Asia Women Look Forward to More Representative Storytelling
variety.comVivienne Chow A wider representation of gender roles, more training opportunities for women filmmakers, and reaching out to women audiences are all ways forward to promote women-centric stories in Southeast Asian cinema, say women filmmakers from the region.The lively discussion involving Thai-American director Pailin Wedel (“Hope Frozen”), Indonesian actor Marissa Anita (“Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens”), Malaysian producer Lina Tan (“Sa Balik Baju”), and Filipino writer and producer Tanya Yuson (“Trese”) was staged by Netflix Asia on Wednesday.It concluded that streamers that can reach a wider audience online have already been making a positive impact on the industry as they help to find new audiences abroad, while also creating more opportunities for women filmmakers and diversity in storytelling.
Works by the four panelists are all available on Netflix, which has been upping its game in Asia, particularly through its investment in local originals.Gender representation across Southeast Asia film and television content can vary widely.
Thailand, for example, appears to be much more progressive, according to Wedel. “We have trans women directors and we also have representation [of transgender] in the independent world most of the time,” Wedel said. “There’s also a lot more LGBTQ+ representation on television than when I was growing up.”Urged along by streaming platforms, including Netflix, progressiveness now extends to storytelling in the BL (boy-love) genre through to the trans journey.Yuson said women have a strong position in the culture of the Philippines, and that there’s no shortage of women producers and writers in the industry.
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