Alexandra Boyd

Alexandra Boyd

It’s no secret that the foundations of the Hollywood we know today were laid by men.

Whether from the leveraging of vast male-owned wealth, or the exploitation of countless leading ladies, the film industry was once very much a man’s game. However, in recent years all that’s started to change.

Alexandra Boyd, writer/director of First World War Boxing Epic, The Wilderness, is very much bang on trend, reclaiming cinematic territory that was once firmly controlled by male movie moguls.

Currently trying to finance the project through Kickstarter, Boyd could soon add her name to the long list of women who took Hollywood by storm.

To celebrate The Wilderness campaign, we decided to take a look at a few filmic females who bucked the trend, made their millions, and did it their way.

- Catherine Hardwicke

Whether you love or hate it, there’s no denying that The Twilight Saga captured the hearts (and wallets) of millions of fans worldwide, and our first entry is the woman that made the blockbuster possible.

Starting her career as a Production Designer, Hardwicke made her writing debut with the award-winning Thirteen, written in collaboration with 14-year-old family friend, Nikki Reed.

This often-uncomfortable coming of age story made Hardwicke hot Hollywood property at age 47, and earned her the opportunity to work on period-skater-drama, Lords of Dogtown before graduating onto blockbusters, with 2008’s Twilight and 2012’s Red Riding Hood firmly under her belt.

Now working on the adaptation of Karen Thompson Walker’s bestseller, Age of Miracles, Hardwicke just goes to show that age and sex need be no obstacle to box office success.

- Kathryn Bigelow

Stirring up controversy left, right and centre with her most recent effort, Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow is the woman who made great action relevant.

Having directed veteran actor Willem Defoe in his first starring role all the way back in 1982’s The Loveless, it wasn’t until 1991’s iconic Point Break, starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, was released that she truly earned the respect of her Hollywood peers.

Having become the first woman to receive the Academy Award for Best Director in 2010 for her Iraq-epic, The Hurt Locker, there’s no doubt that Kathryn has forged a new path for women directors in action.

- Jane Campion

From the first female director to win the Academy Award for Best Director, to the first female director to take home the Palme D’Or, we turn to New Zealand’s finest, Jane Campion.

Starting her adult life as a painter, Campion quickly became frustrated with the limits of the medium, creating her first short film, Tissues, in 1980.

Campion went on to gain critical-acclaim with her short, Peel, which won the Short Film Palme D’Or in 1982, but it was 1993’s The Piano that led to her historic Cannes triumph.

Focusing on gender politics and female sexual power, Campion is one of the foremost feminist directors working today, and one of the most extraordinary women in the industry.

- Lena Dunham

Indie upstart turned HBO hero, Lena Dunham is the latest addition to the list of women making waves in Hollywood today.

Having made her name with 2010’s lo-fi graduation drama, Tiny Furniture, which she wrote, directed and starred in, Lena quickly caught the eye of comedy powerhouse Judd Apatow, who helped produce her critically acclaimed HBO show, Girls.

Though her star may have risen from relative obscurity reasonably fast, there’s no doubt that Lena’s so-far short career will leave a lasting impression on the entertainment world.

- Nora Ephron

There’s no doubt that Nora Ephron, triple Oscar-nominated writer of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, made waves during her time in Hollywood.

Having sadly passed away in June last year, Ephron left behind an incredible career that paved the way for women to be taken seriously in Hollywood, breaking the male-dominated rom-com mold by combining human and humorous dialogue and plots without playing into stereotype.

Whether through her writing for film, or the numerous publications (including The Huffington Post) she contributed to, Ephron’s work drew a truly global audience and for that we salute her. RIP Nora.

- Alexandra Boyd

Alexandra Boyd is no stranger to Hollywood. Having enjoyed a long and successful career Stateside (including acting alongside Kate and Leo in James Cameron’s Titanic), Alexandra has now turned her attention back to her native UK, especially a small strip of wilderness in the East End - The Hackney Marshes.

Teaming up with veteran producer, Jon Pettigrew, Boyd has produced a piece that reflects the area’s historic link to poverty, want, struggle and sport.

Now looking to secure investment for her project through the crowdsourcing platform, Kickstarter, Boyd is, like these great women before her, challenging the fabric of the Hollywood system.

To find out more about The Wilderness, head on over to their Kickstarter page http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1249928131/the-wilderness-a-feature-film

So there you have it, five women who bucked the trend in Hollywood, and one who could soon! Watch this space.

Find "The Wilderness Movie" on Facebook or over on twitter @WildernessMovie.

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