This week on Out Takes, we turned our attention to the question of female representation in Western cinema. We’ve noticed a spate of recent films that have put the lives of women front and center: think indie flicks like THE WIFE and GLORIA BELL or box office hits like CAPTAIN MARVEL.

But despite our observations, the statistics paint a disappointing picture. Women are still dramatically underrepresented on the big screen. But why?

To help us explore this vexed question, we welcomed film maker and academic Lisa French back to the Out Takes studio. Lisa French is the author of ‘Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute’ and a member of the Gender Matters task force with Screen Australia. We spoke with Lisa about the lack of gender parity in the Australian Film Industry and the issues affecting the rich representation of women in Western cinema.

We also talked to film maker and WIFT board member Andrea Buck. Andrea has worked as a film producer, writer and development executive in Australia, Hollywood and South Africa.