Photographed by Angie Stong
Written by Asli Shebe.
When asked why she chose this particular story, and why it’s being told now, Sarah Gavron, director of “Suffragette,” replied, “it’s never been told before on the big screen, it seems extraordinary and it’s such a key part of our history.”
“There are so many issues that are there in the film that are 21st century issues… women dealing with sexual abuse, not having rights over their own money, the pay gap, parental rights,” said Gavron.
Although the film is set in a very specific area in London, Gavron stressed the fact that a lot of the films themes play into global issues.
“Wider themes play into activism all over the world or people fighting inequality whatever their sex or background, like the police surveillance operation and the State brutality against the women.”
She emphasized their hopes of resonating with all women when creating this film. Underlining the importance of intersectionality.
“That’s what I hope, that it provokes a positive discourse about inequality that’s really inclusive of everybody. Intersectionality: all women everywhere.”
“Suffragette” depicts women’s fight for equality in early 20th century Britain. Women went to extreme lengths and even turned to violence as their peaceful protests remained unheard, fighting for women to have the right to vote.
When asked how far we, as a society, have come since the time of Suffragette Gavron said, “in some respects, a long way.”
She said that although the women’s rights movement has progressed and women are being given equal rights in a lot of fields, inequality still exists and there is still work to be done.
“There’s still 62 million girls worldwide that are denied an education. 22% of the worlds parliament are female. One in three women in the UK experience sexual violence from men,” said Gavron.
The film stars actresses such as Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter and Carey Mulligan. Streep plays Emmeline Pankhurst, the leader of the British suffragette movement. Carter plays Edith Ellyn, who’s character was heavily inspired by Edith Garrud and other historical women in the suffragette movement.
“We made Maud Watts as a composite character drawn from a number of working women we read about. Everything that happens to her, happens to someone in history,” Gavron said.
Gavron pointed out that she did not experience any difficulty working with the stars of this cast.
“No egos. They were really committed to this project. They all did so much homework. And now they’re being great advocates for it. Meryl Streep particularly, who is such a strong advocate for women in the film and women in the industry.”
Gavron also underlined the level of commitment the actresses brought to the film.
“They’re just consummate professionals, they bring so much experience and professionalism and talent. They contributed so much to this process. I felt very supported.”
According to Women In Film only 1.9% of top grossing films in 2014 were directed by women, 18.9% were produced by women, 21% had a female lead and only 11.2% had female writers. “Suffragette” seeked to challenge this.
“We had this predominately female cast and crew. Lots of women in heads of department roles,” said Gavron.
When asked what that was like Gavron replied saying, “we felt like we were in the style of the Suffragette. We were challenging convention. Normal film crews are mostly men.”
The film is based on a real time in history, so as expected, the creators were researching throughout the six years of making the film.
“We had a lot of historical consultants, one of the striking things I realized from reading widely and doing six years of research, is that there is not [just] one interpretation of history. We wanted to know our stuff so that when we departed from the facts, we knew when we were departing.” said Gavron.
The film does, however, deviate from history in some respects, such as the creation of Maude. Gavron defended this decision by explaining that they,”wanted to embed in the historical period and make it as true as possible but also have a little bit of artistic license to tell the journey of this woman.”
In terms of advice for students pursuing a career in the entertainment arts, Gavron said that, “the most important thing and, particularly for women, but [also] generally, is to not give up because there are so many challenges. And never take no for an answer.”
Gavron also pointed out the importance of having a support group.
“Surround yourself by supporters and find your champions because you need to have those people to support you on what can be quite a difficult journey.” .
“Suffragette” premiered at the Savannah Film Fest on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Trustees Theater and is set to premier in Savannah on Nov. 25, 2015.
Asli Shebe is a senior writing major from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She began working for District in 2014 as a staff writer, then copy editor, A&E editor, Chief Assignment editor and finally, Editor-in-Chief in 2017. Asli currently holds the record for obtaining the most job titles during her time at District. When she’s not writing for District you can find her biking around the Historic District of Savannah at odd hours of the day.
