When it came time to pick mentees for her latest feature, the World War II drama “Where Hands Touch,” Asante asked for applications on Twitter, and received over 200 from female filmmakers around the world. “My last film, I knew that I was going to select two women, and they were all so brilliant, they were all so exceptional, there wasn’t one weak application in there,” Asante said.
“I’ve always kept my mentoring relatively informal in the sense that I have maybe five or six women at the moment who know that they can always come to me if they’ve got questions,” Asante said, “I’ve found it a really kind of two-way rewarding experience.” For her, the mentoring process is part of the creative process. I’ve always found when you have had that odd one out who has had an issue or a problem, they’ve really stood out because they just haven’t fit in with the rest of the team.”Įven from her vantage point, Asante is loath to cast herself as someone who has it all figured out. “I’ve been very lucky with my crews and I’ve always had a majority of crew – I will say a majority, at least 95%– who have always been extremely respectful of women and who have always really seen women as equals. “It’s a very comfortable feeling for me to have other women around me,” Asante said. “I hope it’s starting to become natural for all elements in this equation, not just for women but for men as well, to realize that voices of women are important and we have something to say and we have a contribution to make whether it comes to the telling of stories in front of the screen or behind the camera,” she said. “The amplification of women’s voices is something that’s so normal and natural to me and I couldn’t imagine a world without it.”Īs the industry continues to react to both the #MeToo moment and the Time’s Up movement, Asante is cautiously optimistic that more members of the entertainment industry are cluing in to her way of thinking. She’s served on both the BAFTA Council and the BAFTA Film committee and was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire just last year.įor Asante, her activism and her dedication to equality in the industry isn’t something she’s consciously made a part of her work it’s something that just comes naturally to her. “They’re not things that I actively go out of my way to think about,” she said. With just three films under her belt - her fourth, “Where Hands Touch,” is targeted for release later this year - the Brit has already made her mark in the industry.
“I still feel like I’m carving my way,” Asante said when asked about being honored for her leadership and her amplification of women’s voices in film. Sayeeda Moreno, Betty Sullivan, Katherine Ruppe, Lori Bell Leahy, and more, which you can check out here.) (The fest has also announced their Athena List winners, including A. Previous honorees include Ava DuVernay, Eve Ensler, Greta Gerwig, Diablo Cody, Kasi Lemmons, Karyn Kusama, Debra Martin Chase, Dee Rees, Nekisa Cooper, Patricia Riggen, Callie Khouri, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Julie Taymor. Her hands-on contributions have not been overlooked, however, and Asante is being honored at this week’s female-focused Athena Film Festival alongside other talents like Bridget Everett, Barbara Kopple, and J.J.
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