MeToo, Kavanaugh topics of talk at women filmmakers’ event

NEW YORK >> The midterm elections, #MeToo, and the recent confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court: All were key topics of discussion at an annual gathering for women filmmakers Tuesday in Manhattan.

“Nevertheless, we persisted,” intoned Jane Rosenthal, executive chair of Tribeca Enterprises, using the popular feminist slogan over and over as she discussed a year of women’s struggles, both inside and outside Hollywood.

The gathering took place almost exactly a year after the #MeToo movement erupted into public consciousness, following stunning allegations of sexual misconduct against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

“Last year when we met we experienced a watershed moment,” Rosenthal told attendees at the luncheon for “Through Her Lens: the Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program ,” which provides mentorship and funding for emerging women filmmakers. “Brave women were coming forward to demand societal change. And the world was listening — or so we thought.”

Rosenthal called the recent Kavanaugh hearings “devastating” for women.

“It’s hard to fight for equality in the workplace or the arts when we haven’t achieved equality in the eyes of the government,” she said. “We will, we must persist.”

Kavanaugh took his seat on the high court last week after overcoming allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied, by accuser Christine Blasey Ford.

Rosenthal also referred to efforts to achieve greater representation of women in Hollywood, especially behind the camera, where women still lag far behind men. Only one woman has ever won an Oscar for directing — Kathryn Bigelow, who is serving as a one of the mentors for the Tribeca program.