Calling the Shots

Directed by Janis Cole and Holly Dale

Canada, 1988 (documentary, 118 minutes, colour, English)

Also known as "Women in Cinema"

Film Credits (partial):
Written by:	Janis Cole, Holly Dale
Produced by:	Janis Cole, Holly Dale
Cinematography:	Judy Irola, Sandi Sissel, John Walker
Film Editing:	Janis Cole
Music:	Lauri Conger
Production Company:	Women in Cinema

(sources)

Notes about Calling the Shots

There is also a 90-minute version of this film.

(sources)

Quotes by the Director

"When we began filming women who were involved in feature film production, we realized how impossible it would be to include all the dedicated women who have contributed to the motion picture industry worldwide. Therefore, we would like to dedicate this film to all the women who have been instrumental in the realization of a major motion picture and it is our hope to inspire those who wish to."
-- Janis Cole, Holly Dale (source)

"We started thinking about our own profession, and the thing that interested us most was wondering if the lack of women filmmakers has in fact influenced the onscreen image of women. We interviewed as many women filmmakers as we could in New York, LA, Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto. [...] And the one big question that emerged from the interviews was, 'Is the female perspective different from the male perspective?'"
-- Janis Cole (source)

"We hope we can dispel the myth that, just because a woman is writing or directing, the result will be a movie that mainly women will be interested in. That does happen in some cases, but women are also making horror movies, comedies and all sorts of mainstream pictures."
-- Holly Dale (source)

Quotes about Calling the Shots

"[Calling the Shots] is beautifully lit and shot, with each filmmaker in her own relaxed setting, and the editing is slick and professionally accomplished. Not only in its documentary surface is the film consistently upbeat, but the filmmakers—good-humoured, relaxed, articulate, and confident—strike consistently celebratory notes. This is not to suggest that they gloss over their struggles or their own mistakes."
-- Kay Armatage (source)

"Toronto's Holly Dale and Janis Cole, the award-winning documentary team behind P4W: Prison For Women and Hookers on Davie, are training their lenses on their own field. Women In Cinema, a feature-length documentary movie to be released in late 1987 or early 1988, will examine the evolving role of women as directors, screenwriters and technicians from silent days to the present."
-- Henry Mietkiewicz (source)

"The evidence of sexist prejudice encyclopedically assembled by Janis Cole and Holly Dale would be paralyzingly depressing were it not for the spunk and passion of most of the women they interview [...]."
-- Jay Scott (source)

"They collected boxes of research on more than 100 women and then tore around North America and Europe, visiting directors on set, in offices and on the beach, for a total of 65 voices on film. Only 35 women ultimately made it into Calling the Shots, but at 3 1/2 hours, the rough cut still required severe surgery to bring it down to two hours."
-- Judy Steed (source)

Bibliography for Calling the Shots

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

McKie, Paul. "Women directors are focus of film." Interview with Janis Cole. Winnipeg Free Press, February 4, 1989.
Mietkiewicz, Henry. "Women movie directors examine the big picture." Interview with Holly Dale. Toronto Star, April 13, 1987.
Scott, Jay. "Calling the Shots." Review of Calling the Shots. Globe and Mail, September 24, 1988.
Steed, Judy. "In person: Festival of Festivals: View from director's chair intrigues documentary team." Interview with Janis Cole, Holly Dale. Globe and Mail, September 14, 1988.
Variety. "Calling the Shots." Review of Calling the Shots. Variety, October 19, 1988.

Web Sites about Calling the Shots

"IMDb: Calling the Shots." Internet Movie Database, Inc. http://imdb.com/title/tt0269042/combined.