From Academic Journals, Comedy Club and Furiends, the high school has it all when it comes to clubs! But every once in a while a new one comes into play. This year freshmen Emmerson Botts, Mila Rao, and Maggie Falk founded a unique new club this year: Female Film and Directing Club. The main purpose is to “create a safe space for girls where they can build community, and bond over movies” said Emmerson. She explained how the three of them had come up with the idea while having a conversation about female directors. Their goal with this club is to bring girls together with movies, and it could really be impactful.
The three have different roles that help to run the club. Emmerson manages the emails for the club, sending out announcements and updates for the members. Mila plans what activities the club will do and what movies they’re going to watch. Maggie coordinates events as well as food and drink for the meetings. Once they had a basic layout of the club, including choosing Ms. Belfiore to be their advisor, they were approved by Mr. Miller. They presented at the club fair and gained members.
They normally hold their meetings once every two weeks. Their current plans include learning more about the filming process. “We’re going to learn how to use different equipment and cameras, also how to do different shots and different cinematic elements,” Emmerson explained. The club is also planning to host a big movie night early next year sometime. They’ll have snacks and watch different movies by female filmmakers, a way for the community to have a shared experience while supporting underrated women artists. Recently they had a meeting where they split off into groups to discuss ideas for films.
This club isn’t like every other film club because it has a specific mission. Their goal is to help support female directors in the film industry by giving them more recognition. There are significantly less female directors than male directors in the film industry, making it harder for women to contribute to it. They also want to bring people together with something everyone loves: movies! In addition to watching them, they’ll be teaching club members about the tools filmmakers use in cinema. This is a unique club idea. While there have been film clubs started over the years there haven’t been one exactly like theirs. “I feel like Female Film Club is definitely an original idea,” Emmerson mentioned.
Many people enjoy watching movies, and this club is just that along with supporting under-appreciated female directors. It’s a fun way to connect with your community and to learn interesting skills about cinema. The leaders of the club are welcoming to everyone who wants to join. “You guys should join! It’s really fun and I love it.” Emmerson added to anyone reading this article. Every year there’s new clubs, but this one brings a new perspective.
