Hosted by film critic and broadcaster Anna Smith, Girls On Film is a film review podcast that looks at film from a female perspective. It was co-founded by HLA Agency and Anna Smith in response to a call for more female voices in film criticism. 

Voted No. 1 Feminist Film Podcast by Stylist Magazine and nominated for Best Live Podcast at the British Podcast Awards, the shows combines film reviews, panel discussions with female film critics, and interviews with actors, directors, activists and industry professionals. 

Girls On Film is an HLA Agency production, executive produced by Hedda Archbold and audio produced by Jane Long

Listen on Spotify, SoundCloud and more – or subscribe here.

We need more middle-aged women on screen – and this episode’s guests are leading the revolution. First, Anna chats to menopause activist Kate Muir about her latest documentary: Davina McCall: Sex, Mind and The Menopause. Kate shares behind the scenes stories about her activism, about filming the show and what has helped her in her personal menopause experience. She also gives tips for documentary filmmakers who are just starting out (bring snacks!) and shares exciting plans for hitting Hollywood.

Our second guest is writer, performer and campaigner Nicky Clark, who founded the Acting Your Age Campaign and works tirelessly to pressure broadcasters and filmmakers to achieve parity when it comes to the ages of men and women on screen. She shares her choices for great depictions of women over 45 on screen, as well as a famous superhero movie that has a staggering imbalance. Finally, she shares her hopes for the future of the campaign and explains how you can get involved.

UK listeners can watch Davina McCall: Sex, Mind and The Menopause on All4.

Other films mentioned: The Lost Daughter; Nomadland; After Love.

THE GIRLS ON FILM PODCAST ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE GIRLS ON FILM AWARDS 

Girls On Film, the film review podcast from a female perspective, today announced the winners of the inaugural Girls On Film Awards held at The Garden Cinema, supported by La Gioiosa Prosecco, Belle & Co and Rémy Martin. The awards were presented by co-founders Anna Smith and Hedda Archbold, and guests included actors Kerry Fox, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Ruth Madeley. Ground-breaking awards ranged from Female Friendship on Screen to the Best Female Orgasm on Film. 

The Girls On Film Awards reward excellence in the field of feminism, inclusion and diversity, female representation and the female gaze. Girls On Film particularly wants to celebrate the representation of diversity and of complex female characters on screen. 

Girls On Film applaud and champion all female-led, female focused films but want to hand out their own awards for the films and individuals that they feel deserve particular plaudits.  

Because the awards are in part a celebration of Girls On Film’s third anniversary, films were eligible if they were released between the launch of the podcast on 2 October 2018, and 4 February 2022.   

The award winners are:

1. Feminist Fiction Feature – Booksmart
2. Documentary Feature – For Sama
3. Female Friendship On screen – Booksmart
4. Ensemble Acting – Rocks
5. Girls On Film Ally Award – Bo Burnham for Kayla Day in Eighth Grade
6. Female Composer – Nainita Desai
7. Feminist Publicity Campaign – Pathé for Misbehaviour
8. Diversity Badge of Honour – joint winners Michaela Coel and Ruth Madeley
9. Feminist Superhero– Mia Bays
10. Best Female Orgasm – I’m Your Man

The ceremony will be podcast on Girls On Film on 7 March 2022. Below are full details including citations. 

1. Feminist Fiction Feature – winner: BOOKSMART 

Citation: We are delighted with the international flavour of the nominees which include three UK-US collaborations, a Bosnian and a French film. The winning film combines a sharp script with spot-on performances from two of our earliest interviewees, back in episode 14 of Girls On Film: Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. The filmmakers couldn’t be with us but a regular contributor to Girls On Film, film critic and broadcaster Rhianna Dhillon said a few words about what makes the film so special and impactful. 

Nominees: 

• Booksmart 
• The Lost Daughter
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire 
• Promising Young Woman 
• Quo Vadis, Aida?  

2.Documentary Feature – Winner: FOR SAMA 

Citation: There are some incredible women working in documentary filmmaking at the moment. We adored all these films but there was one that clearly moved our voters especially deeply, and which demonstrated how powerful film can be in fighting injustice.  

The award was collected by filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab and Afraa Hashem. 

Nominees: 

• Cow 
• Crip Camp 
• For Sama 
• Rebel Dykes 
• Writing with Fire 

3.Female Friendship On Screen – winner: BOOKSMART 

Citation: Friendships between women are incredibly important – and it’s so important to see that reflected on screen. The winning film had at its heart a friendship through thick and thin that was inspiring and uplifting. 

Kaitlyn Deever and Beanie Feldstein could not be with us but a regular contributor to Girls On Film, film critic and broadcaster Ashanti Omkar said a few words about the impact of the film. 

Nominees: 

• Booksmart 
• Herself 
• Hustlers 
• Misbehaviour 
• Rocks 

4.Ensemble Acting – winner: ROCKS 

Citation: Film is such a collaborative art form and when we lift each other up we all rise. We want to celebrate that with the ensemble acting category. 

Nominees: 

• Babyteeth 
• The Farewell 
• Little Women 
• Rocks 
• Zola

5.Girls On Film Ally – awarded to a male screenwriter/director for creating a complex female screen character – winner: BO BURNHAM 

Citation: It is so important for women to be portrayed as they really are, on screen: in all their complexity. That’s why we want to highlight the male screenwriter-directors who have created a complex female character in their film. Our ally and one of the few male guests on Girls On Film, Sanjeev Bhaskar, came to present this award. All the nominated films were written by men who listened and learned from the women around them. The winner is a comedian who was inspired by the young women who responded to his routines about anxiety and social media. With their feedback, he wrote a 13-year old girl who we could all relate to. He was also Girls On Film’s first male guest! 

Nominees: 

• Pedro Almodovar for Janis played by Penélope Cruz in Parallel Mothers (2022) 
• J Blakeson for Marla Grayson played by Rosamund Pike in I Care A Lot (2020)
• Bo Burnham for Kayla Day played by Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade (2018) 
• John Krasinski for Evelyn Abbott played by Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place Part II (2020) 
• Jordan Peele for Adelaide Wilson played by Lupita Nyong’o in Us (2019)   

6.Composer – winner: NAINITA DESAI 

Citation: Film composing is still a male-dominated field, but we hope that this is gradually changing and we’ve been proud to feature some fantastic female composers on Girls On Film. The winner of this award has been on the podcast twice, to talk about her body of work including The Wall: Climb for Gold and For Sama. We were delighted that Nainita Desai came to collect her award in person. 

Nominees: 

• Nainita Desai 
• Anne Dudley 
• Hildur Guðnadóttir 
• Morgan Kibby 
• Mica Levi 

7.Feminist Publicity Campaign – winner: MISBEHAVIOUR 

Citation: Films benefit tremendously from the creative work of publicists. We did a special about film publicity in episode #99 – if you haven’t heard it, do seek it out. 

All the publicists did a terrific job on the nominated films and we have enjoyed working with them. One particular film was coming out just as lockdown struck in 2020, and we were impressed with how the team adapted to the challenging circumstances and spread the film’s feminist message on social media and beyond. 

The Pathé with Premier PR team were unable to join us but we were delighted that the director of Misbehaviour, Philippa Lowthorpe was able to accept the award on their behalf.  

Nominees: 

• Misbehaviour – supported by a campaign by Pathé with Premier PR
• Mothers of the Revolution – supported by a campaign by Organic and Universal 
• Rare Beasts – supported by a campaign by Dundas communications alongside Republic Films Distribution and Billie Piper  
• Rocks – supported by a campaign by Christelle Randall, Amber Muotto and Mark Jones at Altitude.  
• Saint Maud – supported by a campaign by Margy Pellegrino and Matt Dinsdale at StudioCanal 

8.Diversity Badge of Honour – winners: MICHAELA COEL & RUTH MADELEY 

Citation: Diversity and representation are a big part of the discussion on Girls On Film, and we are always humbled to be joined by women who are making a real difference in this area. We alighted on joint winners who have done so much for diversity on screen, from race to disability to sexuality. 

We were delighted that actor and activist Ruth Madeley was able to join us. 

Nominees: 

• Michaela Coel 
• Sarah Gavron 
• Ruth Madeley 
• Ashanti Omkar 

9.Feminist Superhero – winner: MIA BAYS 

Citation: This is not, as you might think, an award for an onscreen superhero – though we could easily have nominated Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel or Shuri. We decided to nominate real life women who are disrupters of inequality in the entertainment industry – who have changed the landscape of the film industry. 

We love all the nominated women so much and they – along with many others, some of whom are in this room – have inspired us and kept us going. This was a tough decision, but we’ve chosen to reward a woman who has worked tirelessly to bring female led films to bigger audiences.  

We were delighted that Mia Bays accepted her award in person. 

Nominees: 

• Annenberg Inclusion Initiative – Stacy Smith runs the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the leading think tank studying diversity and inclusion in entertainment. 

• Shaheen Baig  – is committed to ensuring that the films she works on are representative of the audience in terms of ethnicity, class and gender.  

• Mia Bays – the Oscar winning producer who did an inspiring job as director-at-large at female-focused film charity Birds’ Eye View. She is now the director of the BFI Film Fund. 

• Ava DuVernay – the writer, director, producer and film distributor is constantly breaking new ground and brings activism into her work, supporting upcoming talent while fighting for a better future. 

• Michelle Obama – the co-founder of Higher Ground, the production company that explores issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and more. Their films include Becoming, which inspired a whole new generation of young women. 

• Melissa Silverstein – the writer who was one of the first to start shouting about the gender inequalities in Hollywood. She is the founder and editor of Women and Hollywood, one of the most respected sites for issues related to women and film. 

10.Best Female Orgasm – winner: I’M YOUR MAN 

Citation: The Climax of the night was the award for the Best Female Orgasm – awarded for sensitive treatment of female pleasure on screen. This award often raises a laugh but it has a serious purpose. When female pleasure is depicted in mainstream films, it’s usually seen through the male gaze. Girls On Film has been keeping a keen eye on sex scenes in mainstream and arthouse movies, looking out for the most thoughtful, responsible and authentic depictions of the female orgasm. In the winning film, the climactic scene depicts the complexity of the experience for the woman. It shows her inner emotional truth and serves to develop the plot. The scene gains in erotic power because of it. This scene is especially interesting because the scene is between a woman – and a robot, played by Dan Stevens. Maren Eggert was not able to join us but sent us an acceptance message on video, and Dan Stevens shared his excitement on social media. 

Nominees: 

• I’m Your Man – directed by Maria Schrader, starring Maren Eggert and Dan Stevens  
• If Beale Street Could Talk – directed by Barry Jenkins, starring Kiki Layne and Stephan James 
• The Miseducation of Cameron Post – directed by Desirée Akhavan, starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Sasha Lane 
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire – directed by Céline Sciamma, starring Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel 
• Queen & Slim – directed Melina Matsoukas, by starring Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya 

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About the Awards:

The winners were chosen by Girls On Film and announced at a ceremony on Wednesday 2 March 2022 at The Garden Cinema in the heart of Covent Garden, attended by leading filmmakers including Sarah Gavron and Anu Henriques (Rocks), Philippa Lowthorpe (Misbehavour), Shannon Murphy (Babyteeth) and Waad Al-Kateab (For Sama). 

Girls On Film announced plans for the Girls On Film Awards in their 100th episode in December, when celebrating the third anniversary of the podcast. If you missed it, you can listen to the episode here: the awards announcement starts at 22 minutes 48 seconds in.

Because the awards are in part a celebration of Girls On Film’s third birthday, films are eligible if they were released between the launch of Girls On Film on 2 October 2018, and 4 February 2022. Here is a list of all the female-led films Girls On Film featured in their first 111 episodes.

Girls On Film would like to thank The Garden Cinema for their generous support of the Girls On Film Awards, and their principal partners Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer for their continued support. 

We also thank Rémy Martin, Belle & Co and La Gioiosa Prosecco who supported the event in kind. 

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About Girls On Film:

The Girls On Film podcast was co-founded in 2018 by its host Anna Smith and exec producer Hedda Archbold. They decided to make a female-centric film programme after noticing that the default standard for film criticism is to pair two men talking to each other. Anna Smith: “We wanted to prove that women talking about film together can be enriching and enlightening, and to shine a light on all the amazing talent out there in criticism and filmmaking.” Hedda Archbold said: “When women talk about film, the conversation has a different quality to it. Our listeners find it immensely refreshing”.

In December 2021, just three years after the launch, Girls On Film reached its 100- episode milestone. The team have recorded studio and virtual episodes, as well as shows in front of live audiences, at cinemas, club venues such as Annabel’s and the Allbright, festivals including the London Podcast Festival and Latitude, and at international film festivals including Cannes, Rotterdam, Belfast and Glasgow. A number of lockdown video episodes were made for YouTube in conjunction with the BFI. Past esteemed guests on the podcast are:

Actors including Carey Mulligan, Linda Hamilton, Lashana Lynch, Karen Gillan, Brie Larson, Maxine Peake, Vanessa Kirby and Kerry Fox

Directors including Billie Piper, Shannon Murphy, Carol Morley, Lulu Wang, Gurinder Chadha, Tamara Jenkins, Desiree Akhavan, Rose Glass, Phillipa Lowthorpe, Amma Asante and Waad Al-Kateab

Industry experts including Eve Gabereau (Modern Films), Tricia Tuttle (BFI London Film Festival), Akua Gyamfi (The British Blacklist), Mia Bays (BFI), Allison Gardner (Glasgow Film Festival) and Melissa Silverstein (Women and Hollywood)

Female film critics and journalists including Corrina Antrobus, Jane Crowther, Rhianna Dhillon, Angie Errigo, Hanna Flint, Pamela Hutchinson, Wendy Ide, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Emma Jones, Tara Judah, Leila Latif, Clarisse Loughrey, Wendy Lloyd, Simran Hans, Wendy Mitchell, Kate Muir, Helen O’Hara, Ashanti Omkar and Francine Stock

The recent 100th episode features industry heavyweight Barbara Broccoli of EON productions and comedians and writers Sally Phillips and Ronni Ancona.

All episodes of the Girls On Film podcast can be found at: https://podfollow.com/1439182513/view

NOTES FOR EDITORS: Follow Girls On Film at: https://podfollow.com/1439182513/view https://www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast/ https://twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod https://www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ Girls On Film is an HLA production. Host: Anna Smith http://annasmithjourno.com/ Executive producer: Hedda Archbold, https://hlaagency.co.uk/  Principal Partners: Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer Assistant Producer: Shanaiya Pithiya

About HLA: HLA produces audio podcasts, videos, films and live events, and provides bespoke, sole agency to its clients. About the Garden Cinema: The Garden Cinema is a truly independent cinema in the heart of London, screening arthouse films from around the world. The cinema will open to the public on 26 March 2022. https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/ Contact details: Executive Producer at HLA Agency Hedda@HLAagency.co.uk, 07801074181 Assistant Producer Shanaiya@HLAagency.co.uk 07792 319346