Six Team Faves – Inspiring Women in Film and TV

It’s International Womens’ Day, and to mark the occasion we decided to big up some of the brilliant women in film and TV who inspire, entertain and amaze us. We asked some of the members of team Fireworks to pick their top inspirational women from the film world. Here are our top five.

Diablo Cody

Chosen by Hannah Robinson, Fireworks Director and Co-writer. Hannah says:

I’ve chosen Diablo Cody because she’s written some of the most witty, moving and irreverent movies, with the coolest, funniest flawed female screen characters, particularly Mavis Gary in Young Adult and Juno in, er, Juno. Her pen name is  Diablo Cody because she was listening to a song called Diablo whilst driving through a town called Cody. Also, she worked as a stripper who incorporated ninja kicks and screaming into her routines.

Lena Denham

Chosen by Jonathan Hall, Fireworks Co-writer. Jonathan says:

I’m going to choose Lena Dunham (of Tiny Furniture movie and HBO’s Girls TV series fame) – not just because I, myself, am a fearless, ferociously perceptive, young woman (inside a burly man body, obviously), but because she makes me properly laugh and gasp out loud while showing me something brand new. Kind of what we were trying to do with Fireworks.

Jodie Foster

Chosen by Claire Burns, Fireworks Executive Producer.

Since her debut at the age of three, Jodie Foster has had a staggering career as an actor, delivering acclaimed and memorable performances in Taxi Driver, The Accused, and Silence of the Lambs, and graduating from successful child star to A-list adult actor. Always convincing, always authentic, and generally brilliant in every role, she has now turned her talents to directing and producing. A woman with a genuine passion and understanding for film.

Ida Lupino

Chosen by Wendy Griffin, Fireworks Producer. Wendy says:

Ida Lupino (born in 1918) has always intrigued me as a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her forty-eight year career, she appeared in fifty-nine films as an actress and directed seven others. She co-wrote and co-produced some of her own films as well.

Jane Campion

Chosen by Simone Pereira-Hind, Fireworks Casting Director. Simone says:

I’m going to be really predictable and go for Jane Campion for sharing her astonishing vision with us, particularly for Top of the Lake, In the Cut, The Piano and An Angel at my Table. She writes incredible roles for women, gets staggering performances from her actors, shoots sexy but not exploitative scenes and knows how to point the camera and capture those stunning landscapes. Genius! LOVE her!

Sofia Coppola

Chosen by Rebecca Thompson, Fireworks Digital Producer. Rebecca says:

Sofia has been in the movies since she played a male baby in The Godfather, but it’s as a writer and director (a bit like our Hannah!) that she really shines. She’s the brains behind one of the most genuine and moving love stories in recent cinema history, Lost in Translation, as well as capturing the zeitgeist with The Bling Ring and The Virgin Suicides. Coppola has a bit of a thing for casting previous child actors in leading roles, so maybe our Kat will end up in one of her films one day?

 

Over to you

Who are your icons of women in film? Tell us who inspires you.

Auditions Closed for Bright Star Kat

We’re getting ever closer to finding a bright new star to play our headstrong teenager Kat: our open auditions have now officially closed and we are accepting no more submissions for the part.

Big thanks to the hundreds of you who have submitted an audition video over the past months, we can’t wait to watch them all – looks like we’re going to have a busy few days ahead of us! And from what we’ve glimpsed so far you’ve been paying attention to some of the Dos and Don’ts our Casting Director Simone Pereira-Hind gave you back in November, you clever things.

So you submitted an audition tape, what happens next?

Over the next week or two we’ll be watching all the audition videos you’ve sent in, looking for our perfect Kat. After much chewing of pen lids, head-scratching and deliberating we will whittle down the hundreds to a shortlist. What will we be looking for? The funniest, bravest and most talented young women who will be a great match for the bold, headstrong Kat.

Over the next two weeks we will get back to everyone who submitted an audition through the online form to let them know whether or not they have been shortlisted.

Keep your fingers crossed and good luck!

Online Audition Dos and Don’ts From our Casting Director

Are you planning to audition for the role of Kat through our online open audition process? We really want to discover a bright new star, and so our fab Casting Director Simone Pereira-Hind has put together some top tips for you.

Some Do Dos and Some Don’ts from Simone

Check out the video below to find out how to make the best of your audition. As Simone says, we’re willing you to do well. We want you to be great!

Get full details, download the audition script, and enter online here.

Good luck!