) officially released in India in English? Variety: Geena Davis Talks This Changes Everything Doc and Conscious Gender Bias in Behind-the-Scenes Hiring, Good Deed Entertainment: This Changes Everything (2019) Exclusive Interview with Geena Davis & Director Tom Donahue, PBS SoCal: Interview with Geena Davis and Tom Donahue on This Changes Everything, Deadline: This Changes Everything Review: Compelling Documentary Tackles Hollywood Gender Inequality Head-On, The New York Times: This Changes Everything Review: Hollywoods Men, Called to Action. And I learned that he was he called himself a feminist. So at 41, I took it up and then became absolutely obsessed, as I do with things. Film Review: 'This Changes Everything' Before the #MeToo movement began, director Tom Donahue began assembling a documentary about gender inequality in Hollywood. GIESE: Well, that was the thing. . GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. I thought, this is incredibly unfair, and I don't want other people deciding that I have to work less, you know, and taking away opportunities. They could say, what was I doing? Can you talk about that? As the actress and activist Geena Davis puts it in This Changes Everything, a new documentary about Hollywoods pervasive gender inequalities, each of those highly successful films with female leads (and in some cases, female filmmakers) had been expected to expand the opportunities for women, or so the media narrative went with each release. Geena Davis and Tom Donahue on This Changes Everything, Maleeha Lodhi Discusses Tensions Between India and Pakistan, Michael Mann Explains Why We Need to Rethink Food Production, + Major support for Amanpour and Company is provided by the Anderson Family Charitable Fund, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim, III, Candace King Weir, Jim Attwood and Leslie Williams, Mark J. Blechner, Seton J. Melvin, Bernard and Denise Schwartz, Koo and Patricia Yuen, the Leila and Mickey Straus Family Charitable Trust, Barbara Hope Zuckerberg, Jeffrey Katz and Beth Rogers, the Filomen M. DAgostino Foundation and. They're both featured in the new documentary "This Changes Everything" about discrimination against women in front of and behind the camera in Hollywood. For the record: 11:23 a.m. Aug. 8, 2019 An earlier version of this review included a photo from the 2015 climate-change documentary "This Changes Everything." Also in the review, the memory of . UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very lucky because Greys Anatomy was developed under the network presence. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. There are going to be so many more movies with women starring and everything. Determined to provide a ray of light for those under her care, a young nurse navigates the world of mental health and the diverse stories surrounding it. With - the other thing that I loved about it was that it's measured by points. German Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media is not a production company or talent agency.The organization does not solicit or accept autograph requests, manuscripts, project ideas, or other similar materials.If any such information is sent to us, we will return the material unread. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did. Hosting a Screening (note that licensing and contact info in this document are out of date / no longer active) Faith screening guide. This sudden change in how people reacted when they recognized me was very, very pronounced. Directed by Avi Lewis She ends up shooting him, and then you both go on the lam because you feel like, who's going to believe you? DAVIS: Well, it was completely random in some ways. Swedish Its the chivalry of the 21st century.. SANDRA OH: Shonda was able to make half of her cast not white. This Changes Everything | A book, film and engagement project about why the climate crisis is the best opportunity we've ever had to build a better world. Polish She is an executive producer of and is featured in the new documentary "This Changes Everything," about how women in Hollywood are pushing for more representation in front of and behind the camera. In 2012, my archery coach noticed that when both Brave and The Hunger Games came out, suddenly the percentage of girls taking up archery shot up 105 percent, higher than adult men. MARTIN: You make the connection in the film that its not just about, you know, the job, its the conditions at the job, that it is directly connected to these vicious examples of sexual harassment and abuse that women have experienced that have now come to the fore. Theres no one they can complain to. GROSS: If you're just joining us, my guests are both featured in the new documentary "This Changes Everything" about discrimination against women in Hollywood. [2] And a little by little, I introduced them to a group of my female colleagues. It sets the most important crisis in human history in the context of our other ongoing traumas, reminding us just how much the powers-that-be depend on the power of coal, gas and oil. Executive Producers: Geena Davis, Steve Edwards, Regina Scully, Simone Pero, Madeline Di Nonno, Jennie Peters, Patty Casby, Ku-Ling Yurman DAVIS: It was very specific, actually. Like I think a lot of people have become familiar with the whole question of representation on screen. And it seemed that, in the 21st century, this was a horrible message to be sending and very shocking. DAVIS: Well, it did in a way. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Heart and mind go hand in hand in this magisterial response to a present crisis., We lack the collective spaces in which to confront the raw terror of ecocide, is how Klein encapsulates the problem. And then on screen really is impactful, because as much as it can create a negative impact, it has the power to create incredibly positive changes like were talking in the movie about the CSI effect where there were so many shows so many female forensic scientists on T.V. Italian DAVIS: Well, no, no. You were signed to a big agency. GEENA DAVIS: Well, it was pretty dramatic. And I was sure they must be right and waiting for this fabulous future that was coming. He refuses. Its not about carbonits about capitalism. But how can you change the world if you've taken yourself out of it? The film brings Naomi Klein's radical, inspiring thesis to life through a connective thread of stories from people living and working on the front . VarietyMagazine, If you care about justice you must see this. I get to be a doctor. GROSS: And so it's a kind of - I think at the time, people were comparing it to Butch Cassidy. In 2004, she founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media to get the actual data comparing the number and types of male and female roles and to use that data to convince the industry of the need for change. MARTIN: Talk to me about the Geena Davis Institute which you founded years ago. Tweets by NaomiAKlein. GROSS: So the EEOC has been conducting an investigation into systemic discrimination against women directors. What is the connection? Like why do I care? Some positive developments are shown in China and Germany specifically. I - my daughter was a toddler, and I decided she was old enough to start watching preschool shows. But the documentary "This Changes Everything" synthesizes all that data along with interviews from a truly mind-boggling array of A-listers both in front of and behind the camera to create a damning portrait of Hollywood's systematic sexism and discrimination. Dutch GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. And if you're just joining us, my guest is actor Geena Davis and director Maria Giese. Not rated. Now we will see so many more female buddy pictures, female road movies or whatever and movies about female friendship. Italian, Japanese . And I had spent so much time in a field where you're measured by people's judgment, you know, where, you know, you're approved of by others' opinions rather than factual merit. This documentary takes a deep look at gender disparity in Hollywood through the eyes of well-known actresses and female filmmakers. Klein and those impassioned protesters provide something that has been in short supply in the predecessors What happened after that? And this is in every sector of society, its the same story. KIMBERLY PIERCE, DIRECTOR, CARRIE: I was being talked to and treated and questioned constantly and indifferently. As the staggering statistics on gender parity continue to demonstrate, though, not much has changed. Directed by Avi Lewis (AFI Festival award-winner The Take) and inspired by the New York Times-bestselling book by Naomi Klein, the feature documentary This Changes Everything will launch in 2015. But we were stunned at the reaction that was instant - cover of Time magazine and all that stuff. SCREENING GUIDES. And - but nobody, and least of all him, nobody ever said, you realize you don't have to come every day? This is a rush transcript. Bulgarian - three years and seven months going. . This is the 21st century. Korean Her work led to an ongoing EEOC, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, investigation into systemic discrimination against women directors, as well as an ACLU campaign against discrimination. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they just dont like me. Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Kleins international non-fiction bestsellerThis Changes Everything, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montanas Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond. And it was fantastic. GROSS: So the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has done a lot of research on the numbers. Why hasnt it changed before now? A determined detective continues his search for the truth behind Asia's largest drug organization and its elusive boss he has unfinished business with. It takes an incisive look at the history, empirical evidence, and systemic forces that foster gender discrimination and thus reinforce disparity in our culture. Profoundly, embarrassing few. GROSS: But you were with Sydney Pollack. You know, God forbid you complain about your salary not being equal or being harassed or mistreated or discriminated against because they'll just get somebody else, you know? And I got the part. Although a large part of this documentary focuses on the fact that female directors do not get work and have trouble getting hired, and the director of this film. What if confronting the climate crisis is the best chance we'll ever get to build a better world? JOIN NOW. Will this film change everything? MARTIN: Did you think it was as bad as it is? MARTIN: Geena Davis, Tom Donahue, thank you so much for talking to us. I mean you know. And I think most people and certainly I did assume that kids entertainments are harmless, that they're - they might even be good for kids. DAVIS: It did well. So Geena, I think some people might hear that and go, Oh, thats too bad but why? JOIN NOW. And I went, and they said, wear a bathing suit under your clothes because if you do well at the reading, they'll ask to see you in your bathing suit. MARTIN: You know one of the things that really fascinated me about the film is that you point out it wasnt always this way. Korean I was a feminist since I was 10-years-old because I came from a very right-wing family. Michel Martin sits down with Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis and director Tom Donahue to discuss their new film "This Changes Everything," which tackles the need for more female . Russian This is FRESH AIR. And your role is as the entertainment director of a casino. Its not going to benefit you. And, you know, being harassed and all kinds of things going on, being not listened to, talked down to, all that stuff. What are we doing? GROSS: So what did you learn being on set? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Its one of the best things thats ever happened in my professional career. Once it finally begins to focus on the mission, however, This Changes Everything not only becomes engrossing but reveals itself as a crucial cri de coeur. Your first movie role, "Tootsie," you're in your underwear in the film. We can talk about it and everybody is talking about it, you know. GROSS: Geena Davis, Maria Giese, thank you both so much for talking with us. And she's been dedicated to equality for women, more roles for women in Hollywood. That was the first time where I was ever like, I guess, men dont see us women equal in this industry. I fear the message may continue to elude those who need to hear it the most. An investigative look and analysis of gender disparity in Hollywood, featuring accounts from well-known actors, executives and artists in the Industry. Its the lowest hanging fruit possible. When did things start to slow down in your acting career? And I was horrified. Copy may not be in its final form. . GROSS: Maria Giese, let me move on to you. MARTIN: In fact, there is a clip in the film where you talk about the fact that representation in actually entertainment can actually matter in the real world. And it also struck a nerve that none of us expected. A star-studded documentary about gender inequality in film and TV is equal parts history lesson and constructive criticism. And hopefully, young boys will see that a male-directed this and think I can do that too. And he just does it. DONAHUE: Well, two things. And I'd like to see if I could do that. But that was my plan. MARTIN: And youre saying that entertainment really does matter. Geena Davis is an actress who starred in such films as "A League Of Their Own" and "Thelma & Louise." Throughout the film, Klein builds to her most controversial and exciting idea: that we can seize the existential crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better. And I thought, OK, well, I'll just become a model, and then they'll just offer me parts because obviously it's so much easier to become a supermodel (laughter). . MARTIN: Why do you think that was the click moment for you? MORETZ: The biggest part of the movie is when she gets her period for the first time in the shower. Theres a lot of talk about change and theres a lot more content being made but a lot of the diversity that happens in content is happening at the lower pay levels. Klein argues that the changes to our relationship with nature and one another that are required to respond to the climate crisis humanely should not be viewed as grim penance, but rather as a kind of gifta catalyst to transform broken economic and cultural priorities and to heal long-festering historical wounds. Didnt seem to happen. GIESE: I first went to the EEOC in 2013. And so it was something they had no idea they were doing, and the data changed everything for them. And the ending's kind of similar, where, you know, they kind of ride off a cliff, and you drive off a cliff. AMANPOUR: Let me just give some of the statistics that you cite in the film. GROSS: So part of your work was modeling for Victoria's Secret. Is that why because no studio heads appeared in this film because theyre so embarrassed? Thats the problem. . GROSS: So what about other women you knew from film school? It's really fun and incredibly challenging. Yeah. Actress Geena Davis rallies Meryl Streep, Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon and others in this . I get to have opinions, I get to be smart. - because it was a big hit. And Im like, yay, I cant wait. Russian namely, a modicum of hope for the future It was a small budget, and we hoped somebody would see it and not object to the ending. MARTIN: Really? In the course of this struggle, they help ignite a nationwide movement. When, for instance, in 2017 I think, female-led films made 38 percent more money at the Box Office than male-led films. Kleins sharp analysis makes a compelling case that a mass awakening is part of the answer., Gripping and dramatic . GIESE: You know, I did a lot of script writing and doctoring and - but no, no primetime TV shows, even though I observed for hundreds of hours on major TV shows like Dick Wolf's "Law & Order.". Its an alarm that calls us to fix an economic system that is already failing us in many ways. GROSS: A battle with yourself to not battle with yourself. GIESE: So in - five months after they received that letter from the ACLU, they began their investigation. This Changes Everything. She starts her own organization, the Geena Davis Institute, on gender in media to keep track of the imbalance. And there is also no human resources department that these women can go to. And so it's just a battle with yourself the whole time. And her actions led to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into systemic discrimination against women directors. Harvey Weinstein, of course, comes to mind. This is FRESH AIR. For the rest of us, This Changes Everything will frustrate, enrage and maybe even inspire. Which really isn't very old. There's far fewer movies with a female lead character. Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Naomi Klein's narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. JOHN LANDGRAF, HEAD, FX: I had this unconscious bias that we would have to be making sacrifices to hire people with less experience. And for me, the word feminist was a bad word in my house. The film presents seven portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana's Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond. We dont have to wait for things to turn around in real life. Female. But as time went on and I became more empowered, I started really noticing. MARTIN: I think it was Maya Angelou who said you cant be what you cant see. You say in almost 100 years, only one woman has won an academy award for best director. to unsuccessfully sue Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures for discrimination). GROSS: And, you know, you're dressed in your underwear so it's even more, like, imposing and, for him, kind of embarrassing because he's a man who is finding it all very arousing, and he shouldn't be there because he's posing as a woman. MARTIN: So you can see it with kids entertainment? . But I loved it. And I was counting on my hands as I held her in my lap, and it was horrifying, and I was absolutely stunned. Now, with Director Donahue, shes taking her message to the masses with the film, This Changes Everything which they have been discussing with our Michel Martin. Look at what FX did. GROSS: Well, what was wrong with that plan? . Lithuanian Grieving the loss of a best friend she couldnt protect, an ex-bodyguard sets out to fulfill her dear friends last wish: sweet revenge. And her actions led to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into systemic discrimination against women directors in Hollywood. [1] An examination of sexism in the Hollywood film industry, the film interviews a variety of actresses and women filmmakers on their experiences in the industry. Now they were saying, oh, I have to tell you what I thought about this movie, and this is how many times I saw it. 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