IMDb is adopting a new feminist rating system for women in film

It’s no secret that women are lacking representation in the film industry. Simply by watching the Oscars, one can notice that men make up the majority of a film’s behind-the-scenes components. And we’ve become all too familiar with anti-feminist onscreen female character tropes like the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, who only exists to aid a man on his journey. To help bring awareness to gender inequality in film, IMDb is adopting a feminist rating system. It’s called the “F-rating” and it aims to highlight the women working onscreen and behind the camera.

The system was created in 2014 by Holly Tarquini of the Bath Film Festival. She talked about her rating system at a TEDx presentation in Bath, saying that her ultimate ambition for the F-rating is that it becomes redundant. Only then would it mean that the film industry is completely inclusive and equal.

Designed after the Bechdel Test, in which to pass a film must have two female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man, the F-rating looks at the percentages of films that are written, directed, and star women.

Tarquini told Bath Chronicle:

"The F-rating is intended to make people talk about the representation of women on and off screen." She added, "It's exciting when new organisations decide to join us in shining a light both on the brilliant work women are doing in film and on how far the film industry lags behind most other industries when it comes to providing equal opportunities to women."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMEajG_cvC0?feature=oembed

Films that have gained the “Triple F” rating, meaning they are written, directed, and starred in by women include: Frozen, Bridget Jones’s Baby, and American Honey. Films that have also scored a solid F-rating include Girl on the Train, Metropolis, and Kung Fu Panda 2.

CEO of IMDb, Col Needham, told Bath Chronicle:

"The F-rating is a great way to highlight women on screen and behind the camera."

So far, IMDb has rated over 21,800 films using the new feminist system. This certainly is a huge step for women in film. With power players like IMDb on our side, bringing feminist awareness to the masses just got a lot easier.