I had come to the view that most films released in the US are made by men for men. So I was not surprised to see the data in a new report by the San Diego State University showing that in 2013 only 8% of the top 250 grossing films had women directors. Women are missing in action in other parts of the film chain too. The same report (excluding the foreign films this time), found that women accounted for only 16% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors.

I don't know why this is. Does it reflect audience taste, the global market (violence and special effects survive translation), the monopoly habits of the big studios, distributors, guilds and unions, the sheer physicality of film production, the nerdy high tech nature of just about every step in the film workflow, the taste for money raising, or something else?

But it got me thinking about my favorite women directors, Jane Campion (especially The Piano) and Claire Denis (especially White Material) and wondering about how they broke through the celluloid ceiling. They are both refreshingly original directors, maybe operating in more fluid environments. Both explore gender power battles, often in colonial settings where imported and indigenous social codes and laws are breaking down.

These trailers are ghastly - probably made by men for men - but they give a taste.