In an industry full of men, the names of women, who claim a presence in the world of cinema, begin to emerge. Shortly after the victory of Katherine Bigelow, first woman director nominated and winner of an academy award in 2010 for her direction on the movie The Hurt Locker, the list of women continued to grow. Today, we also have Chloe Zhao, who recently won two Oscars for the direction and production of Nomadland.
In this competitive world, where the leaders in the field are well known men like Roger Deakins, Chris Doyle, or Emmanuel Lubezki. Little by little, more women step up as professionals in films, for example Guadalupe Hernández, originally from Mexico, who has worked as a director of photography in Leo (2018), Wholeheartedly (2019), Our Pyrite (2020) and the music video Distancia (2020).
Guadalupe’s career has developed between Mexico and USA, after also studying in France. She has played different roles as a filmmaker, something that makes her even more extraordinary in her field.
“I have been in all the positions, and I know how the direction of photography works, then it gives me the integral perspective of what is the work in cinema. I can make scripts, cast actors, correct color, etc. I combine the technical and the artistic sides, so that makes me a complete professional,” she added.
In the film industry, 90 to 95 percent of the crew members are men, but that is changing. More and more women play important roles in film productions.
“My colleagues respond well to my presence on set and respect my opinions. If not, then I am not interested in working in such an environment,” says Guadalupe on gender inequality in the industry.
The gender inequality is slowly changing, and barriers are breaking down. We also had the first woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography—first in ninety years—Rachel Morrison for her work in Mudbound in 2018. Today, we can also refer to Zoe White in The Handmaid’s Tale, Natasha Braier for The Neon Demon, Charlotte Bruus for A Quiet Place, and Maryse Alberti in The Fighter for their outstanding work as directors of photography.
