Written by Leonie Watkins — Photos by Caylee Hankins

Launched in May 2019, the positive nature of the initiative and the ethos it purports makes Super Women a wholly thrilling prospect. Their message is clear: to remedy the gender imbalance in creative industries. Super Women stands for females first and is a movement built on creating real opportunities for women behind the camera within the filmmaking industry.

I was first introduced to the duo in the autumn of 2019 and was immediately impressed by a profound determination in each to reprise the roles of women across the business. Theirs is a narrative as heartening as it is undeniably motivational.

The pair serendipitously collided after Georgie, a radio broadcaster and career DJ (6 Music, Virgin, XFM) met Alice, a documentary filmmaker, in a flatshare crossover where they lived together for a month. Having spent an evening at a talk given by motorcyclist and architect, Elspeth Beard (the first solo woman to circumnavigate the globe on a BMW R60 motorcycle in 1982) back at home, enthused and eager to capture the poignancy and heart of what Elspeth had achieved, Georgie relayed to Alice a desire to write and record a podcast or audio series about adventurous, spirited women… pioneers… trail blazers! Alice suggested she film it instead.

Above: Stills from the Super Women film about legendary motorcyclist, author and architect, Elspeth Beard.

They individually experienced their share of sexism, of battles to prove their worth against gender discrimination in the workplace, and a sense they were perhaps being ignored over their male counterparts when it came to promotion.

A concept soon followed, derived from a lightbulb conversation, after each was evidently struck by how woefully underrepresented women were in the filmmaking profession. Not quite a lightning bolt to the temple response but a refined understanding over time as they respectively crafted careers in radio broadcasting and documentary filmmaking, during which they individually experienced their share of sexism, of battles to prove their worth against gender discrimination in the workplace, and a sense they were perhaps being ignored over their male counterparts when it came to promotion.

Having faced challenges in their chosen industries, Alice and Georgie saw an opportunity to build something. Without harbouring bitterness or languishing despairingly, they decided to implement the seed of their idea and make strides to reform the state of play. Not just privately or just for themselves, but equally to give back, by constructing a framework to stimulate a remodelling of the filmmaking industry in the UK, potentially benefiting hundreds of other women. Thus, Super Women was born!

Top: Mai and Gemma from VC London chatting with the Super Women crew. Above: A scene from Camp VC.

It came as a surprise to Alice and Georgie to learn that even in these modern times, the lack of female staffed productions - from the team lead throughout the process; camera operator to editing and sound, women are represented significantly less on the crew roster.

Somewhat shockingly, the percentage of female directed films has dropped in recent years, from an already paltry 11% in 2017 to a pitiful 8% in 2019. This begs the question, why?

When raised, it is a concern shrieking loudly to both sexes in the business, standing as a marker of the times. In essence, making changes and evening out the balance is imperative. Not only is the figure an example of how outdated the system is, but of how it is rigged by, and for the patriarch.

Updating attitudes is crucial for future proofing the representation of women in, and across filmmaking. Having discovered, firsthand that women were pigeon-holed into coordinator roles but that the majority of technical roles such post production were opted by men, it seemed evident to both Alice and Georgie that a way to turn this around could be to combine their knowledge and love of media, by producing beautiful, exhilarating films whilst creating visibility for women, establishing a space for them to feel supported and to grow their confidence, experimenting without fear of admonishment or awkwardness - a place to learn essential skills on the job.

The experiences of those trainees and collaborators already engaged in the program vary - from those just beginning their careers, to others eager to develop their skill set, thus refreshing and updating their expertise. Due to funding restraints and the awareness Alice and Georgie are not in a position to pay full industry rate, the process has been designed very much as a collaborative one. For example, editors are sent worked-through scripts with the understanding that there is room to play and to put their own mark on the cut – an essential part of the professional evolution.

The entire Super Women production crew, a five woman operation, is made up of newcomers, students and those looking to forge a career in the industry, hungrily searching for that crucial break. Alice and Georgie are there to back them all the way - on hand whenever required as mentors.

It is somewhat cheery to learn that piece by piece, in every element of the production, right down to the films’ music track selection, women are behind its staging (band, ‘Medium Love’ provided the theme music as well as much of the bed soundtrack used throughout).

Several of the short films have already been released with 4 more due this year. Super Women has a YouTube channel - convenient for gorging on past releases. The debut series’ subjects include; music production, a historic global motorcycle adventure and a non-profit enterprise teaching women IT skills. Every tale is a story of extraordinary passion, a committed idea, a rise to success and the realisation of a dream.

Alice and Georgie were moved to feature a variety of diverse topics, including tech, business and politics. Similarly to the spirit of Super Women, the focus of the films would be on women who were progressing change or showing leadership in their sector, as well as those who were helping other women.

A screen shot from the Super Women film about music producer, Catherine Marks.

There are plans too, to start an academy running 2 or 3 day courses for presenters looking to master interviewing and presenting skills to camera. And for budding filmmakers, from techniques such as how to create content and what to shoot, to how to interview and cover a scene. Crucially, at the end of it, the women will have produced a tangible piece of work they can use and show to prospective employers. A first step from which to charge into the world, their very own film in hand.

To help fund future series and the academy, the girls’ have recently launched a patreon. Essentially crowdfunding, but instead of working towards a single goal, the patreon is subscription based. Patrons will pay a small fee to access extra content; to listen first and, like the podcast, score juicy behind the scenes footage. The intention is that as well as helping fund Super Women projects, the patreon will help to build a community, in turn, serving as a hub to a network of like minded women who not only want to contribute to the films in some way, but also want to meet others, share ideas and populate a collective for future collaborations.

Georgie and Alice’s story is an encouraging one of how a shared small-scale philosophy blossomed into a fully fledged initiative. Together, they have grown the platform to fruition.

The launch night in spring 2019 was the springboard from which Super Women was truly propelled into the world. From the panel of extraordinary women who spoke at the event, to the diversity of people in attendance, including many men (reassuring proof, as if it were needed that the avid audience is gender wide) Super Women is a force to be reckoned with.

Since that evening in the spring of last year and backed by months of hard work, their efforts are being recognised and rewarded. The reception and feedback from the films has been hugely complimentary. Alice and Georgie are at the Super Women helm, advancing the project inch by inch, steering it skyhigh. They continue to look to discover new talent and generate more opportunities for upcoming talent. As their Instagram profile declares, they are: ‘Two modern creatives making kickass films about kickass women.’ I might just make them each a cape myself.

For information on the Super Women patreon and to get involved, check out the website: www.superwomenhq.com Instagram: @superwomenhq Facebook: SuperWomenTV

For the films visit their YouTube page:

Elspeth Beard: Lone Rider author, the first British woman to ride a motorcycle around the world and an award-winning architect

Amali De Alwis MBE: CEO of Code First Girls

Catherine Marks: Award-winning record producer

Leah Tokelove: Pro flat-track racer

Diane Abbott: Labour MP, Shadow Home Secretary

Becky Evans 'Queen B': Automotive video blogger and presenter

Tessa Metcalfe: Independent jewellery designer

VC London: Female motorcycle collective, founders of Camp VC festival & various moto events

You can find more on Alice, Georgie and Super Women on Hey Girl here and here