Kristen Stewart criticises industry's insincere backing of female directors

Kristen Stewart, known for her role in "Charlie's Angels", recently remarked that Hollywood offers minimal support to female filmmakers, with only a handful of exceptions.

Stewart, who is set to make her directorial debut with an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's novel "The Chronology of Water", expressed to Porter magazine that women directors often rely on a "phony" performative structure to navigate the film industry and attain success.

"[There's a] thinking that we can check these little boxes, and then do away with the patriarchy, and how we're all made of it. It's easy for them to be like, 'Look what we're doing. We're making Maggie Gyllenhaal's movie! We're making Margot Robbie's movie!' And you're like, OK, cool. You've chosen four," Stewart said.

The actress added, "And I'm in awe of those women, I love those women, but it feels phony. If we're congratulating each other for broadening perspective, when we haven't really done enough, then we stop broadening."

The Oscar-nominated actress drew a comparison between current gender discrimination and its historical counterpart, characterising it as a more "passive-aggressive" approach that often flies under the radar.

"Even if we're still emotionally violent towards women right now, it's so much more passive-aggressive. Before, it was just straight up," Stewart explained. 

Stewart has been transparent about the challenges she's faced in securing funding for "The Chronology of Water". Collaborating with Andy Mingo, she co-wrote the script and has been committed to directing the film since 2018.

In discussions regarding her directorial project, she said, "It's kind of a self-conscious thing to talk about because it's hard to get anything made. You know, [a film] that's not regurgitating something that's pretty standardised. My movie is about incest and periods and a woman violently repossessing her voice and body, and it is, at times, hard to watch…but it's gonna be a thrill ride."

Nonetheless, she clarified that "The Chronology of Water" isn't considered too niche to appeal to an audience.

"I think that's commercial. But I don't think that I have any gauge on what that means. I think people would want to see that, but then…I think maybe people wanna watch movies about, like, Jesus and dogs," she voiced. 

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