This blog has been written by Helen Bendon, Interim Head of Department, Film, at Middlesex University.
As teachers of film, our focus is very much on creativity, storytelling, craft skills, critical thinking, and of course understanding the industry. Post #MeToo, understanding the industry means taking an honest look at what else we need to do to support our students who are graduating into an industry that still has a lot of work to do to address misogynistic attitudes and behaviours. The role universities have to play is critical and we can’t shy away from a problem that is, frankly, everywhere. It’s not just about raising awareness, but about changing the culture and shifting attitudes. Empowering our students with the skills and confidence to succeed in the creative industries needs to involve all new entrants feeling confident with professional boundaries, and knowing how and when to get advice and support if they encounter inappropriate and unacceptable behaviours.
Engaging local stakeholders
Our Changing the Culture approach, which my colleague Ben Serlin, I co-lead, is about delivering a comprehensive programme which includes robust preventative and education initiatives internally but also actively engaging with our wider community and various local stakeholders – local schools, local government, and community organisations – so that we tackle these issues collaboratively. As part of this work, we have worked with the London Borough of Barnet over the last couple of years on #HearMyVoice which focuses on addressing violence against women and girls.
In 2023, Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley and former Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, opened the #HearMyVoice event. We received feedback from many women who said that they felt their voices had been heard, making 2023 a huge success. This year, we are just about to launch the latest work which has a focus on what is often described as “casual” misogyny. Through an exhibition, a participatory walk, panels, community workshops and networking, #HearMyVoice looks at misogyny from a number of perspectives – from street harassment and women’s safety to working with school communities and exploring online spaces.
#HearMyVoice is not just running events (such as the event on Women in Screen Production on 23 May, which we are delivering in collaboration with London Higher), but by embedding the ethos and values of the #HearMyVoice campaign into our curriculum and teaching. By doing so, our students find out more about misogyny, domestic violence and sexual harassment. They make films about issues such as spiking (What happened to you last night?) or domestic violence (He Loves You Not). It would be remiss of us to pretend that this doesn’t happen, and so I would rather engage in the conversation with our students to help equip them with the skills to recognise and call out misogyny when and where is needed.
Working with local schools
This year, a key element is also working with schools. We have delivered workshops in schools and as part of #HearMyVoice pupils from four local schools will come on campus to engage in special workshops helping pupils understand the impact of misogynistic language and behaviours in their own communities. School leaders tell us that they are extremely worried about the way some boys speak to female staff and fellow pupils, often fuelled by the views of online influencers. Behaviours such as locker room chat or gaming banter are an accessible point for us to start talking to boys about normalised misogyny. We support boys to think critically about how it feels to be on the receiving end of that language, how normalising misogyny leads to further barriers to reporting, and how it can potentially lead to serious harm. It’s not about blaming boys but engaging them in conversations about shifting attitudes. As a mother of two teenage boys, I am acutely aware of the challenges they face and the importance of educational settings embedding critical thinking around misogyny into the curriculum. We need to be willing to have the conversations. Learning environments are the places to debate different viewpoints and to counter and challenge, rather than cancel.
What does success look like for #HearMyVoice?
Sometimes it’s really difficult to capture culture change success, but it’s when boys in schools change the way they speak to women and girls, when they feel confident to call out their mate’s behaviour. It’s when a male undergraduate student reflects on locker-room banter and realises he’s normalised this behaviour and has now recognised it’s not ok. It’s when a female student stands up and applauds spontaneously when you show them a campaign film about what it is like to be a young woman and to be objectified through everyday sexism and you realise she has, in that moment, been seen and feels empowered. What we know is that we need to give this constant attention, so success is also about bringing together community partners, service providers and the wider university community. Ben and I are very proud that Barnet continues to partner with us, and I look forward to even more collaboration in the future.
Women in Screen Production will bring together an industry panel including Ita O’Brien, Rowan Aust (Co-Director at ReelTime Media), Babak Jani (Head of Skills for Film London), and film and television editor Tania Reddin to talk about tackling misogyny in the workplace, with a special focus on nurturing new entrants in the screen industries, providing valuable insights on how to navigate workplace challenges. This is a topic that really matters to the students who are co-organising this with us.
