Through research I was able to come across the Bechdel Test. The Bechdel testasks whether a work of fiction features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women must be named is sometimes added.
Only about half of all films meet these requirements, according to user-edited databases and the media industry press. The test is used as an indicator for the active presence of women in films and other fiction, and to call attention to gender inequality in fiction due to sexism.
The test is named after the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, in whose comic strip first appeared in 1985. Bechdel credited the idea to a friend, Liz Wallace, and to the writings of Virginia Woolf. After the test became more widely discussed in the 2000s, a number of variants and tests inspired by it have been introduced.
In my short film, "Dreaming Daisy", characters Daisy and Elli pass the Bechdel test. As both myself and my partner are females, we found it extremely important to involve a teenage girl friendship in our short film, as this is something we have obviously experienced but also is very easy to relate too. Both of these character share an extremely touching friendship, where Elli is trying to help Daisy complete her bucket list as she is diagnosed with cancer.
In his review of 2015 films, Mark Kermode drew attention to the number of films either made by women or featuring strong female leads. I am pleased to see your awareness of the Bechdel test.
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