The Stage

Thompson and Wilson to launch drama festival showcasing female talent

Published Tuesday 8 September 2009 at 14:40 by Matthew Hemley

Actresses Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson are teaming up to launch a festival of dramas written and directed by women.

The event, which will comprise of seven short films, is being held to address the perceived lack of opportunities for women working in the industry, both on and off the screen.

Although still in its infancy, Wilson told The Stage that the festival of films will be made for broadcast on either television or at cinemas and will draw on British talent.

The actress said modern writing does not traditionally have “great female roles”, particularly for older women, and said the idea of the festival would be to bring to attention an issue that “still exists” and which has “gone slightly backwards” because of the UK’s obsession with youth and image.

She called this “scary and a bit sad” and added: “Women don’t seem to have a place later on. For some reason we are not writing about them or exploring them in later years.”

Wilson explained that Thompson would front the campaign, but added that it was likely to take some time before all the details were finalised.

The actress, who is about to star in the BBC’s adaptation of Andrea Levy’s Small Island, revealed she herself was particularly concerned about the lack of roles for older women and added: “I do worry about it. I think it’s horrific and I think it’s actually got worse.”

However, she said it was a “constant cycle” that people have to “keep pushing” and added: “Emancipation did not happen that long ago and where we have come in that amount of time is huge. We have come a long way and have a long way to go. It will take time but you have to keep fighting those corners.”