Affleck is currently a fav to win the best actor Oscar for “Manchester By The Sea”. He settled two sexual harassment lawsuits and it’s time to talk about them.
Górka, one of Affleck’s victim, is a cinematographer. Women make up less than 4% of the American Society of Cinematographers, competition is fierce. Now imagine filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against a male director, producer, and actor who is very well connected.
Indiewire talked to women in the industry - most of them said that when it comes to being sexually harassed, it has happened to them or someone they know at some point, sometimes on “nearly every job.”
But what they all agree on is that coming forward would potentially kill your career. That happens because jobs in the industry basically come on recommendations.
Coming forward mostly depends on where you are in your career. If you’re still trying to establish yourself, the victim probably doesn’t want the 'troublemaker' label.
Women in the industry always have to prove they can be ‘one of the guys’ in a male-dominated world, prove they’re good enough for the job, while having to tolerate a lot of ‘locker-room talk’.
On a studio film, when for example a producer is made aware of a sexual harassment incident, studio lawyers immediately get involved to protect the corporation. The same doesn’t happen with indie films - it can be seen as more progressive but there’s no obvious chain of command regarding who you have to report to, and it often doesn’t end well for the person who filed the complaint.
They say the industry is slowly changing and the production world is starting to adjust to women.
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