As Kristen Stewart rolls out her feature directorial debut, she’s calling for more opportunities for women in filmmaking.
The Oscar nominee, whose film *The Chronology of Water* is set for a limited North American release in December, spoke openly about the challenges she faced. Stewart called out the “misogynist cacophony” she had to break through in order to make the adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s book.
“In a post-Me Too moment, it seemed possible that stories made by and for women were finally getting their due, that we might be allowed or even encouraged to express ourselves and our shared experiences, all of our experiences without filter,” she said at Chanel’s 2025 Women’s Luncheon on Tuesday, according to *People*.
“But I can now attest to the bare-knuckle brawling that it takes every single frame,” Stewart added. “When the content is too dark, too taboo, when the frankness with which it serves up observations about experiences routinely experienced by women frequently provoke disgust and rejection.”
Noting she was “in a severe state of PMS today,” Stewart added, “But I relish being able to say that my nerves are close to the surface of my skin and it is a great day for that.”
“So in my hormonally activated state, let’s get further into this. It’s awkward to talk about inequality for some people, and it’s more awkward when the nature of inequality is somewhat ephemeral. We can discuss wage gaps and taxes on tampons and measure it in lots of quantifiable ways, but the violence is silencing. It’s like we’re not even supposed to be angry. But I can eat this podium with a fork and f***ing knife, I’m so angry.
“The backsliding from our brief moment of progress is statistically devastating. It is devastating. Such a pitiful number of films from the past last year have been made by women,” she said, adding: “Our business is in a state of emergency, man.
“I am thankful to you. I am not grateful to a boys club business model that pretends to want to hang out with us while siphoning our resources and belittling our true perspectives.”
Stewart concluded, “Those of us who have been lucky enough to make a movie have a responsibility to those who are yet to come.”
https://deadline.com/2025/11/kristen-stewart-state-emergency-hollywood-gender-inequality-1236608467/