The female director behind the vampire movie Twilight has revealed the pathetic gift she received from the film’s producers, Summit Entertainment, after it became a global box office smash in 2008. “I walked into a room with all these gifts, and everybody was congratulating the studio, and they gave me a box,” Catherine Hardwicke told The Guardian. “I opened it up, and it was a mini cupcake.” Hardwicke, whose other films include her critically acclaimed teenage drama debut Thirteen and skateboarding film Lords of Dogtown, suggested sexism in the movie industry is to blame for the snub. While she was awarded a cupcake as thanks for making a film that grossed more than $400 million worldwide, she noted that it is not uncommon for successful male directors to be awarded “a car, or a three-picture deal, or [getting] to do basically whatever you want.” Despite the success of Twilight, which spawned four more movies, none of which were directed by Hardwicke, the director realized an “earth-shattering reality” right away. “People aren’t going to hire more women directors. They’re not going to give you the next job and let you do something great,” she said.
Read it at The Guardian
