It’s usually not much fun to find yourself in a room full of people far smarter and cooler than you. Except, that is, at Strong Leads: A Film Seminar for High School Girls — I’ve never been more excited to be in over my head.
Belcourt Theatre education and engagement director Allison Inman shares a staggering statistic: Of the top 100 films released each year, only about 5 percent are directed by women. This and other disparities in the industry inspired her to start the program Strong Leads in 2016. Once a semester, Inman puts out a call for female and gender-nonconforming teenagers interested in film — specifically films made by and starring women. The spring 2023 installment wrapped up at the end of April.
“The gender stuff was so glaring that I knew it needed to be talked about, because I wasn’t finding enough films to show our students that had female leads or were directed by women,” Inman tells the Scene. “We were constantly just seeing sort of the same point of view in a lot of films, and I just wanted to see more gender diversity and racial diversity. So I just started thinking about how to build a program where we focused on female-directed films where the female characters were well-rounded and had agency, and weren’t just sexualized, and they weren’t just accessories or supporting the male action in the film.”
When I enter the upstairs classroom at the Belcourt, I am greeted with a buzz of energized chatter. Within minutes of my arrival, the Strong Leads students are deep in a discussion about the film tropes they hate — everything from Joss Whedon-style kitschy dialogue to limiting queer characters to minor roles.
On the week of my visit, the girls are watching Lulu Wang’s 2019 film The Farewell, which leads into a discussion far more frank and thoughtful than many adults would have. They discuss how we express love, different ways people and cultures process grief, and whether there’s such a thing as a good lie. Their passion is evident, and it is impressive.
“It just renews my strength and my faith in this generation,” says Inman. “These girls are so fired-up!”
Fired-up is an apt description — these teenagers are dealing with a world that doesn’t want to welcome them in, and they won’t take no for an answer. They care about diversity and inclusion.
“It’s been really interesting and honestly a breath of fresh air,” says Mollie, a senior at Nashville School of the Arts. “Obviously everyone here is very similar and very nice and kind, but everyone is also very different. It’s not as diverse as I’d want it to be, but that’s also a really good part, because at the same time, Allison makes an effort to actually educate people on not only how women are [treated] in the film industry but also the disadvantages people of color [face] in the film industry as well, and I really appreciate her for that. It’s nice to hear others’ perspectives on these issues and share mine in a space where that’s welcome and accepted.
Allison Inman leads a meeting of Strong Leads
“I know that in Metro specifically the arts are not as appreciated,” she continues, “so it isn’t stuff that schools such as Stratford, which is my zone school, would be exposed to, and I think everyone deserves a chance to learn more about this type of stuff. It’s really fun!”
Rose, a senior at Hillsboro High School, wants other girls to see themselves on screen the way she has.
“Part of being a marginalized group is that you don’t even realize at first that you are marginalized or you’re in the minority,” says Rose. “So once you gain that awareness, for me it was really important to just never stop wanting to pursue finding [films] that had similar stories to mine. It’s kind of addictive to see yourself in something. It’s really exciting. After that, you never want to go back to something else that doesn’t really feel like you.”
When asked what films they love and see themselves reflected in, the students provide a diverse and impressive list — Mosquita y Mari, Beba, Times Square, Silence of the Lambs, The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love and The Breakfast Club. A natural instinct upon meeting these students is wanting to wrap each of them in a giant hug and protect them from the world — but if anyone is ready to face it, it’s them.
“These kids are having to figure out where to go to college based on where they will be safe, and it’s just heavy existential stuff,” says Inman. “We’ve lost the rights to our bodily autonomy — it’s dire.”
Throughout the years, Inman has seen firsthand the confidence that inclusive, supportive spaces can instill in these girls. Even more than film knowledge, she hopes confidence is what the Strong Leads students take away each semester.
“I hope they have confidence to talk about movies and be film nerds, and don’t apologize for what they like, and just assert their opinions,” she says. “I think that’s something that girls are not encouraged to do, so I hope they do that. I also hope that they make their own stuff and see the value in their own narratives.
“Their voices matter,” she continues. “They are fully formed human beings who are entitled to everything that their male counterparts are entitled to, and that seems like it should go without saying, but it doesn’t always. And maybe that changes with this generation.”
