8’s Florence Noble creates movie trailers to promote Sydney’s All About Women Festival

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Sequence 01.00_00_53_05.Still002.jpg8 director Florence Noble has teamed up with the Sydney Opera House to create three female-driven film trailers “Not Showing in Cinemas this Summer”.

The trailers challenge the generic female characters typically portrayed in blockbuster films, like the ice queen careerist who needs to get laid, the lesbian who cheats on her long-term girlfriend with a man, or the anonymous wife whose only role is to support her very important husband.

The trailers are based on an article by Kira Garcia entitled “Realistic Female-Driven Film Treatments”, originally published on Lena Dunham’s blog “Lenny Letter” in November, 2015. The article explores storylines designed to pass the Bechdel Test.

The Bechdel Test is a concept from the brain of American Cartoonist Alison Bechdel, who in 1985 birthed a comic strip called “Dykes to Watch Out For”. The strip depicts one woman explaining to another woman the rule a film must satisfy for her to go and see it: two women who talk to each other about something other than a man.

Simple right? Wrong. Pick 2,500 different films and of those films, only half will pass the test.

Screen Shot 2016-03-02 at 2.46.42 PM.jpgNoble’s movie trailers were posted on Dunham’s blog yesterday, with a thumbs-up from the editor.

Says Noble (left): “‘I’m a big fan of Lena Dunham’s and I’m extremely flattered when my writing is compared to hers. I wish I believed it was because we both write awkward comedy, but I fear we’re so starved of truthful female-driven comedy that Lena and I get compared just because of our sex. Society is progressing though, we are catching up.”

Celebrating its fourth year, the All About Women Festival aims to inspire discussions on important issues and ideas that speak to women, lead by the best innovators, storytellers, movers and shakers in the country.

The All About Women Festival will be held this Sunday at The Sydney Opera House.

For Australian and New Zealand production inquiries contact Katie Millington Katie@8com.com.au.