Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Women in Filmmaking and Their Struggle Against Bias

"After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels" - Ann Richards

#1 Bestseller in Acting & Auditioning, Performing Arts, and Guides & Reviews

Women in filmmaking since the beginning. Women have been instrumental in the success of American cinema since its very beginning. One of the first people to ever pick up a motion picture camera was a woman; as was the first screenwriter to win two Academy Awards, the inventor of the boom microphone, and the first person to be credited with the title Film Editor. Throughout the history of Hollywood, women have been revolutionizing, innovating, and shaping filmmaking. Yet their stories are rarely shared. This is what film reporter Alicia Malone wants to change.

The first female directors. Backwards & In Heels tells the history of women in film in a different way, with stories about incredible women who made their mark in each Hollywood era. Every story is inspiring, detailing the accomplishments of extraordinary women and the obstacles they faced. Backwards & In Heels combines research and exclusive interviews with influential women and men working in Hollywood today, including Geena Davis, J.J. Abrams, Ava DuVernay, Octavia Spencer, America Ferrera, Paul Feig, and many more; as well as film professors, historians and experts.

Time to level the playing field. Think of Backwards & In Heels as a guidebook, your entry into the complex world of women in film. Join Alicia Malone as she champions Hollywood women of the past and present and looks to the future.

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If you enjoyed books such as Renegade Women in Film and TV or The Purple Diaries, you'll love Alicia Malone's Backwards & In Heels. Also, don't miss Alicia's #1 Bestseller in Movies & Video Guides & Reviews, The Female Gaze: Essential Movies Made by Women.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 13)
• Part 1 The Past (p. 17)
• The First Pioneers (1890s - 1920s) (p. 18)
• The First Female Filmmaker (p. 21)
• Social Issues on Film (p. 24)
• The Movie Star Businesswoman (p. 27)
• The First Film Editor (p. 34)
• The Award-Winning Writer (p. 37)
• The Action Hero (p. 41)
• Struggling in the System (1930s) (p. 44)
• The Only Female Filmmaker (p. 46)
• Mae West: The Sex Symbol vs the Code (p. 50)
• The Oscar Winner (p. 54)
• Erasure and Exoticism (p. 58)
• The Woman's Picture (p. 64)
• Waging Their Own War (1940s) (p. 66)
• The Pin-Up with the Patent (p. 69)
• The Lawmaker (p. 74)
• The Illusion (p. 78)
• The Femme Fatales (p. 84)
• The Dream Factory (1950s) (p. 87)
• Fighting Against Stereotype (p. 90)
• The Myth (p. 95)
• Mother of Us All (p. 98)
• New Hollywood (1960s & 1970s) (p. 103)
• The Famous Feud (p. 110)
• New Hollywood Icon (p. 114)
• Female Filmmakers, Finally (p. 120)
• The Blaxploitation Hero (p. 125)
• Modern Hollywood (1980s - 2000s) (p. 129)
• The Female Executives (p. 136)
• The Firsts: Female Filmmakers of Color (p. 141)
• Oscar Queen (p. 143)
• Part 2 The Present (p. 153)
• Filmmakers Fight Back (p. 154)
• Information Is Power (p. 157)
• History Maker (p. 160)
• Men Who Help Women (p. 166)
• ReFraming The Issue (p. 173)
• Taking Action (p. 176)
• Acting Up (p. 180)
• See It, Be It (p. 181)
• America Ferrera: Facing Fear (p. 187)
• Transforming Hollywood (p. 191)
• Scene Stealer (p. 196)
• Using Her Voice (p. 199)
• Mother-Daughter Icons (p. 205)
• Below the Line (p. 210)
• The Risk Taker (p. 213)
• From Producer To Director (p. 216)
• Writing Her Own Script (p. 219)
• Editing History (p. 223)
• Striking Images (p. 226)
• Part 3 The Future (p. 233)
• The Future is Female (p. 234)
• Select Bibliography (p. 236)
• Acknowledgements (p. 239)
• Author Bio (p. 241)