Where Are the Women? Citizenfour

BASIC REPRESENTATION SCORE: +5

FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: +8

THE MALE GAZE SCORE: 0

[no issues]

GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: 0

[no issues]

WILDCARD SCORE: +1

Is there anything either positive or negative in the film’s representation of women not already accounted for here? (points will vary)

Rating documentaries for representation of women can be tricky, but often it comes down to this: Is the subject of the film a woman? In this case, the subject is male, but the female documentarian, Laura Poitras, is more a part of the story that usual. In fact, the film would not exist at all if Edward Snowden had not known of Poitras by her reputation as a fearless muckraking journalist and entrusted her with his story. Since Poitras’ authority and significance to the story is already accounted for in the criteria, only one point is awarded, acknowledging the unusual circumstances this film represents.

TOTAL SCORE: +14

IS THE FILM’S DIRECTOR FEMALE? Yes (Laura Poitras) (does not impact scoring)

IS THE FILM’S SCREENWRITER FEMALE? (no credit for screenwriting) (does not impact scoring)

BOTTOM LINE: This is one of the biggest news stories of the 21st century, and it was brought to us by a woman journalist with a reputation for fierce fearlessness who inevitably became a part of the story.