BFI appoint Munroe Bergdorf as keynote speaker for #womanwithacamera summit

[SunsetBeetch]

This is just getting flipping ridiculous now. Munroe has made one very recent, very shoddy documentary.

Thrilled to be opening the @BFI #WomanWithAMovieCamera Summit to talk about feminism, power and culture.

t.co/gBU9fTCD7l

TheCountess

Indeed. And I for one have no difficulty recognising and acknowledging MB's fundamental difference to myself and other women, and indeed MB's fundamental difference to other people involved in film

Tomorrow I will be speaking about the importance of inclusivity within film, that ALL women are given a voice and opportunity to speak about their own experiences. - on MB's twitter

So, Munroe will be speaking about - wait for it - Munroe, and trans activism. What a fucking surprise!

Can MB actually talk about anything that isn't MB or trans issues? are they aware other topics exist?

Zero fucking self awareness. I'm just so utterly bored shitless with this narcissistic drivel.

Munroe Bergdorf's comment about the petition.

twitter.com/MunroeBergdorf/status/1007667736393248768

From Huffpost:
"Trans Model Munroe Bergdorf Is Angry About The Average Life Expectancy Of Trans Women Of Colour [35 years largely because of male violence]

www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/06/13/trans-model-munroe-bergdorf_a_23458342/?guccounter=1

I know there has been questions about the lack of trans representation on film. I think bfi should address this - and have Man Friday as the keynote speaker. That would certainly widen the debate. For about 5 mins before bfi were 'informed' that it was offensive and the whole thing was shut down.

After thousands of years of men misrepresenting women they still pretend to be shocked and surprised and mystified when we object.

Set up a trans woman conference MB. That would address the need for transwomen representation in film.

yy Oscarino

I can’t name 5 women in the British Film Industry and they make up over 50% of the population let alone 5 British trans women (MB phrase so I should be able to use it) in film who make up 0.5%? Of the population.

It’s absolutely FINE to say there’s no representation of trans people in film - but that was t what this conference was about! MB won’t get it. I’m just sad that the BFI were so short-sighted and ignorant of the issues with this particular speaker at this conference.

Can MB actually talk about anything that isn't MB or trans issues? are they aware other topics exist?

This, and no.

How about we consider the representation in the film industry by education?

Private boys' schools for example.

Rowan

I feel uniquely qualified to give a keynote speech on that, being a woman who went to a state school, and who rilly rilly loves the Harry Potter Films

I'd like to see a woman involved the next trans event. You know, the biological 'type'. After all, surely that's just representing this selection box, novelty catalogue that woman-hood is. Widening the lens and shining the light on all those types of women there are...

Oh no I forgot, we are in such positions of power and privilege we don't deserve representation. Shit, nearly got above my station there.

"Trans Model Munroe Bergdorf Is Angry About The Average Life Expectancy Of Trans Women Of Colour [35 years largely because of male violence]

It's a lie.

Munroe has already drawn equivilence with Shon Faye who compered an Amnesty Internation event 'Women Making HIstory'

There was also petition.

Shon's response (as described by Pink News

"Shon Faye fought off her critics to ask audiences to “centre trans women” in a rallying speech as the host of Amnesty UK’s ‘Women Making History’ festival today.

After the writer and comedian was asked to present the festival, a change.org petition calling for the removal of Faye circulated, and accrued 2292 signatures.

Signatures on the petition consistently misgendered Faye, referred to her as a “man”. One referred to her as “abusive” and another as a “pervert”.

In a speech at the event today, Faye said that she wanted to “centre trans women who do not share my advantages who must be centred in women’s human rights work.”

“Instead of answering my critics I pay tribute to those women – because as long as trans women in the UK and around the world are being beaten, being sectioned, being brutalised, being raped, being killed or surviving, thriving, living, laughing, loving, and dying as women are then it is right and just that we are able to access the support and solidarity of feminist and women’s’ community,” she said"

www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/05/20/shon-faye-asks-public-to-re-centre-trans-women-in-the-face-of-anti-trans-petition-calling-for-her-removal/

TransplantsArePlants

What I meant is that I think those who went to private boys' schools are disproportionately represented in the film industry (see also politics, media, banking etc etc).

Munroe has talked about her experience at a boys private school. There was a lot of bullying.

Has Shon Faye ever talked much about school and university?

Or "Making Women History" as many people have aptly called it.

R0wan

I know. I realised that after I typed it . Still, I though it was a bit funny.

Great point Rowan

I hope they do look at this BFI event at the over representation of boys private school system educated people in the UK film industry.

At which point, the BFI booking a keynote from Munroe Bergdorf would start to look more like perpetuating the problem women in film are grappling with, wouldn’t it?

Less of a brave and stunning booking to have a debate* through that lens of Male privilege and more like same old, same old, jobs for the boys.

*having a debate, by definition requires there to be an opposing voice, who is given the same platform- I like to think that BFI will be hastily booking that gender critical person now..?

Not that MB has the qualification of actually being in the film production industry. As a one-time terrestrial tv documentary subject, MB is patently not a ‘woman in film’. Quite unlike hundreds of other women in various film production roles who could have been invited to give their view in line with the advertised purpose the event..

R0wan, sorry.

Yes, I think that if the BFI wanted to address the specific issue of trans women in films, then they should have had a seminar on it at some point during this conference. That would have been fine.

However, to centre the whole conference around trans women is not okay. Even if they were women, they are such a tiny percentage and they do not experience the same difficulties as natal women.

Trans women and natal women face different kinds of discrimination, and this does need to be addressed. To say that they suffer the same kinds of abuse is false and will achieve nothing.

I spent most of my career ( before re-training 5 years ago) in the film industry. My Dh also works in film/tv and it's looking likely that my kids will follow .

I left the industry because it was impossible to sustain family life .

MB does not widen the lense. MB gives a voice to racism and personifies the misogyny and anti-woman friendly working practices within the film industry.

MB has gone straight to the front of a queue most women find themselves in all their working days within film/tv.

MB does not speak for me.

As transpeople are a subset of their own sex group, then no, I don’t think it approriate for there to be a seminar for the opposite sex within the women’s event. Male trans people do not have anything in common with women that other males don’t also have.