Making It: Women in Film

Welcome to the last episode of the season! Briana Pegado is a creative producer with more accomplishments on her resume than can be fitted into this box. In this conversation, Briana shares her life story - from getting her first guitar to becoming student president, creating and directing Edinburgh Student Arts Festival, signing a book deal, and so much more. And what better way to do that, than by pinpointing the movies that were with her throughout it all, and what they have meant to...

Louise V Say started early in the navy. But she always knew she had a creative streak; that she was a storyteller. And with the leadership and resilience she had learnt in service, what better route to go than by implementing those skills as a producer? From there, she entered the theatre, then got her foot into documentary production, and has now produced several high-end drama series, including Shetland, Les Miserables, and Dracula. This is her fascinating story, and the stories she aims...

Mairi Claire Bowser has worked in set decoration for the past 10 years, with titles such as Killing Eve, Paddington 2, Maleficent, Mission Impossible: Fallout, and many, many more. Through this, she saw first-hand how much waste this industry produces. So she began to go in a different direction, and for the past year, she has worked as the Screen Sustainability Manager for the Scottish Screen Industry. Listen now to learn how filmmaking, environmentalism, and equality intersect. And what...

Nisha Platzer is a filmmaker and artist who strives to explore the depths of visual expression. Her feature debut, "back home" follows her journey of connecting with her brother who took his own life 20 years ago. "back home" has been selected for the Cannes Docs and had its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Nisha shares how this film came to be, and talks about how experimental filmmaking can allow for a unique expression of grief and love, and ultimately lead to...

Today, Sarah Drummond is a BAFTA-winner and the Managing Director and Executive Producer of LS Productions, the leading production service company in the UK. But when she was 15, she dropped out of high school and went to work at a shoe shop. In this episode, Sarah gives an in-depth look into her working-class background and talks about the power and utmost importance of community-based film outreach that develops accessibility and inclusivity (and what that actually, proactively, means)....

Rachel O'Regan is a playwright who writes for women. She writes feminist comedies, battling and balancing issues like we do when we talk with our girl friends. She is part of F-Bomb, a women-led theatre company, and was also part of the BBC Writers Room programme. Today, Rachel talks to Evita about the power of theatre, admiration of TV, and how to open up to feedback - from coworkers and critics alike. Links: F-Bomb TheatreRachel's WebsiteOur Website A production by Bonnie and Braw and...

Enjoy this episode with the French-Canadian co-directors Sandrine and Carmine! Stick around to the end for Lauren and Evita's holiday film recommendations, and as always, why don't you give us a quick 5 star rating and make sure you're subscribed? In the spirit of holidays, and all that. Produced by Bonnie and Braw and LS Films. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/makingitwomeninfilm/message

She answered a casting call and went down the model to commercial to drama actor path. Then, she held a camera, and met like minded people. A fire was sparked which couldn't be tamed, and Dania Denise set out to become a filmmaker. A producer. The head of her own independent production company, Runaway Mill Productions. This is her story. Stay tuned until the end of the episode for our roundtable where we get into the portrayal of masculinity on screen. Segments include Teen Wolf, The...

From the Kenyan sensation "Rafiki" (2018, dir. Kahiu) to "The Gravedigger's Wife" (2021, dir. Ahmed) the first Somali feature film, Carmen is dedicated to bringing movies from the African Diaspora to UK audiences. But this is not an easy job, when the film market so heavily caters to one type of movie, to one type of person. This commitment to bringing communities together, to bringing people together through cinema, carries on through her work as a programmer and curator too. This is her...

Love is good. In this roundtable, host Malin Evita Ditlefsen and researcher and media assistant Lauren San Miguel expand on their last conversation (listen to that at the end of episode #61) on representation, and this time delve into the representation of love on screen. Love between mixed couples, love between queer couples, love between cultures, and family, and friends. Enjoy. Follow us on Instagram @MakingItWomenInFilm and connect with us on LinkedIn! Don't forget to follow/subscribe...

She was the director of creative and digital content at Marvel for nine years, where she won a Golden Clio and two Silver Tellies. Now she is the Head of Originals at VIU Philippines - the leading streaming service in Asia. This is her story, and the stories she aims to tell. Stay tuned at the end for our first roundtable between host Evita and research/media assistant, Lauren San Miguel. Tangents include: The Mummy (1999), Latina and bisexual representation in media, and trans visibility...

Known for her work on movies such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Alien: Covenant, Morbius, and series including Doctor Who and Holby City, Suzi Battersby is an incredible special effects make-up artist, designer, and founder of the women-led company Red Girl FX. This episode includes, amongst other topics: The making of silicone alien babies, BB8, blood spurting, tumours, autopsies, and emotional moments watching actors on set and lessons learned from starting and running a game-changing...

Gillie Jones is an actress and producer, known for her work on The Curse of La Patasola. This episode includes… the psychology and physicality behind getting into character, filming in a horrifying, giant spider-infested forest, her advice for producing an ultra-low-budget feature film, and a discussion on gender roles and relationships within the realm of horror! Join our community of women in film on Instagram @MakingItWomenInFilm and check out our website, womeninfilm.co.uk! Episode...

Get 20% off your feministtrash.com order with code WIF20. Thank you to Feminist Trash for sponsoring this episode. Happy International Women's Day! In this episode, the accomplished Scottish sound designers Zoë Irvine and Heather Andrews talk all about the world of sound design - from their personal connections to the element, the true state of the industry, the barriers for underrepresented artists, and how movies utilise - and forget - sound as part of narration and worldbuilding. Join...

From acting in the long-running soap opera Home and Away, becoming a filmmaker, and writing her own TV show Combustione, English-Australian creative Nicola Quilter speaks to Evita about everything from having a stalker, the concept of celebrity, finding your creative truth, and your perfect dream space! Join our community of women in film on Instagram @MakingItWomenInFilm and check out our website, womeninfilm.co.uk! Episode notes: Elizabeth Gilbert TED Talk Rocket Room FilmsDirectors...

Tehmina Beg is a VFX Supervisor known for her work on shows such as Marvel's The Defenders, Iron Fist, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Miracle Workers, Modern Love, and most recently: The Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That... In this episode she walks us through her career journey, the down and upsides to the booming usage of VFX, her most trying projects (including making an entire forest) and her proudest creations, everything you never knew was VFX, and the incredible exclusion of women...

Anna Maloney is a BAFTA-winning screenwriter and the mind behind BBC shows such as Unprecedented, which was one of the first pandemic organised shoots entirely over Zoom. In this episode she shares her odd and unexpected journey into the film industry, what it's like to get commissioned, BAFTAs, feedback, and all those other misconceptions you have about actually getting your script produced! Episode notes: Film & TV Charity HelplineWatch Unprecedented Credits: Making It: Women in Film is...

Yixi Sun is a Chinese filmmaker and the founder of the Filming East festival in the UK, celebrating Asian filmmakers and cinema history. In this episode she sat down to talk all about becoming a filmmaker: From refining your skills, getting funding, learning on the job, and casting sea lions (and that's not a metaphor.) Follow us on Instagram @MakingItWomenInFilm and tag us on your stories to get a shout out in the next episode! Visit womeninfilm.co.uk for more. Episode notes: YixiSun...

Lorna King is a Ghanaian-Scottish screenwriter and filmmaker. In this episode, she opens up about her journey into the film industry, and the good and bad that's come alongside it. She specifically talks about her process of studying for a Masters in Screenwriting, how she has navigated the industry as a Black neurodivergent woman, balancing work/life when work is life, and how the industry really treats the mental wellbeing of its workers. Follow us on Instagram @MakingItWomenInFilm and...

Nani Casillas is a Hairstylist, known for her work as Department Head on HBO's newest apocalyptic drama Station Eleven, as well as Get Shorty. She has also worked on the hair for projects including Big Little Lies*, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire**, and Lost***. In this episode, Nani walks us through her journey from working with drag queens in Hawai'i, to moving to L.A. at 25 with three kids, and working her way up the ladder. She also reveals the nitty-gritty details of working on...