- because it was a big hit. A really decent doc, but like 99% of the reviews here, I'm completely dumbfounded why they hired a MALE to direct this. GROSS: Prevent that kind of behavior. So I learned through him about the equal rights amendment, about Gloria Steinem and Marlo Thomas and that girl and I became a fan of Mary Tyler Moore. Like why do I care? It really started for me at the end of 2014 with the Sony hack and finding out about the disparity in pay between Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in American Hustle. So I learned about being a feminist through the activism of a man. DAVIS: Right. Youll get much less salary because you guys dont really matter and well replace you if you have any complaints. . Like I think a lot of people have become familiar with the whole question of representation on screen. 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. GEENA DAVIS: Well, it was pretty dramatic. And I was so shocked when my coach said after just a few months, well, now you've got to start competing. Its not going to benefit you. Also was named Observer Book of the Year and a New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books of the Year and Margaret Atwood chose it for The Guardians Best Books of 2014 list. I very much expected that that would not be the case. It was a small budget, and we hoped somebody would see it and not object to the ending. It's about two women who grab ahold of their fate and refuse to relinquish control no matter how far it takes them, that they remain in charge of their destiny. Most importantly, the film seeks pathways and solutions from within and outside the industry, and around the world. If she can see it, she can be it. Terms Privacy Policy For Our Members Access, All rights reserved. Ukrainian, Arabic The poster was designed by street artist Shepard Fairey, whose most famous work This Changes Everything Trailer Premieres in 26 languages and counting This Changes Everything August 26, 2015 Geena Davis and Tom Donahue sit down with Hari Sreenivasan to discuss their new film This Changes Everything, which tackles the need for more female representation in media. And everything gets in the way of that, every possible thought you have, every different circumstance. Nothing except that climate change changes everything. That was the first time where I was ever like, I guess, men dont see us women equal in this industry. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. MARTIN: So Geena, how do you stay in it though? Theres no one they can complain to. Chinese Simple The main thing that's very different is now it's completely OK to talk about this stuff. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. And it hasnt changed in all that time. Climate change isnt just another issue to be neatly filed between taxes and health care. There's no question about it. This Changes Everything is a 2018 American documentary film, directed by Tom Donahue. JOIN NOW. But it's profoundly not the case right now. Documentary. Korean And I got the part. 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. DAVIS: Well, I was astounded that it happened. Copy may not be in its final form. Yeah. A lot of negative reaction in the press too like, oh, no, the world is ruined now. You had a small role. And, you know, that's obviously an option that everybody can take. 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 . Featuring interviews with Geena Davis, Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Taraji P. Henson, Reese Witherspoon, Cate Blanchett, Tiffany Haddish, Jill Soloway, Shonda Rhimes, Jessica Chastain, Yara Shahidi, Chloe Grace Moretz, Amandla Stenberg, Alan Alda, Sandra Oh, Anita Hill, Rashida Jones, Rose McGowan, Judd Apatow, Rosario Dawson, Maria Giese, and many other influential voices in the fight for gender equality. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. And so it was something they had no idea they were doing, and the data changed everything for them. 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. Well, do they have any photos of her in a bathing suit? (Interestingly, the film was directed by a man, Tom Donahue. Script extract. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I called to say we were going to greenlight it, the male executive on the other end of the line literally hung up on me. This Changes Everything. 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. MICHEL MARTIN, CONTRIBUTOR: Geena Davis, Tom Donahue, thank you so much for talking to us. And her actions led to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into systemic discrimination against women directors in Hollywood. Where's her bathing suit stuff? 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. DAVIS: Absolutely, yes. Published in 2014, it debuted at #5 on the New York Times list and at #1 in Canada. 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. Tom Donahue's documentary 'This Changes Everything' examines efforts from within Hollywood to redress the gender imbalance and features a large roster of big-name interviewees, from Anita Hill. DONAHUE: And then Patricia Arquette got up at the Oscars and demanded equal pay. . It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. And this is according to the Center for the Study of Women and Television and Film in San Diego State University. . LANDGRAF: And Im here to say its there. So do you have any idea where things stand? But so I think that will change and I think it will impact society, that life will imitate art. GEENA DAVIS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING: Thank you. So here was my hero calling himself a feminist. MARTIN: I think it was Maya Angelou who said you cant be what you cant see. So what impact do you think it had both on audiences but also on Hollywood? Channeling the hurried nature of a TV docuseries edited to cover an extremely broad topic in a limited amount of time, the first act layers a lot of too-brief sound bites albeit from an impressive array of influential women, including Reese Witherspoon and Shonda Rhimes over movie clips emphasizing the prevalence of machismo and misogyny (The Godfather, for example) to almost dizzying effect. You hear so many women speaking up when they encounter injustice and openly talking about it. - three years and seven months going. Actress Geena Davis rallies Meryl Streep, Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon and others in this . GROSS: Geena Davis, let me bring you back into the conversation. I knew I wanted to be in movies, as opposed to theater. Presenting portraits of communities on the front lines, This Changes Everything is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change. So I'm wondering if you think it's having that kind of effect. Romanian Reese Witherspoon: The basis of your thinking is determined by the first images you see; whose values are important and whose stories are important, and that's what we're teaching little girls and little boys. Originally, it was about workplace discrimination in Hollywood but I thought to myself, who is going to want to see this movie outside of the people in Hollywood. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Promotional materials, trailers & welcome video. 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. Actress Geena Davis rallies Meryl Streep, Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon and others in this . Even though Landgraf and several prominent men are interviewed, a title card notes that the studio heads the filmmakers reached out to declined to appear in the film. 24 female police officers, firefighters, bodyguards, soldiers, athletes and stuntwomen team up by profession to compete for survival on a remote island. After the release of This Changes Everything book and film, Naomi went on a sold out tour to speak to audiences worldwide. but like a place where we actually want to live They're both featured in the new documentary about that campaign called "This Changes Everything.". You know, what we tend to do when we don't succeed is to blame ourselves, and women were so siloed off in this industry we really didn't have any means of communication. And Im like, yay, I cant wait. JENNIFER LAWRENCE: Its our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal . I get to have opinions, I get to be smart. As defeated as one feels when you dont see a change happening, I really do think that it can and that it will. So I thats when I learned about the work of Geena in her institute and how important onscreen representation was. In 2014, the book won the Hilary Weston Writers Trust Prize for Nonfiction, Canadas most prestigious award for non-fiction. But on the other hand, I sort of felt like, well, this is what was supposed to happen. DAVIS: First of all, for the simple fact of fairness, that women deserve to be in half of the positions, you know, and have leadership roles and also be the grip and be on the crew and, you know, use their [13:45:00] talents. MARTIN: Talk to me about the Geena Davis Institute which you founded years ago. You know, I mean, both are kind of unattainable. 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. So I knew the way to move the numbers and to make real significant change was through legal action. Some positive developments are shown in China and Germany specifically. It was my first audition, and they had called model agencies to say, send any models who can act for an audition. This Changes Everything Review: Hollywoods Men, Called to Action, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/movies/this-changes-everything-review.html. . This is a rush transcript. Danish . From Thelma & Louise to A League of Their Own, the Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis made her name with her strong female characters. And in May 2015, The New York Times published the ACLU's 15-page letter to the EEOC and to other government agencies, calling for an industry-wide federal investigation into systemic discrimination against women directors. All rights reserved. Which really isn't very old. And then I was watching the Olympics in Atlanta on TV and saw the archery competing, and I thought, wow, that is so beautiful and dramatic. The Book, Documentary & Impact Project We also heard from director Maria Giese, who's also featured in the film "This Changes Everything." And they started to reach out to interview many, many women, as many women directors as they could. YES Magazine A look at seven communities around the world with the proposition that we can seize the crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better. DAVIS: Oh, no. 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. I think the big advantage was that people who make kids entertainment do it because they care about kids. And a lot of men would say to me when I was making the film, Well, the problem is you just follow the money. If women films made more money, of course, there would be more women films. In the directors guild, there were only two women I think up until the 1960s who were members of the union. Book & Film Study Guide. Its always been that way. JOHN LANDGRAF, HEAD, FX: I had this unconscious bias that we would have to be making sacrifices to hire people with less experience. Chinese Simple She braids together the science, psychology, geopolitics, economics, ethics and activism that shape the climate question. GROSS: The one with the feathers and DAVIS: The one with the feathers and rhinestones? Production companies: CreativeChaos vmg, New Plot Films, US Release 2019. Finnish And I think the first thing to change will be on screen. 'This Changes Everything' Review: Compelling Documentary Tackles Hollywood Gender Inequality Head-On By Pete Hammond July 18, 2019 4:17pm At one point in the powerful and fascinating new. A film that brings our peril into focus and what we might learn from despair. I fear the message may continue to elude those who need to hear it the most. There are going to be so many more movies with women starring and everything. This Changes Everything is a brilliant explanation of why the climate crisis challenges us to abandon the core free market ideology of our time, restructure the global economy, and remake our political systems. . He said no, that's the whole point is competing. Not rated. And I was horrified. ', A work of startling force, exhaustive reporting, and telling anecdote . DAVIS: Exactly. Swedish And she doesnt know its her period because she had never been taught that by her mother. Russian What happened after 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. So it was so horrifying to me that we would be doing this to kids that I decided I had to try to do something. Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Kleins narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. But this struck me very deeply that we're training kids from the beginning, from minute one of absorbing popular culture, that women and girls are not as important as men and boys, and they're not as valuable to our society as men and boys. She ends up shooting him, and then you both go on the lam because you feel like, who's going to believe you? In this part of the interview, I'm going to talk more with Davis about her own movie career. And my friend and I acted out your trip. Or did you think, oh, it's me - no one wants me anymore? GROSS: So did being a model for Victoria's Secret lead to having this part where you're in your underwear in the dressing room? 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