Mustang Film Society Highlights Females in Film with Women on Wednesday

On Wednesday January 22, Mustang Film Society showed Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring" for their first Women On Wednesday of the quarter.

BY JUDY SCOTT

On a Wednesday night in January, a crowd of moviegoers filled the Frost Center’s Expressive Technology Studio for a screening of Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring.” The event, put on by Mustang Film Society, Cal Poly’s film club, was part of a series honoring female filmmakers.

Often overlooked and underrepresented in film are the women that work behind the scenes to bring dazzling images to the silver screen. Women comprised 24 percent of directors, writers, producers, editors and cinematographers working on the top 250 grossing films of 2022, down a percentage from the previous year, according to the Celluloid Ceiling report. While in recent years this percentage has begun to increase, women in film are still overlooked.

To combat this issue and shed light on the work of women in the film industry, Mustang Film Society (MFS) hosts Women on Wednesday, their showing of “The Bling Ring” being the first of the quarter.

“We hold Women on Wednesday screening two to three times per quarter,” said Mustang Film Society Vice President Diana Madden. “The purpose or significance of the event is to highlight and bring attention to films that were written, directed, and or produced by women.”  

“It’s just another way to give women in film and media a space for their art to shine,” said Zach Berston, MFS’s Executive Producer.

The film follows a group of teens who rob celebrities homes of their riches out of obsession over fame.

Inspired by true events, the movie follows a group of fame-obsessed teenagers who use the internet to track celebrities’ whereabouts in order to rob their homes. The story is based on the Vanity Fair article by Nancy Jo Sales “The suspects wore Louboutins.”

This specific movie drew in a decent sized crowd being the first of the quarter with about 15 people in attendance. “The event turnout has been good. The group has usually been on the smaller side, which is nice for a relaxed friendly atmosphere, but the turnout continues to grow each time,” Madden said. 

The Frost Center’s Expressive Technology Studio features Dolby surround sound and a 4K screen. Holding the event here was new for the club as they have previously hosted the event in classrooms or lecture halls. 

“The studio experience was great,” Berston said. “It was pretty unbelievable to have the sound coming in from all directions. Next to a true movie theater that’s probably the best video or film viewing experience you can get. They have great sound, good, clear picture and good color.”

The club also organizes group viewings at movie theaters in downtown San Luis Obispo, and there are participatory events. “We also have more active events where we create short films or do film production related challenges,” Madden said.

Deciding what movie to show for Women on Wednesday is a group effort. “We just have club members pitch ideas of movies that were written or directed or both by women, and we take a vote and whatever wins ends up being the movie that we show,” Berston said.

Ideas for the next Women on Wednesday are already being thrown around. “A big goal of ours is to give our members opportunities to showcase their work,” Madden said.