Beyond gender-flipping: exploring how the female gaze is revolutionizing screen narrative
Date: Saturday, 26 April
Time: 17:50
Room: Herringham Hall
Filmed: YES
What happens when we fundamentally shift how stories are seen, felt, and told? Join filmmaker Maureen Hascoet and our distinguished panel for an eye-opening exploration of how the female gaze is transforming contemporary screenwriting and visual storytelling. This isn’t just about putting women at the center of stories – it’s about reimagining how stories themselves can be told.
Through analysis of groundbreaking works and their own experiences, our panelists delve into how the female gaze shapes everything from character development to scene construction, visual composition to narrative structure. You’ll discover how this perspective creates new possibilities for depicting power, desire, conflict, and human connection on screen.
Moving beyond surface-level discussions of representation, this session examines how the female gaze influences fundamental storytelling choices: How does it change the way we write intimate scenes? How does it affect the portrayal of both female and male characters? How can it create new ways of building tension and conflict? What happens when we step outside traditional hero’s journey frameworks?
Actively working to incorporate the female gaze into your writing means incorporating new and underserved perspectives. A valuable approach for every writer. This session offers practical insights into how changing who’s doing the looking can transform what audiences see. Come prepared to challenge your assumptions about perspective, power, and storytelling itself.
Speakers In This Session
Julia Smuts Louw // Screenwriter, Novelist & Animation Developer
Julia Smuts Louw pioneers African animation on the global stage, crafting award-winning stories from Cape Town to Star Wars while nurturing new creative talent.
Jessica Fox // Screenwriter
Jessica Fox is a film writer, director, and author whose first feature film “Stella” set in 1937 Scotland, won many awards across international film festivals and is currently streaming on STV / ITVx.
Mim (Mariem) Omari // Screenwriter, Playwright & Story Consultant
Mim Omari amplifies vital voices and untold stories through her fearless writing, drawing on her extensive work with refugees and survivors to advocate for equality.
Maureen Hascoet // Filmmaker and Scottish Screenwriters Festival Founder
She has made movies, run festivals, worked with the biggest names and is on a mission to platform the Scottish grass roots film industry.
