The Director Behind Netflix Original To The Bone Talks About The Lack Of Support From Male Producers

Jun 24

Jun 24 The Director Behind Netflix Original To The Bone Talks About The Lack Of Support From Male Producers

Writer-director Marti Knoxon isn't a new kid on the block, having been one of the creative forces behind Buffy The Vampire Slayer and co-creator of Lifetime's show UnREAL. Despite being far from an amateur, her latest project To The Bone nearly didn't make it after a lack of support from male producers.

The film - which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival - is inspired by Noxon's experiences with eating disorders during her adolescence, but her passion for the project almost wasn't enough to get other people behind her.

Talking to Indiewire, she said: “It seemed like male producers didn’t understand…I was told a number of times that it was just too small a topic. I was, like, ‘What? Really?’ Half the movies that get made are about some really talented white guy who understands jazz, you know? So many of the indie movies that get made are not about topics that touch millions and millions of people.”

Female figures in the film industry are a dime a dozen, but their projects often fall under their radar - or don't reach completion - due to the lack of support that they receive from male producers and/or men in other similar positions. As a result, so many films directed and produced by men have the same common themes and yet do so well at the box office time after time. Boring? Yes. Surprising? No.

When it comes to film, women are poorly represented in many ways. In 2016, of the top 100 grossing films, only 4% of directors and 19% of producers were female. Literally, four films out of 100 were directed by women.

On last year's list of top 500 films, movies with at least one female director employed greater percentages of female team members, ranging from writers and editors to cinematographers and composers. Sisters doing it for themselves.

Noxon found female producers and To The Bone went full steam ahead. Unfortunately it's not the same happy ending for all female directors. The struggle goes on, but we continue to celebrate the work of talented women.

The movie doesn't hit Netflix until July 14, but you can watch the trailer *TRIGGER WARNING: EATING DISORDERS* here. We purposefully haven't embedded the video link directly to the post for the protection of those who may find the content triggering.